Q Does the White House agree with those who say that changing Social Security could benefit African Americans especially? And if so, does the President hope to enlist these African American leaders today in his public campaign?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we are talking about adding a new benefit to Social Security under the President's approach. It's called personal retirement accounts. And under the personal retirement accounts, that will give people the option, if they so choose, to have some ownership in their own -- over their own retirement savings in the Social Security system. And that will enable them to be able to pass on those savings to their heirs if they happen to pass away early. And so that will enable -- I mean, you talk about the African American community, I mean, that's one segment where African American males have a -- have had a shorter life span than other sectors of America. And this will enable them to build a nest egg of their own and be able to pass that nest egg on to their survivors. And so I think you should look at it from that perspective, as well.
Q Does he hope to enlist these leaders today in his public campaign to support the Social Security --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, let's let the meeting take place. But I expect he's going to talk about his second term priorities, and Social Security is right there at the top of his second term priorities. So I expect he'll continue to talk about the importance of making sure that we take steps to strengthen it for future generations -- our children and grandchildren -- so that it will be there for them. Most of our children and grandchildren right now do not expect Social Security to be around for them when they retire, under the current system, because it's unsustainable. And that's why we need to act now to permanently fix the system.
Q Scott, on the Social Security issue and the black leaders, the African American community en masse has a tendency to use more of the insurance part of Social Security versus the retirement part. Will that be addressed, as well? Is there any kind of crafting of a proposal to address that, specifically, because of the life span --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, to address the retirement versus --
Q No, the insurance portion -- the insurance portion is drawn out more from the African American community as a whole, versus the retirement portion, especially as African American males' life span does not reach 65, 67, on average. Is that something that they're trying to work out now, as well?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think it's been very clear what the President is doing to work with members of Congress to address Social Security. He's laid out the principles that should guide us as we move forward. He's made very clear what those principles are: no changes for those at or near retirement, the option of personal retirement accounts for younger workers --
Q But are you going to address specifically the black community on Social Security, and there is a racial aspect to it. Wouldn't you think that you would --
MR. McCLELLAN: All Americans are affected by Social Security, so it's not a -- the President doesn't specifically tailor his agenda to specific segments of society.
Q But a disproportionate -- the President has even acknowledged that --
MR. McCLELLAN: This is good for all -- it's good for Americans.
Q -- a disproportionate numbers of black males have a tendency not to reach the life span over time for Social Security, so they don't see it. But the African American community as a whole pulls out of the insurance part of that. And that's what I'm asking you. Will that be addressed? Are you looking at that? Are you looking to get information from these leaders about that aspect?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, when you're talking about the insurance part, I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about.
Q Sickness and --
MR. McCLELLAN: Talking disability?
Q Yes.
MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, I mean, if you're talking disability, the President has made it pretty clear in the past that people with disabilities shouldn't see any change in their benefit structure. Our focus has been on the retirement savings portion of this and strengthening it for younger workers.
Q But also, these leaders --
MR. McCLELLAN: And the President talked about that in a recent interview with The Washington Post, as well.
Q Okay, and lastly, these leaders are people who supported the President. And I understand that many of these leaders supported him on the issue of marriage, the definition of marriage. And there's a struggle now between Social Security and the definition of marriage. Will the President come out again now defining marriage again, so that these ministers can go in their pulpits and talk to the thousands -- hundreds of thousands of members of the congregation to support them -- because the President, indeed, got 11 percent of the black vote in this last election because many of these ministers went into their congregations saying, vote the Bible.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, a couple of things. First of all, the leaders who will be there today, they're religious leaders, they're business leaders, they're community leaders from across the United States. They represent a diversity of views from within the African American community. Secondly, in terms of protecting the sanctity of marriage, the President is very firm in his belief that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman, and he is concerned about steps that have been taken by activist judges. That's why the President believes it's necessary for us to move forward on a constitutional amendment to protect the sanctity of marriage. He's going to continue speaking out about the importance of protecting the sanctity of marriage and moving forward on a constitutional amendment. And he continues to urge Congress to act on that.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050125-2.html
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