The 9-Year-Old Political Prodigy
An unusual lobbyist has joined the battle over Social Security: a 9-year-old boy from Texas, George Bush's hometown, who has agreed to travel around supporting President Bush's proposal.
The boy, Noah McCullough, made a splash with his encyclopedic command of presidential history, earning five appearances on the "Tonight" show and gaining unique experiences in last year's presidential campaign. He beat Howard Dean in a trivia contest at the Democratic National Convention and wrote for his local newspaper about his trip to see the inauguration.
"He's very patriotic and very Republican," Noah's mother, Donna McCullough, a former teacher and self-described Democrat, told the media. "It's the way he was born."
In a sign of how far groups go to promote their message on Social Security, Progress for America has signed up Noah, a fourth grader, as a volunteer spokesman. He begins his role during spring break from James Williams Elementary School in Katy, Texas.
Progress for America, which spent nearly $45 million backing Mr. Bush last year, plans to allocate $20 million for Social Security this year. It has spent $1 million on television commercials and is deploying experts nationwide. Among them are Thomas Saving, a trustee of the Social Security Trust Fund; Rosario Marin, a former United States treasurer; and one very, very young Republican. Noah will not be eligible to collect Social Security for nearly 60 years.
Noah will travel to several states ahead of presidential visits, participate in radio programs, answer trivia questions, and speak briefly about Social Security. Though he is obviously not an expert (nor a true lobbyist), officials say the effort is a lighthearted way to emphasize Mr. Bush's message.
"What I want to tell people about Social Security is to not be afraid of the new plan," Noah said. "It may be a change, but it's a good change."
The trip was the brainchild of Stuart Roy, a former aide to Representative Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, who recently joined the DCI Group, a political consultancy with ties to the Republican Party and Mr. Bush.
Noah became interested in presidents at age five after a mock election in kindergarten. Today, he owns more than 3,000 books on presidential history. He campaigned for Mr. Bush, speaking to Republican groups. After 27 visits to the first President Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University, he secured a meeting with the former president.
Noah plans to run for the White House in 2032—and he wants Social Security addressed before then.