English Original
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.
中文翻译
九岁政坛神童
社会保障制度的辩论迎来了一位不寻常的说客：一位来自乔治·布什家乡得克萨斯州的九岁男孩，他同意巡回各地，支持布什总统的改革提案。
这个名叫诺亚·麦卡洛的男孩，凭借其对总统历史百科全书般的了解引起了轰动，曾五次登上《今夜秀》节目，并在去年的总统竞选中获得了一些非凡的经历。他在民主党全国代表大会的一场知识问答比赛中击败了霍华德·迪恩，并为当地报纸撰文描述他观看总统就职典礼的旅程。
诺亚的母亲唐娜·麦卡洛曾是一名教师，自称是民主党人，她对媒体说：“他非常爱国，而且是个十足的共和党人。他天生就是这样。”
为了显示各团体在推广社会保障信息上能走多远，“美国进步”组织签下了四年级学生诺亚作为志愿发言人。他将在德克萨斯州凯蒂市詹姆斯·威廉姆斯小学的春假期间开始这一角色。
去年花费近4500万美元支持布什先生的“美国进步”组织，今年计划为社会保障拨款2000万美元。其中100万美元用于电视广告，并正在派遣专家前往全国各地。这些专家包括社会保障信托基金受托人托马斯·塞文；前美国财政部长罗萨里奥·马林；以及一位非常、非常年轻的共和党人。诺亚要等到近60年后才有资格领取社会保障金。
诺亚将在总统到访之前前往几个州，参加广播节目，回答知识问答，并简要谈谈社会保障。尽管他显然不是专家（也不是真正的说客），但官员们表示，此举是以一种轻松的方式强调布什先生的信息。
诺亚说：“关于社会保障，我想告诉人们的是不要害怕新计划。这可能是一种改变，但它是好的改变。”
这次行程是斯图尔特·罗伊的创意，他是得克萨斯州共和党人汤姆·迪莱议员的前助手，最近加入了与共和党和布什先生关系密切的政治咨询公司DCI集团。
诺亚在五岁时参加了一次幼儿园模拟选举后，开始对总统产生兴趣。如今，他拥有超过3000本关于总统历史的书籍。他曾为布什先生竞选，向共和党团体发表演讲。在27次参观位于德州农工大学的老布什总统图书馆后，他获得了一次与前总统会面的机会。
诺亚计划在2032年竞选白宫之位——他希望在那之前社会保障问题能得到解决。