Several audience members indicated that they thought Ryan's plan made sense, although he acknowledged that his idea of paying for it largely by cutting government spending is probably not realistic and probably would need to be accompanied by changes in benefits.
At the Veterans Memorial Building in Burlington, Bill Kretschmer, 76, said he thought personal accounts would give people "a chance to get a lot more out of Social Security."
"For me, it won't do any good," he said. "But I have 17 grandchildren, and there's nothing for them to be nervous about."
But at every stop, Ryan faced skeptics. Nancy McDonald, 66, who sells securities and insurance, complained in Darien that health care for the uninsured needs to be addressed before Social Security. "Slow down! Slow down!" she scolded the lawmaker at one point.
"Bush is a salesman, and everything he has sold us has got us financially deeper in debt -- the war, Medicare -- and they haven't explained to us where they're going to get the money," said McDonald, a Democrat. "I don't see that private accounts are going to benefit lower-income people, who will depend solely on Social Security, because I don't know if they'll participate and I don't think we can depend on the federal government to educate them."
As Ryan made his case to four people in the nearby village of Sharon, population 1,591, Berthal Holmes Long, 90, blurted, "So what?" Long said she worries about promises of substantial returns, when Social Security now seems sure. "Words are rosy, but really what will it turn into?" she asked. "Times change. Everything changes. You don't know what might happen in five years or 10 years."
Pausing to munch a Filet-o-Fish meal at McDonald's between his third and fourth stops, Ryan said he believes Republicans will succeed "if we go out and communicate."
"As long as they think you're reasonable and have thought it out, they'll give you the benefit of the doubt," he said. He said young people generally like the idea, those ages 40 to 55 are concerned and want more information, and older voters are worried because there is "so much rhetoric out there."
Ryan gave Bush a 60 percent chance of getting Congress to send him a bill establishing individual accounts by the end of the year. "I think the feeling in the Republican conference is to either hit the brakes and stop now, or hit the gas pedal and get it done," he said. "I'm obviously a gas-pedal guy."
