Democrats are turning the tables on *

President George W. Bush began his battle for private Social Security accounts by targeting vulnerable Democrats. Now Democrats are turning the tables, using similar tactics to pressure Republican lawmakers.

House Democrats are holding town-hall meetings on Social Security in the districts of Republicans, including Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania and Jon Porter of Nevada, who face potentially tight races next year. At least three events next week will focus on opposition to Bush’s plan.

“I see a shift in the strategy,” said Jennifer Duffy, an analyst at the non-partisan, Washington-based Cook Political Report. “Democrats are playing the president’s game.”

The change reflects the declining support in public-opinion polls for Bush’s plan to let workers younger than 55 invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in stocks and bonds. In a Pew Research Center poll of 1,505 adults taken March 17-21, 44 percent said they supported private investment accounts, compared with 46 percent in February and 54 percent in December.