From 2003~ 85 House Democrats To Leave AARP Amid Medicare Backlash

From 2009

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From 2003….

85 House Democrats To Leave AARP Amid Medicare Backlash
The Ledger
Dozens of House Democrats resigned their AARP memberships Wednesday or swore not to join as a Medicare backlash led to fierce attacks against the largest seniors group, a traditional Democratic ally.
At a rally led by top Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, lawmakers blasted AARP for endorsing a largely Republican-drawn plan for sweeping changes to Medicare.
AARP’s endorsement Monday gave supporters of the bill a major boost in the effort to add prescription drug coverage and inject competition into the system. It sparked anger among opponents that by Wednesday morning put AARP in the center of a partisan firestorm.

“I want them to hear it all the way down to the headquarters of the AARP. . . . President Bush, keep your hands off our Medicare,” boomed Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., a leading Democratic voice on Medicare, at a rally with members of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a union-backed seniors group.

The ire directed at AARP from Democrats represents a turn for the 35 million-member group, which Republicans historically have considered left-leaning but too powerful to ignore. A little more than a year ago, then Minority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi called the AARP a “wholly owned subsidiary” of the Democratic Party after it sided with moderate Democrats on Medicare legislation that ultimately failed.

“I think what AARP is doing to their constituents and their membership is bad,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. “They should be protecting their seniors.”

Woolsey led a drive to get House members to quit AARP or swear off membership when they become eligible. A group of 84 House Democrats joined her in a resignation letter Wednesday.
Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, and Rep. Corrine Brown, DJacksonville, were among those signing the resignation letter.
Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., finds himself fighting a group that has backed his legislation in the past. With his AARP membership card in his back pocket, Graham said he’s not ready to quit — yet.

“I disagree with AARP. I think they’ve made a seriously bad mistake,” said Graham, whose office has received almost 250 calls criticizing the AARP decision, compared with less than 100 in support. “But I think at least for the foreseeable future, the way to deal with that is not to leave but rather to try to be a voice inside of the organization for change.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said AARP’s leadership is “in the pocket” of the Republicans.
Novelli said top AARP officials and the board of directors expected a backlash, but that the vitriol from Capitol Hill surprises him.
Democrats theorize the AARP either seeks to curry favor with Republicans in control of Congress and the White House or calculated financial benefits through business partners that sell AARP members discount drugs and health insurance. Conservatives have made similar arguments for years.
Novelli denied AARP makes its decisions based on the millions of dollars it gets from third-party contracts. He said there was a wall between the group’s policy arm and its business interests.
David Certner, director of federal affairs for AARP, said the group endorsed the Medicare bill after winning concessions that it thinks will protect traditional Medicare from competition and reduce the number of retirees expected to lose their private coverage from employers.
Other groups that oppose the legislation are jamming AARP lines with angry calls from their members.

“They’re grass-rooting us,” Certner said. But he said that’s fair because AARP has done the same to them before.

From 2009

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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Learning these things about AARP I never knew before.

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….Thank you Eden for sending this to me.