Tell AARP where they can stick it!

[raccoon]

Published on Thursday, September 20, 2007 by CommonDreams.org

AARP To Kucinich: Drop Dead
by Russell Mokhiber


AARP President Bill Novelli is a company man.

No, the company is not AARP.

Novelli doesn’t give a damn about AARP or its 38 million members.

If he did, he wouldn’t be selling down them down river by opposing a single payer system that would benefit not just AARP members, but everyone in the country.

Novelli doesn’t give a damn about the health of the nation.

What he cares about are the health insurance companies.

Novelli - a founder of the giant Porter Novelli corporate public relations firm - jumped to AARP in 2000.
But he never shed his corporate skin.

Case in point?

On Thursday night, AARP will host a debate in Iowa on the issue of health care.

Republicans and Democrats running for President will attend.

Of all of the Democrats and Republicans in the race, guess who is the only one who would put the Novelli’s buddies in the health insurance industry out of business?

Guess who is the only candidate among the Democrats and Republicans who would create a Canadian-style single payer, everybody in, nobody out, no deductibles, no co-pays, no in-network, no out-of-network, streamlined system that would save billions of dollars in administrative costs, deliver a higher quality health care system, and cover everyone?

Yes.

And guess who was not invited to confront Novelli’s corporate brotherhood of profit and death?

You guessed it.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Why?

Well, Kucinich would put out of business Novelli’s corporate support system - including United Healthcare and Aetna.

Earlier this year, both these health care industry giants signed a contract with AARP that will net AARP a cool $4.4 billion over seven years.

Kucinich said that AARP sponsorship of the Presidential forum “is like having Haliburton or Blackwater sponsor a Presidential forum on doing away with no-bid government contracts to private contractors - or an oil company sponsoring a forum on reducing the world’s dependence on oil.”.

We’re all getting old.

But we don’t have to all join AARP.

If your not a member yet, don’t join.

If you are a member, call Novelli and tell him to take a hike.

Then sign on with any Presidential candidate who supports single payer.



http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/20/3972/

[BlooInBloo]

1. Fuck AARP, and all groups pretending to advocate for a group, when in reality...

.... working against them. NARAL is another in that vein.

[raccoon]

2. Naral? Do tell. nt

[BlooInBloo]

4. Crikeys. Does *no-one* read firedoglake? lol! Here ya go...

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=firedoglake+naral&btnG=Google+Search&num=100

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. What do you mean by NARAL?

I have to admit, though I've donated to them in the past, I've been rather disappointed with their work. What kinds of conflicts of interest does NARAL harbor? I'm not asking to be snarky - I'd really like to know.

[0007]

15. Pro choice organizations, 'eh?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

16. Have you a problem with pro-choice organizations?

[0007]

20. Hell no! Why do you ask?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

28. I just don't understand the purpose of your original comment...

Can you help me out here?

[0007]

29. You ask what NARAL was ... I thought I told YOU goddamn it!

Now you come out with your two for a nickle one for dime crap! Are you nuts are something?



[BlooInBloo]

17. Did none of the bunch-o-links I provided clear it up? If not, I'm not sure what else I can do.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. They did, thank you

I posted before your links came up. Or at least I started to post before then.

[BlooInBloo]

24. Oooh - I gotcha. np.

[eridani]

31. They supporter LIEberman, even after he voted against emergency contraception

I quit donating to the national organization after that, but still support the state group which is doing good work with our state legislature.

[youthere]

3. That is completely incorrect.

Kucinich wants to make it sound as though it's a vast conspiracy against him and the fact is he WAS invited. There is a response from AARP on his very own website:

Dear Chris,



Thank you for your inquiry regarding the participation of Dennis

Kucinich in the AARP/IPTV Forum that will be held on September 20 at the

Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa.



On July 2, 2007, Rep. Kucinich's campaign was sent a registered letter

inviting him to participate in the event. The letter was accompanied by

criteria that were set by AARP and IPTV for participation in the forum.

Criteria include:



* Have filed an FEC Form F-2, "Statement of Candidacy," with the Federal

Election Commission;



* Have publicly announced an intention to run for the nomination of the

Republican or the Democratic Party for President of the United States;



* Have a Campaign Office inside the State of Iowa; and,



* Have employed at least one paid campaign staff representative to

perform full-time campaign duties in the State of Iowa on behalf of the

candidate since at least August 1, 2007.



During the weeks following his campaign's receipt of the letter of

invitation, Rep. Kucinich's office had no communication with AARP or

IPTV. The campaign did not acknowledge receipt of our invitation, nor

did he or any of his campaign staff indicate any interest in

participating in this forum. We did not hear from anyone about the forum

until a story appeared in the Quad-City Times stating incorrectly, that

Rep. Kucinich had not been invited to participate.



Rep. Kucinich did not meet all four of the stated criteria that would

enable him participate in the upcoming forum by the designated date.







Ann Black

AARP Iowa Communications




http://action.dennis4president.com/forum/posts/id_1232


Kucinich has not established a campaign office in Iowa so therefore was not eligible to participate. Neither has Mike Gravel, making him also ineligble-so Kucinich was not the ONLY candidate that did not participate. Hate AARP if you like, but not because they are "conspiring"against Kucinich.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Good catch. Despite Moonbeam McCrazypants issues, there's nevertheless...

... plenty of reason to hate AARP.

[youthere]

6. Oh yeah..hate AARP..just not because of this. LOL!

[durrrty libby]

9. "Moonbeam McCrazypants "

:rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

11. It even got a few smiles from DK fans.

[raccoon]

7. Thanks for posting. Regardless of Kucinich's being invited or not,

it's obvious that AARP isn't going to push single-payer. They are in bed with the insurance companies. (I know, that isn't exactly a Newsflash :-) )

edited for clarity

[youthere]

10. Oh absolutely...

I have no beef with people having a beef with AARP..but let's hate them for the RIGHT reasons.

[bluedog]

13. Dennis plays the "poor me" card quite well

hey this gives him free publicity and he doesn't have to use his supporters $$ for it.......

[youthere]

14. Yep..he just sent out an email to his campaigners...

about how "mean" Iowa was being to him. He even called for a boycott in Davenport (which of course, he wouldn't be participating in).

[Orsino]

21. Well, that criterion nicely eliminates Kucinich...

...but I fail to see how AARP's decision is Kucinich's fault, or a valid reason for him to be excluded. Has AARP given a reason for their decision to bar him?

[youthere]

26. Because he was given the opportunity to esteblish a campaign office in Iowa and chose not to.

[Orsino]

30. That wasn't my question.

Did AARP have some reason to set that requirement?

[shraby]

12. I don't even give AARP the time of day since they

vigorously supported Medicare Part D. They didn't mind screwing over old people then, so why should they mind screwing over them now? They still sell insurance, and it's money in their pocket.

[annabanana]

25. That was the tippingpoint for me too. Up until then

I believed they were really a group dedicated to the well being of Seniors..

[sinkingfeeling]

18. I canceled my pre-paid membership in AARP when they supported the Bush's drug plan.

[RangerRK]

22. from Dennis

"AARP's job is to keep seniors locked into buying a variety of insurance and private health care products, where under my plan seniors would not need any private insurance at all. HR676, Medicare for All means the beginning of an honest, accessible and cost-effective system of health care for the American people and American businesses. It is the end of for-profit health insurance," Kucinich said. "No more premiums, co-pays or deductibles. America already pays twice per capita what other nations pay for health care, but Americans are still not covered. Americans aren't getting the care they are rightfully entitled to because the debate is controlled by private insurance companies. I intend to change that. My candidacy is rallying the American people to the cause of their own health care," said Kucinich.

"Welcome to the new Democratic Presidential debate. A debate of the Washington lobbyists, by the Washington lobbyists and for the Washington lobbyists. "
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,182798.shtml

[DearAbby]

23. I get offers to join

AARP for the last two years...I toss it in the trash.

[eridani]

32. Why not use the post-paid envelope to send them single payer info?

Opening envelopes for a living has got to be pretty boring, and you'd be brightening someone's day.

[Jemmons]

27. How could democracy ever compete with this??? N/T