"DDB" <IHatNoOne@Fakecomcast.net> wrote in message
news:64GdnXTHz82YsiCiRVn-tA@comcast.com...

"JoettaB" <joetta_l_bragg@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in

message

news:_bmdnbISzMzB0yGiRVn-sA@wideopenwest.com...

More pertinent information on the AARP support of the

Bush

Medicare plan.

I'd say they are backing it because they know they will

never have another

chance at receiving drug benefits if they wait for the

Democrats to propose

a bill that will pass. They are also tired of the

Democrats using scare

tactics to coerce votes from them.

We already know they are back it. duh. But... the reasons
why are not as clear as you state.

--Ability is not determined by four walls

"Harry Hope" <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:a6dorvkkbtt7gtog0o3v9i55e9lhio82b6@4ax.com...

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/11/con03350.html

November 19, 2003

Why are the AARP Board and CEO Providing a Virtual

Soft

Money Ad

Campaign for The Republicans?

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION

BuzzFlash Preface:

Why are William Novelli, the CEO of AARP, and the AARP

board of

directors spending $7 million to politically help the

Republicans?

Because that is all that their ads in support of the

GOP

"First Step

in Dismantling Medicare" bill will do.

Either the ads will make the GOP appear to be the

saviors

of seniors

if the Democrats cravenly support the bill, or they

will

make the

Democrats look like the enemies of seniors if they

wisely

oppose this

bill that aims to undermine Medicare in the long-term.

It's no coincidence that one of the rising right wing

nut

stars,

Senator Lindsay Graham, on Tuesday announced a senate

bill

to start

privatizing Social Security.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031118/pl_nm/congress_retirement_dc

The Medicare bill is just the first step in the Grover

Norquist/Bush

Cartel plan to dismantle Medicare and Social Security.

Of course, the only winners in the GOP Medicare bill

will

be the

insurance companies.

As Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne observed:

"How do you know this bill is such a great deal for

the

drug companies

and HMOs? On word of an agreement last week, share

prices

of drug

stocks soared."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54786-2003Nov17.html

Why are the AARP board of directors and its CEO

assisting

the

Republicans in taking the first steps to dissolve

Medicare?

Here are some thoughts:

* * *

One BuzzFlash Reader Wrote Us This:

There is an apparent reason for AARP to support health

care

legislation.

They are paid a fee from each of the insurance

companies

that they

recommend.

Just go to their Web site - they don't keep it a

secret.

Do you really think that they would be spending $7

million

on

advertising if this weren't so.

And Another BuzzFlash Reader Forwarded These

Quotations to

Us:

"Critics say AARP, which formally unveiled its new

headquarters

building in downtown Washington last month, has

softened

its earlier

militancy because it is preoccupied with its

profit-making

enterprises, including $100 million in earnings from

the

sale of

insurance, mostly Medicare supplemental policies."
- Newsday, 10/21/2000

"AARP's receives more than $100 million in revenue

from

health

insurers."
- Denver Post, 5/21/96

"Critics suggest that AARP's substantial profits from

the

sales of

Medigap and other insurance policies, drug company

advertising in its

magazines, and investment schemes conflict with its

interests on

behalf of seniors...AARP President William Novelli

acknowledged

complaints from members that AARP has been too timid

in

the political

battles to defend Medicare and Social Security. He

conceded that AARP

has pulled its punches since right-wing groups and

members

of Congress

criticized it as too liberal."
- Newsday, 2/19/02

"AARP's pharmacy service is part of its insurance

sales

operation

which generated $101 million in revenue last year - 17

percent of the

organization's total budget."
- Capitol News Service, 8/15/02

"AARP receives millions of dollars from

UnitedHealthcare,

a national

health insurance firm based in Minnesota."
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/24/

* * *

And This Just In From a Third BuzzFlash Reader...

Buzz,

Found these quotes from AARP CEO Novelli's old

company,

Porter/Novelli:

"Put your words in someone else's mouth... There will

be t

imes when

theposition you advocate, no matter how well framed

and

supported,

will not beaccepted by the public simply because you

are

who you are.

Any institutionwith a vested commercial interest in

the

outcome of an

issue has a naturalcredibility barrier to overcome

with

the public,

and often with themedia.(FN1)"

Mario Cooper, senior vice president of PR firm

Porter/Novelli, says

thatthe challenge for a grassroots specialists is to

create the

impression thatmillions of people support their

client's

view of a

particular issue, sothat a politician can't ignore it;

this means

targeting potentialsupporters and targeting

'persuadable'

politicians.

He advises: "Databasemanagement companies can provide

you

with

incredibly detailed mailing listssegmented by almost

any

factor you

can imagine."(FN13) Once identified,potential

supporters

have to be

persuaded to agree to endorse the corporateview being

promoted.

http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/sbeder/PR.html

What could be a bigger coup than to put the head of an

astroturf PR

firm in charge of AARP [he started Jan. 2000] so you

could

make it

appear that the millions of AARP members support

dismantling Medicare

under the guise of a flawed Persctiption Drug bill?

Will Novelli next move to the NEA and suddenly the

teachers will be

supporting vouchers for private schools?

Linda Wymore

* * *

Final BuzzFlash Note: In E.J. Dionne's column, he

noted:

"But if

privatization is such a good idea, why do the private

insurance

companies need such big subsidies to enter the

Medicare

market? The

bill includes $12 billion for what Kennedy calls a

"slush

fund" to

subsidize the private insurers. That's not capitalism

or

competition.

It's corporate welfare."

Ah yes, and the CEO of the AARP and the Board of

Directors

apparently

want a piece of the insurance industry corporate

welfare

pie, while

putting seniors at long-term risk as the Republicans

work

to dissolve

the current Medicare risk pool.

The AARP Capital Beltway "Suits" are going to go to

bat

for the

Republican Party, doing their soft money campaigning

for

them, through

$7 million in ads that could have gone toward

increased

benefits for

their senior members.

But the AARP CEO and Board of Directors want to get in

on

the GOP

gravy train. And they know that the Bush

Administration

runs a cash

and carry government.

So Novelli is shelling out the cash for ads.

Meanwhile the AARP members are getting burned.

______________________________________________________

Time for seniors to reconsider their membership in

AARP.

Harry