AARP flashback: Boosting the Bush medicare prescription plan

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

From TPM today:

Republican leaders say AARP is supporting changes to the Medicare system included in Democratic health care reform bills because they would result in more sales of AARP-branded insurance. They claim that "backroom deals" between executives of the AARP and Democratic leadership -- deals the GOP say are designed to protect the executives' high salaries -- led to the group's pro-Medicare reform rhetoric.

I know we are supposed to defend whoever the pugs attack, but I am having a problem getting upset here because I, and many others, said pretty much exactly this about AARP just a few short years ago.

Remember when AARP surprisingly came out for Bush's medicare drug plan with the ruinous donut hole? Everyone was WTF? Why is AARP selling out their constituency? I seem to recall that a lot of progressive folks noted that AARP signed onto the Bush plan because AARP is by far the largest seller of medicare supplemental insurance and the donut hole was a gold-mine for them.

If this paragraph had been published back then we wouldn't have found it at all surprising:

Democratic leaders say AARP is supporting changes to the Medicare system included in Bush Medicare prescription drug bill because they would result in more sales of AARP-branded insurance. They claim that "backroom deals" between executives of the AARP and Republican leadership -- deals Democrats say are designed to protect the executives' high salaries -- led to the group's pro-Medicare reform rhetoric.

Since Pugs are not long on originality I am gussing that their current line of attack is lifted from what progressives were saying a few years ago.

I hope the pugs get roughed up over taking on AARP but that doesn't necessarily make me an AARP fan. Fortunately, AARP has more money than God and can defend itself against the pugs just fine.

[elocs]

1. What a coincidence, AARP sent me a card again today to get me to join.

Good luck with that. :rofl:

[windbreeze]

2. me too....however, I was so pissed over the medicare/prescription thing with *...

that everything they send me....goes in file 13 immediately...wb

[elocs]

3. That's where mine go too, but I am tempted to send back the postage paid envelope empty

so they can pay the price for spamming my physical mailbox.

[windbreeze]

5. hmmmmm....may have to do that from now on....n/t

[Hekate]

4. I'm glad somebody else remembers besides me.

It was a disgusting move on their part.

Hekate