AARP Endorses Cloture Vote, Not Yet Reid’s Bill
Email ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Democrats continued their search Saturday for 60 votes to break a filibuster and officially consider Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s $848 billion health reform bill. Moderate Democrats have real issues with the bill and leaders have tried to draw a distinction between voting to debate the bill Saturday and voting to pass the bill after a floor debate later on. AARP CEO Addison Barry Rand drew the same distinction in a letter written Friday encouraging Senators to vote to debate the bill without exactly endorsing the full bill. “We strongly urge the Senate to vote for the cloture this Saturday to begin debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” reads the letter from Barry addressed to Reid. But Barry clarifies that this is not an endorsement of the legislation he wants the Senators to debate. “After further analysis, we will send you a more detailed letter of our views of the legislation,” Barry writes. “We look forward to working with you and your colleagues on both sides of the aisle to improve the legislation as the debate moves forward.”
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They either must be losing business from the seniors or the Reid bill doesnt have enough kick back money in it for them. Either way I hope they go bankrupt its just another corrupt insurance company.
Posted by: James | November 21, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Either way I hope they go bankrupt its just another corrupt insurance company.
James | Nov 21, 2009 2:16:11 PM
Right, the largest seniors lobbying group is really just another insurance company.
Does anyone believe this nonsense?
Posted by: jhw539 | November 21, 2009, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Well, I do wonder vaguely what AARP stands to gain by supporting this bill. The gain must be considerably better than the membership drop off.
Posted by: Deb S. | November 21, 2009, 2:57 pm 2:57 pm
Maybe it is time for the media to do another story about AARP. They are an arrogant group working for the Democratic Party and don’t have the stones to admit it. They don’t represent Seniors, they represent Democrats and their insurance company. Whomever stills belong to AARP had better be ready to wait in long lines at the few Doctors who will still accept Medicare patients.
Posted by: jerry | November 21, 2009, 4:28 pm 4:28 pm
As a member of AARP, I guess I never
knew how much in the pocket this organization was for liberal causes.
My mistake. I will not be renewing my
membership and now consider this group
on the same level as ACORN with a dose
of Geritol and prune juice.
Posted by: wis134 | November 21, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
AARP is an insurance company they offer any thing from auto insurance to life cancer all except Medicare Advantage. So if the health care overhaul gets rid of Medicare Advantage they will get richer selling high priced insurance to all those people who will be forced to buy insurance, follow the money and you will find out whos out to do you in.
Posted by: earl | November 21, 2009, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
jhw. Looks like the rest of people see it the same way I do. Sorry you are wrong again as usual.
Posted by: James | November 21, 2009, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
As usual you dont read these posts cause every one of them thinks something is wrong with AARP, Or that it is just a bad insurance company. Can anybody believe anything you say.
Posted by: earl | November 21, 2009, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
Oddly, no one minded when AARP supported Medicare Part D – the prescription drug benefit rammed through by a Republican Congress and Republican President that added $1 trillion directly to the deficit. They didn’t even try to offset a single cent – as is typical with Republicans, they put it right on the national credit card.
But that’s just documented reality. Don’t let it bother you.
Posted by: jhw539 | November 21, 2009, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Saturday’s Senate Vote just to have a debate on Healthcare, was a small vitory for the “agents of change”. It is noteworthy, that the Party of No & Fear, also fought against Social Security Reform and Medicare, and true to form or color, they are fighting healthcare reform today!
Posted by: Angellight | November 22, 2009, 6:35 am 6:35 am
As an AARP member, I agree with you. Obama met with the pharmaceutical co. and made a deal. Obama met with AARP leaders and said he gained their support. AARP leaders said ‘not quite’, but they recently received 18M for new ‘jobs’. They produced no jobs, said they are training folks. They are expecting more money soon. Do the math. Members may not like current health reform bills, but the leadership has already been bought and paid for.
Posted by: James L. | November 22, 2009, 10:32 am 10:32 am
AARP is in decline just like the Democrats will be in 2010.
Posted by: Johnny L | November 22, 2009, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
The AARP leadership is way out of touch with it’s membership on this.
Posted by: Joe White | November 22, 2009, 11:26 pm 11:26 pm