Video: Seniors voting with their feet
posted at 10:11 am on August 18, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
CBS News reports that the AARP’s dance with ObamaCare has produced real results for the senior advocacy group — really bad results. Over 60,000 members have left the AARP, angered by the group’s support for Barack Obama’s health-care reform efforts and silence on cuts to Medicare that will pay for them. Many have joined a new group with a more conservative outlook on health-care reform:
CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group’s position on health care.
Elaine Guardiani has been with AARP for 14 years, and said, “I’m extremely disappointed in AARP.”
Retired nurse Dale Anderson has 12 years with AARP and said, “I don’t wanna be connected with AARP.”
Many are switching to the American Seniors Association, a group that calls itself the conservative alternative as CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
The big problem is the cuts to Medicare and the attacks on Medicare Advantage. The American Seniors Association minces no words in its opposition to ObamaCare and the cuts to the two plans. They don’t need to see the final bill, as the AARP spokeswoman suggests in the interview, to know it’s a bad deal.
Seniors can be forgiven if they sense a heapin’ helping of hypocrisy from the AARP. The organization bitterly opposed efforts to reform Social Security four years ago, claiming that the Bush administration’s privatization plans amounted to a “dismantling” of the retirement plan, even before they’d actually seen the proposal. Now, when Obama offers big cuts in actual coverage in Medicare and Medicare Advantage, suddenly they want to play coy about reading the bill. Their lack of response is easily taken as tacit endorsement, considering the hysterical response four years ago.
Glenn Reynolds doubts that this will get as much attention as the boycott of Glenn Beck. I’m surprised to see CBS covering the story, and doing it this well. Kudos to CBS for a balanced and informative piece.
Blowback
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/evil doctor
LibTired on August 18, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Awesome! The best news I have had all day.
TXMomof3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Ah…so this is why there are feet rustlers…
ladyingray on August 18, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Dumped AARP a while back. Refused to finance a branch of the Democrat Party.
coldwarrior on August 18, 2009 at 10:15 AM
confirmed. 60,000 racist religion and gun clingers.
gatorboy on August 18, 2009 at 10:15 AM
ladyingray on August 18, 2009 at 10:14 AM
LOL
Disturb the Universe on August 18, 2009 at 10:15 AM
I’m only 35, so maybe someone older can tell me how much does a member pay to be a part of AARP each year?
gsherin on August 18, 2009 at 10:16 AM
AARP has been increasingly leftist for decades. I’m glad they’ve outed themselves now.
jgapinoy on August 18, 2009 at 10:16 AM
That’s just the racist ones quitting….
BigWyo on August 18, 2009 at 10:16 AM
I also heard that the AMA is losing members as well. I know that my partents and other older relatives have dropped AARP in the last month.
milwife88 on August 18, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Since doctors have been lopping off the feet of these seniors for profit, it’s kind of wrong to mock them by saying that they are voting with their feet.
myrenovations on August 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
I wonder if CBO calculated the cost benefits of Obamacare with a shorter life span for seniors and less strain on Social Security?
Cindy Munford on August 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Good to hear. I saw the same damn AARP commercial yesterday countless times on different channels and wanted to throw something at the screen every time.
Yakko77 on August 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Bravo! That’s democracy in action. Just hold this momentum until
20102012 and America will be golden.TampaBayBull on August 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Check out AARP’s attitude towards those leaving….
Feel free to share that with any AARPers you know.
Patrick S on August 18, 2009 at 10:18 AM
The best reason to leave the AARP (or any other organization): they don’t represent your interests or beliefs. That Youtube video demonsrating the contempt the leadership clearly has for Joe/Suzy Public cannot be ignored.
Finally, people are voting with their feet. I just wish that all these people that long for a socialist country would vote with their feet and move to another country where their wish can be granted. Leave my country alone!
search4truth on August 18, 2009 at 10:18 AM
My wife and I are at an age where we are starting to get mailings from the AARP. I told her that I absolutely FORBID us from joining that leftist organization.
I’ve known that they were a leftist group for a while – it didn’t take support for Obamacare for me to see that.
UltimateBob on August 18, 2009 at 10:18 AM
The only thing I look forward to about turning fifty in a few years is sending back the AARP card in pieces, in their postage paid envelope.
NoDonkey on August 18, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Well, Waddaya know…
CBS has got it straight…
Once in a blue moon…
Haiku Guy on August 18, 2009 at 10:20 AM
AARP doesn’t care what their membership thinks. They’ve long had this paternalistic attitude that they know what is best for seniors which has become more and more of a leftist agenda. Though they deny it, they have endorsed the filthy liar’s plan to seize healthcare. Yet, they still seem to consider their members too dumb to have a dissenting opinion to their own. I hope this turns out to be a massive hit for the organization.
highhopes on August 18, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Those were just the thug, mob, racist, nazi seniors citizens. I’m sure AARP doesn’t want them anyway. Right?
BetsyBoss on August 18, 2009 at 10:21 AM
I’m 50. I refuse to join AARP. They have been Liberal for qujite a while now. I wonder if they fired that little twit who was so rude to those Seniors in that meeting that was caught on video?
kingsjester on August 18, 2009 at 10:21 AM
This report from CBS is the equivalent of a stopped clock getting it right twice a day. They are still almost as bad as NBC news.
gsherin on August 18, 2009 at 10:22 AM
It is terrific that the ASA is getting free publicity as a result of the AARP’s exposure. Thank you CBS!
RushBaby on August 18, 2009 at 10:22 AM
All the AARers I know left long ago because of their liberal stance on other issues.
highhopes on August 18, 2009 at 10:23 AM
60,000.
Remember – all opposition to the health control bill is trumped-up phoniness carried out by extreme right-wing kooks.
forest on August 18, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Seniors voting with their feet? I didn’t know they were that dexterous. /lame joke
Crappy jokes aside, I’m happy to see seniors taking a stand against Obamacare. Keep up the good work.
Shock the Monkey on August 18, 2009 at 10:23 AM
“Holy mack’rul, Andy!”
Akzed on August 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
She probably got a promotion.
teffertoes on August 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Why is this the first time I’m hearing about the “American Seniors Association”?
They need to get some advertising going, pronto.
Rebar on August 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Ummmmmm,now that’s a sweet headline!!!:)
ohiobabe on August 18, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I just write REFUSED RTS on the envelope with a black Magic Marker and put it back in the mail. They eventually stopped. But your idea costs them some dough, so I like it better.
Akzed on August 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM
For anyone looking for an alternative, American Seniors is a good option and they give some discount if you mail them your AARP card ripped in half! Love it.
libertas on August 18, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Seniors voting with their feet–at least until those surgeons amputate them, right champ?
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:27 AM
I and my five siblings and my parents are all over age 50, as are my two brothers-in-law. None of us have joined AARP and we never will.
rockmom on August 18, 2009 at 10:28 AM
And mathematically they are correct, losing .15% is hardly a problem.
They would gladly give up .15%, even triple that to .5%, if they can get the bill that guarantees them most every senior to carry their insurance by government mandate.
Hell, they would give up 15% which would be a 100 what has been dropped, 6,000,000, and they would still be in fine shape, after the bill is passed.
right2bright on August 18, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Now, if the bill doesn’t pass, watch the groveling of the AARP…
right2bright on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
For anyone looking for an alternative, American Seniors is a good option and they offer some discount if you mail them your AARP card ripped in half. Love it!
libertas on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
AARP has forwarded the names and addresses of those members the White House.
They will be remembered when they meet the Death Panels …
Hahahahahahaha (cue manical laughter)
darwin on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Obama has created an era where it is cool to disrespect and talk down to those that you serve. I guess AARP is just following his lead.
Hmmm, there’s got to be a great acronym in there somewhere.
TampaBayBull on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
EXPOSED!!!
I don’t mind giving credit where credit is due…
about dang time, don’t know when we’ll see something like this again from CBS
cmsinaz on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
It’s lovely to see that the AARP, with it’s 40 million members, could care less about losing the 60K to the ASA.
How does that make you feel AARP member?
Object lesson: Align with Obama, lose money, lose members, lose respect.
Change you can believe in.
This should be an object lesson to all other ambivalent and fence riding organizations out there who are trying to die another day as well. It’s time to pick a side, jack.
APTA, ANA, APA are you listening?
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Maybe some congressmen and senators will figure out that their seniors will do the same to them.
GaltBlvnAtty on August 18, 2009 at 10:30 AM
For anyone looking for an alternative, AmercanSeniors.org is a good option and they offer some discount if you mail them your AARP card ripped in half. Love it!
libertas on August 18, 2009 at 10:32 AM
I betcha Obama won’t be denigrating those nasty surgeons who amputate feet today. Obama is probably praying for a few more amputations in order to keep these pesky seniors from voting with those feet.
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:33 AM
60K is a drop in the bucket for AARP.
Didn’t Hot Air say last week that Obama misstated AARP’s support for his bill? Then why did 60K members leave?
BTW, for full disclosure: I am an AARP member and do support significant insurance reform (not neccesarily the public option though).
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:34 AM
You’re right. The AMA is effectively perceived as the de facto organization with only 1/3 population of doctors. AARP has a long way to fall before they’d give a flying fart.
NickelAndDime on August 18, 2009 at 10:34 AM
It’s not voting with your feet… it’s voting with your wallet. We need MUCH MORE of this… no Progressive Insurance, no GEICO, avoid GE products. Make your own list and vote wallet. If the lefty loons that are on the government dole can cause companies to run away in fear, imagine the fear people that actually work and pay taxes can do.
CC
CapedConservative on August 18, 2009 at 10:34 AM
I would surmise that such an initial swell against Obamacare could be only the tip of the iceberg against it. This may grow geometrically.
Seniors, talk amongst yourselves.
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:34 AM
I still say we should start with tort reform and possibly one or two targeted insurance reforms and see how far it takes us.
NickelAndDime on August 18, 2009 at 10:35 AM
TampaBayBull on August 18, 2009 at 10:17 AM
—–
You are thinking way too much in the short term.
Mew
acat on August 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Hmm, $313,000,000,000 in cuts to Medicare over a 10-year period in which millions of Baby Boomers will enroll for coverage, but AARP says that the cuts won’t affect Medicare benefits. I think that someone might be a little intellectually dishonest.
Bru on August 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Well, if AARP doesn’t feel 60,000 then lets give them 600,000 cancelled membership. I’ve never been a member and I’ve been telling friends for a long time not to join. A lot of conservatives have left in recent years…this 60,000 may include some of the indy vote against the Anointed One. Keep it coming.
MainelyRight on August 18, 2009 at 10:37 AM
I’ll bet these very same seniors VOTE too.
Mojave Mark on August 18, 2009 at 10:38 AM
It doesn’t cost you a dime to write “Say NO to Obamacare” and send those No Postage Required mailings right back to them!
misslizzi on August 18, 2009 at 10:38 AM
I have to hand it to CBS on this one. The mere shock effect of cut up AARP cards arriving in the mail is astounding. Moreover, lots of older folks, like my parents, still chronically watch CBS—so the tipping point may be near if we haven’t passed it already.
kudos CBS you sycophantic America hating company. You still have lots of rows to hoe if you want to get back on my TV.
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:39 AM
You bring up an interesting wrinkle in the filthy liar’s radical approach. He is constantly demonizing one group in support of his agenda. When it comes to healthcare, he goes in front of a town hall and demonizes the Post Office as not working as well as private companies. He demonizes private insurance while ignoring the waste, fraud, and inefficiencies within government-run health systems. He demonizes surgeons as only interested in removing tonsils and amputating limbs for the money.
Bottom line, he’s very good at finding something or somebody to become the bad guy but never good at talking about solutions.
highhopes on August 18, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Today at drudge top row.
OBAMA PULLS PLUG ON FLAG@WHITEHOUSE.GOV
NEXT UP: GRANDMA…..
hehe
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Sounds like the Democrats may be losing its grip over one of its biggest voting blocks.
Hellrider on August 18, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Tort reform isn’t going to do much. Texas passed tort reform 5 years ago. Malpractice insurance rates dropped, but the normal health care insurance rates and costs haven’t been reduced.
It appears that direct medical malpractice costs are only somewhere between 0.5% and 2% of the overall US healthcare costs, but that the “defensive” tests that doctors order (allegedly because of fear of litigation) are around 8% of overall US healthcare costs. You would have thought that doctors in Texas would have reduced their “defensive” tests in the last five years, but they have not. It may be that the “defensive” tests are being ordered by doctors because they feel like those tests are good professional practice and not simply deterrents to litigation.
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:43 AM
highhopes–thanks.
In statist liberal land–solutions do not exist. There are only “agendas” and “fixes.”
These guys focus on the end game, not in actually solving problems, just creating them. For the statist liberal, the end justifies the means. If that means that a few kneecaps get broke and grannies plug gets pulled, whatevs! kneel before zod–just watch your broken kneecap!
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:44 AM
I say we take the time and identify the problem before we launch wholesale change. Yes, tort reform is going to be in the mix but what areas of insurance should be targeted? Portability? Pre-existing conditions? affordability for the uninsured? A case can be made for each approach with various pros and cons for doing it. Nevertheless this is not an issue where guessing is a good strategy for reform.
highhopes on August 18, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Obama has taken the ready, fire approach. There has been no “aim” as you suggest–ie, “identify the problem”
just fire and forget—the Obama way
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:45 AM
So have ABC, NBC and CBS.
The only good thing Barak Obama will ever accomplish in his life: earning his title as The Great Polarizer. He wants to be another Abraham Lincoln, so his first step is to draw the battle lines.
logis on August 18, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Um…they’re right.
CrankyIndependent on August 18, 2009 at 10:46 AM
logis–the key difference between Abe and Obama is that one of them was honest, and the other, is Barack Obama.
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Fred Malek on Twitter:
bestwins on August 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
It would be great if 9/12 events featured seniors burning their AARP cards akin to the way the 1960s rallies had people burning draft cards.
highhopes on August 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
This was the wrong approach. They needed to stay in AARP and demand a change of policy from within.
60,000 lost members really is a drop in the bucket for them, but 60,000 screaming members outside their offices, 60,000 angry letters and signed petitions, and 60,000 demanding phonecalls would elicit the desired effect, have no doubt about that.
Khorum on August 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Why don’t we just get the damn government out of dictating to private business what they do?
The supposed health care “crisis” has been caused by government to begin with … the cure is removal of the cause.
darwin on August 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
The main reason I support ObamaCare lite is because of the pre-existing condition issue. In Texas, if you don’t have employer insurance and can’t get individual insurance (because of pre-existing conditions, which may not even be that substantial), you’re thrown into a public “worst risk” insurance pool. People with serious cancer, MS, etc. are all part of that pool, so the rates for a family are over $2000/month with some deductibles and limits, even though you may only have borderline high blood pressure or an earlier episode of skin cancer.
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
60,000 members is tiny compared to the numbers Obama and Democrats have lost in the last 30 days.
Keemo on August 18, 2009 at 10:49 AM
cntrlfrk on August 18, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Anything and Everything that attaches itself to Obama will go down with the Obama ship which has already started taking on water.
CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, GE, Disney, print media….
Keemo on August 18, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Sure … and they would threaten them with what?
“We’re mad as hell but we’re still going to pay our monthly dues. Take that AARP!”
These people did the right thing. No sense in giving money to an organization that doesn’t have your best interest in mind.
darwin on August 18, 2009 at 10:51 AM
How many senior will quit now that they’ve seen this report and that there is an alternative.
60K now. More to come.
kurtzz3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:52 AM
And, of course, lie, lie, lie — even if the truth sounds better.
TXUS on August 18, 2009 at 10:52 AM
As the last of 5 kids I got the most mileage joking with my family about AARP. When I mentioned some of the causes they championed my brothers, sisters and parents would always come back with all the discounts they get. It has been acknowledged that I made these comments over two years ago when I started getting my AARP mailings and the memberships are no doubt falling in our family.
DanMan on August 18, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Actually, Keemo, Obama’s numbers haven’t changed much in the last month. It was two months ago that his numbers started dropping.
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:52 AM
After my wife signed us up for AARP, I started to hear they were a lefty organization.I really didn’t see any of that until now. My wife & I quit last week.
Jeff from WI on August 18, 2009 at 10:53 AM
How about we toughen up the regulations on what insurance companies are able to do to reject, charge extra or limit benefits to people with pre-existing conditions without turning over the insurance system to the government?
forest on August 18, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Now THIS is smart marketing!
http://www.americanseniors.org/pages/PressOnMedia.aspx?Images=/images/american_financial_products.jpg
Jeff from WI on August 18, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Yes, we need some reform but we don’t want or need the government in our private lives . . . the government is the worst insidious cancer one could ever imagine.
rplat on August 18, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Great news. Glad to see the seniors following through on their anger. Nothing like hitting the pocketbook for AARP and politicians to get the message.
texasconserv on August 18, 2009 at 10:56 AM
The clue phone has been ringing in the White House for some time now. Doesn’t look like anyone’s going to pick up though.
4shoes on August 18, 2009 at 10:56 AM
How many AARP members will die after the cuts ? I guess, 60,000 is a drop in kicking the bucket.
/sarc
Jeff2161 on August 18, 2009 at 10:57 AM
I am surprised seniors don’t already know AARP is a big lefty organization. I have been boycotting them for years by way of my waste basket when I sort through my mail.
MPCpian on August 18, 2009 at 10:57 AM
The first problem with that, forest, is they would stop coverage for the pre-existing conditions. That’s what they tried to do with my mother. Insurance that doesn’t cover you for a condition that you have/had isn’t very good.
The second problem with that is the amount of the extra charge. Right now there is no pool for people with some relatively minor pre-existing conditions and the insurance companies don’t seem interested in offering any coverage to those people.
That’s why I’m in favor of the co-ops with some required offerings. That’s also why I’m in favor of requiring everyone in the US to have health insurance, because then the costs will be spread over the entire community.
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I’m almost 39, but my husband will be 50 in 2 weeks.
I will not be getting him an AARP membership for his birthday.
annoyinglittletwerp on August 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Mark this date on your calendars… CBS ran a story against the liberals!
jeffn21 on August 18, 2009 at 11:01 AM
AARP’s “drop in the bucket” comment is short-sighted. 60k out of 40 million is not a lot, but 60k in ONE MONTH is a trend that should have them deeply worried.
yogi41 on August 18, 2009 at 11:01 AM
AARP has been a lefty organization for some time. They are in bed with United health Care to sell Medigap insurance to seniors Called “Options”
FinianWarrior on August 18, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Remember, that is 60,000 people who quit announcing that it was because of AARP’s support for ObamaCare. I wonder how many quietly quit or have simply refused to renew their memberships?
chromium on August 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM
This is not the real number.My cousin works for AARP she told me last week if you count the people who have quit AARP and combine that with the number who just chose not to renew.The real number is around 132000.
thmcbb on August 18, 2009 at 11:03 AM
The health risk pool premiums in Texas are double the going rate and increase quarterly as of late. We need a private, free-market solution that allows individuals to pool with others (e.g. small business owners, and across state lines).
publiuspen on August 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
I sent AARP an e-mail to cancel my membership, several days ago. It had been brewing for some time. Their magazine is nothing more than a love letter to Obama and the rest of the left.
Star20 on August 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
ASA only offers “Critical Illiness” group Insurance, not the usual “Health” Insurance group policies. If it was more forward-thinking, it would have offered a normal health insurance policy for members 50-65.
Jimbo3 on August 18, 2009 at 11:06 AM
How long before Obama starts incentivizing surgeons to hack off more feet….. the ones who are voting with those feet.
ted c on August 18, 2009 at 11:06 AM
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