Don'tpayAARPdues.com

[PCIntern]

Howzzat?

Don't pay your AARP dues until you learn everything about the organization.

I'm really pissed at them that they ran that Don'tVote.com campaign when turnout for Dems was vital.

[AIJ Alom]

1. What ? They were asking for their dues at the same time as

the election was heating up ? Maybe they wanted to make a group donation, to increase their clout on the hill.

[PCIntern]

2. No...they ran Don'tvote.com

commercials at the same time as the election. I'll amend the OP...

Sorry

[snappyturtle]

3. I "heard" about Don'tvote.com but that was about it....

wondered what it was! Usually I keep up with matters but we were in the middle of a 1500 mile self-move and I got a little lost! We belong to AARP so I'm very interested in what the point of Don'tvote.com is,was?

[PCIntern]

5. AARP got on TV

and had this ad where all these very well put together seniors said "Don't Vote", like 30 times...and then at the end one says, "Don't vote...until you know what the candidates stand for."

Screw them...the subliminable(sic) message was: Don't Vote.

POS's all the way. Like they didn't know what was going on.

[meegbear]

14. No, the message was "Don't vote...until you know what the candidates stand for."

DUH!!!!

[KSU Wildcat]

10. The point of "dontvote.com" was

do not vote until you know the issues and the candidate's view on the issues. Myself I thought it was a very good idea.

[AIJ Alom]

6. It's ok. Thanks.

Wow ! Don't vote ??? What are they nuts ??? Now I understand what my mom was talking about. She had seen commercials on CNN about the don't vote effort and because I haven't watched television in months, I assumed it was a Republican dirty trick and now to hear the AARP is doing this, it's disheartening and counterproductive. Seniors need to always establish their clout as a major, reliable part of the electorate and no one espouses seniors causes like the Democratic Party.

[LaurenG]

4. I thought it was a smart move.

Don't vote until you have all of the facts about where either party stands in relation to the issues. It forced people to think about their own best interests rather than pull that lever for the party they've always voted for. It may have gotten us more votes because it caused people to think.

[sendero]

8. Knowing Americans' propensity..

... for listening to only the smallest sound bite, it seems odd that someone would choose the name "Don'tVote". How about "KnowCandidate" or "LearnToVote".


Personally, I don't trust the AARP, they have a lot to answer for IMHO.

[PCIntern]

9. I disagree...

although I'll take your point as possibly valid.

I think that for a lot of people, the strong message is Don't Vote. Suppose you're a person who's not sure what you're gonna do, a working class stiff as it were, and had voted Rethug in the past for the usual reasons. You didn't have time to research all these idiot candidates carefully, so instead of going out and voting for a CHANGE, you stay home since you aren't exactly sure what to do.

I personally feel that more Dems or Ind's would be susceptible ot that line of attack.

One man's opinion...

[LaurenG]

12. Well for instance AARP stand firmly against buhes SS program

so I really thought it was a kick in our direction. You all may be right but IMHO I thought it was a nuanced ad.

[PCIntern]

15. Eggs-actly...

it's ambiguity is what disturbed me.

[iamjoy]

16. I'm With You

It seems like in 2000 too many people voted for Dubya because they "didn't like" Gore and then in 2004 "didn't like" Kerry.

I would have preferred these voters stayed home.

[PCIntern]

17. I'm afraid you'ree giving too much credit to the voters...

but yo have a point.

My sense is that since Dems require a high turnout rate for a variety of reasons, then any campaign which even smells of discouragement is bad for us. IMHO, of course...

[Onlooker]

7. Actually it's not what you think

http://www.dontvote.com/

It was about not voting until you know where the candidates stand on the issues. A stupid slogan, but a quick look, and it looks like AARP supported a number of the Democratic challengers.

Besides, what do you expect from AARP. Maybe they're a little dotty. :)

[PCIntern]

11. Please, I know exacly what it is/was.

...and I don't like it at all whatsoever.

Don'thavesexwithpostersonliberalmessageboards.com

there's a good one!

[ClintonTyree]

13. I canceled my membership to AARP when they supported.......

Bush's catastrophic Medicare "prescription drug plan". They said it was, "better than nothing" and should be passed. I won't get into the personal horror stories I have about Bush's PDP but AARP will NEVER get me back. That doesn't stop them from trying though. I get several letters a month from them and I return them all with vivid descriptions of what I think of them and Bush's PDP.
Screw the AARP! :mad:

[Lasher]

18. I canceled my AARP membership too, for the same reason

The AARP leadership sold their souls and blindsided Congressional Democrats to get Medicare part D passed with provisions that cater to pharmaceuticals and insurance companies. The AARP is, BTW, one of those Part D insurance companies that is now raking in the cash.

[TheFarseer]

19. Don'tvote isn't what you think it was

It was aimed at getting people to study the issues and "don't vote" until you know the issues - as in, don't vote for a letter, vote for an agenda. I'm all for this. You would know that if you got their news letter.

[PCIntern]

24. Not everyone in America gets theri newsletter

AND, what's more, not everyone who reacted to that ad had to be over a certain age.

Once more for the record...I understand the intent...I'm saying that with the background I have in advertising, theee is no such thing as inadvertant ambiguity. Period.

Telling people DON'T VOTE over and over and over and over again is likethe Head-On commercial. It just gets into people's brains...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. My Mom Belongs...The Dues Are Only Seven Dollars Or So A Year

How do you think they have so many members?

[KharmaTrain]

21. AARP Is An Ally...

I didn't like the "don't vote" campaign until I saw the literabure (I'm an AARP member at 50...sheesh) and the website. When you went there, it discussed all the crapola this regime has done to seniors...from the medicare drug debacle to cutting of services to Seniors. Anyone who saw what they were talking about could see it was squarely aimed at making Repugnicans look bad without appearing to look too partisan.

Thanks to that campaign, and the on-the-ground work from volunteers (and I saw them in my area), Seniors were very aware of how this regime was ignoring, using and exploiting them. Seniors came out big for Democrats last Tuesday and a lot of it was based on the AARP's education and advocacy on their behalf. Instead of not sending in dues, I'm tempting to double up next month.

[still_one]

23. The distortion that OP is presenting is a fraud

AARP trys to do the right thing, and is generally middle of the road to progressive

[PCIntern]

26. You are missing the entiree point, so I see

that we're bakc to the old DU 48 hours after the election.

If you're such an AARP apologist, you oughta expalin a fair number of the causes which they tolerated during the Reagan years which allowed the stripping of services for the elderly and infirm.

[still_one]

31. Do you or did you belong to AARP?

and even if you aren't a member, DID YOU communicate your views to them when this campaign was happening?

It is up to the members to change AARP if they don't like its direction.

Otherwise, if you don't like it start your on organization for seniors

It was a stupid campaign, but it was NOT intentionally meant to do harm

[PCIntern]

33. It's irrelevant as to what I am or am not...

I don't like animal testing for cosmetics. I don't use cosmetics becuase I'm a man, but I'm permitted to have an opinion without being an activist. Actually I would sned out dozens of letters, but I have to spend all my spare time saying the same thing over and over on DU message boards.

[still_one]

38. It isn't irrelevent

I was simply asking if you expressed your concerns directly to AARP?

If you representative in Congress does legislation you do not like, do you let them know?

Assuming that organizations or representatives know how their constituents feel leads to misunderstanding, and problems

Of course we are all entitled to have opinions

[OzarkDem]

28. So why did they tell people not to vote?

Am I missing something here? That seems to be a bad idea.

[KharmaTrain]

30. Not All All...

The slogan was "Don't Vote until you know the facts". Many seniors were getting rope-a-doped by the propaganda by this regime of how they were saving money under the new Medicare (or should I say Mediscare) plan that let big pharma and the insurance companies play doctor and god. Last year, the GOOP blitzed about how they had "saved Medicare" and tried to mute the outrage by many who saw their deductables increase...and especially those who fell through the donut hole and would end up paying a lot more. It was a clever campaign as it got a lot of attention...especially among seniors who, we found through canvassing, were livid with how the Repugnicans have gutted their retirements and now was going after Social Security and Medicare.

[still_one]

32. AARP is influenced by their members

There was a considerable amount of anger at them for their position on the medicare drug prescription plan, and they are now lobbying to change it

It is up to the members of AARP if they do not like a direction of the organization

Just like the Democratic party, if the Democrats do not like the direction of the party, they tell their representatives, bring in new candidates, or get directly involved themselves

[KharmaTrain]

34. Well Said

I'm no AARP appologist...far from it. I was critical for their support of the original Mediscare crap and never bought how they were forced into supporting it. Yes, the members spoke out loud and clear right after that endorsement and AARP did listen, at least to the point of launching campaigns to expose the scams that they didn't see in the original bill (remember, Repugnicans never passed a bill as written...things were always earmarked, riders attached and ammenendments added that buried a lot of poison pills...like the Donut hole.

During the campaign, I met several AARP members (all our poll workers are members) who were working in conjunction with us to reach seniors to make sure they knew how screwed they had been by the Repugnicans and to vote for a change. IMHO, not only did AARP attempt to rectify its wrong-minded support of the original Mediscare bill, but then worked against many candidates who supported the bill and for the privitization of SSI.

A priority for this new Democratic Congress will be to fix the messes in the Mediscare program and AARP will be a valuable ally in not only getting much needed reforms through, but will again be on the front lines with us in '08.

[still_one]

36. I am on the same page with you /nt

[still_one]

22. Don't vote UNTIL you know where the candidates stand on the issues

You have just suceeded in distorting what they were doing.

AARP may not be perfect, and may NOT have been correct about the drug prescription program, but generally they are a middle of the road to progressive organization.

[Vinca]

25. That was the all time stupid campaign, IMHO.

I got the point, but the dimmer among us would take it literally and not vote. In any case, I'm still pissed at AARP for aiding and abetting the prescription drug plan with the donut hole.

[still_one]

29. It is amazing, IT IS THE MEMBERS OF AARP who determine the direction

For those who belong to the organization, they could have changed the campaign for more clarity, or insure that this does NOT happen again

I agree the prescription drug plan endorsment was not a good thing, but they are also working to change it

[OzarkDem]

27. Is Newt Gingrich still working for them?

If so, their public policy positions are useless. Newt knows next to nothing about health care, Medicare, private insurance or any other health & retirement related issues. He's been caught in blunders in the past, guilty of not even understanding how our current system is structured.

Anyone taking his advice isn't worth listening to.

[lonestarnot]

35. That makes a few of us!

[AnnInLa]

37. Don't vote until you know where the candidates stand

Implied in that message was, "Don't vote until you know where the candidate stands on Social Security." Remember, AARP led the good fight against privatizing Social Security. It mobilized thousands of seniors to contact their Congress Critters against privatization.

I'll continue to send my dues as long as they fight for certain issues that affect those of us over 50.

The Repukes started an organization that tried to woo AARP members away from AARP. I don't remember the name of it, but I got a lot of literature from it. The organization was formed and run by repuke operatives who were leaders in the fight to privatize SS. They didn't get many members. Just remember, in MOST cases (not medicare), AARP fights very well for its members. Send in your dues.

[stray cat]

39. Encouraging an informed electorate sounds like a progressive value!

I thought only the repubs discouraged people from being informed before they vote.

[PCIntern]

40. Uh-huh...very encouraging:

DON'T VOTE...repeated ad nauseum...

and please, do not even begin to question my bona fides here...

[sinkingfeeling]

41. I cancelled my AARP membership when they supported the Medicare drug thing.