So, did they or didn’t they?
Did the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) – easily the country’s most influential seniors group – abandon its opposition to cutting Social Security benefits?
As I type this, Vice President Joe Biden is one floor below me, cloistered in a room with congressional negotiators trying to work out a deal to slash deficits and raise the debt ceiling before the Aug. 2 deadline, when the Treasury would start to default on U.S. obligations. The group will meet again Wednesday, [...]
Here at Swampland, we get results. In April, I explained my principled refusal to join AARP, despite my advanced age, because it defends the ruinous practice of taking money from children and future children to give it to the wealthiest segment of our society: retirees. And not just the seniors who need it (we should [...]
By now, most of us can agree that Democrats have largely failed to use health care reform as a political boost. The new law remains unpopular with half or more of the U.S. population and it will be one of several critical issues in the upcoming mid-term elections, particularly in districts where freshman, Blue Dog [...]
For the most part, 13-10 vote tallies on the Senate Finance Committee’s heath reform bill this week will be strictly along party lines. There are 13 Democrats on the committee, including Chairman Max Baucus, and 10 Republicans. But a 13-10 divide this afternoon on an amendment from Democrat Bill Nelson indicated a different kind of [...]
Seniors, traditionally a reliable Democratic voting bloc, are emerging as the most powerful force against health care legislation. Kate Pickert looks at why.
