Kucinich blasts AARP and public television

[patrioticintellect]

Kucinich blasts AARP and public television
Posted by Stephen Koff September 19, 2007 18:09PM
Categories: Kucinich

Big insurance, big drug companies, and defense contractors of all sizes are not among Dennis Kucinich's favorite things. Today he adds two new entries: AARP and public television.

It's all because AARP, the lobby for people over age 50, has excluded him from a Democratic presidential candidates' forum tomorrow night in Iowa, and PBS stations have decided to air the forum anyway.

"It's clear that they didn't want me upsetting their multi-billion dollar apple cart," Kucinich says in a news release today criticizing AARP.

This comes after Kucinich, a vegan, criticized Iowa Democrats for exluding him from Sen. Tom Harkin's steak fry on Sunday. The Iowa Democratic Party said Kucinich lacked an active organization in the state.

AARP explains it similarly. In a July 2 letter announcing the criteria, AARP and Iowa Public Television said that any candidate wishing to participate must have an active campaign organization in the state and employ at least one fulltime staffer on the campaign.

"And Mr. Kucinich has not met" the criteria, says AARP spokesman Drew Nannis.

Kucinich sees something darker at play. As his campaign explains it, AARP's partnership with private health insurers will generate $4 billion in revenues for the organization over seven years. Kucinich wants to take profits -- and premiums, deductibles and co-payments -- out of the equation. In a Kucinich White House, he says, there would be health coverage for all.

So AARP is excluding him from its forum, he says, because it has "a $4 billion vested interest in preserving the role of private, for-profit insurance companies in the health care industry."

AARP's sponsorship of the presidential forum "is like having Haliburton or Blackwater sponsor a presidential forum on doing away with no-bid government contracts to private contractors; or an oil company sponsoring a forum on reducing the world's dependence on oil," Kucinich says.

As for the public television stations, he says, "Profit-driven and politics-driven media conglomerates are controlling what we see on TV and what we hear on the radio. Public broadcasting should represent a higher, more ethical standard. In this case, public broadcasting will shamefully promote private interests."

Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson and Joe Biden are expected at the forum. Barack Obama is not, by choice. He is limiting his appearances with opponents, according to the Des Moines Register.

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2007/09/kucinich_blasts_aarp_and_publi.html">SOURCE

Dennis Kucinich is making noise beating on objects all across America trying to get into this AARP forum and all the while, Barack Obama decides he doesn't have to be at the forum to win. He needs to "limit(s) his appearances with opponents." That's his feeling. What an arrogant conceited approach to Americans. Americans deserve to hear him there and there responding to Hillary's new health care plan. Also, he needs to respond to H.R. 676.

Mr. Obama, if you won't go by CHOICE, will you let Kucinich go? He would like to talk and he doesn't have the CHOICE to not attend right now.

I mean, Obamaites, how does this make you feel? Barack isn't ahead of Hillary. Why wouldn't he want to appear? Is he that weak on Health Care Reform?

[MissMillie]

1. much as i like the guy, and whether he's right or not, he just shot himself in the foot

old people vote. He can't go messing with the AARP and expect to get elected.

[Vinca]

8. I must be among the "old people" because AARP keeps trying to

get me to join and I despise them. It's an opportunistic organization out to make a buck on insurance. Look how they folded on that drug bill, all the while knowing seniors would be left stuck in a donut hole if they managed to figure out the plan in the first place. They should not have excluded Kucinich and I won't watch their miserable debate. I'm sick to death of being told who my candidate will be.

[cosmik debris]

10. Not all of us old people are members of AARP

Remember, AARP supported the Pfizer Medicare reform Bill that gave the drug companies a key to the US treasury. That's when I canceled my AARP membership and I will NEVER be a member again.

AARP is just another insurance company masquerading as an old people's lobby.

[MaineDem]

14. Ditto

We cancelled our membership then, too.

I still send their postage-paid envelopes, that we get constantly, back to them empty. Nasty, I know, but I'm fed up with them and the ever-present mail they still send us.

[Dhalgren]

11. He is dead on regarding AARP's sell-out to the health industry.

They are sucking as much money as they possibly can from the elderly through their support of the "donut-hole" prescription drug plan and the hawking of an insurance company that has partnered with them for the purpose of grifting the elderly. I know, because my 88-year old mother is being shaken down by these soulless bastards. So fuck AARP...

[flpoljunkie]

18. I do not trust AARP who is evidently afraid of Dennis Kucinich. Very telling.

[cali]

2. Of course he should be in the debate

but slamming PBS because they're going to air it? What's the point of that?

[BridgeTheGap]

3. Is any press coverage good press coverage?

When your hovering in the single digits, do you really worry much about who you might turn off?
I think Kucinich is trying to raise the bar for what is discussed. I'm glad he's in it and not willing to be blown off so easily.

[patrioticintellect]

5. I'm glad he's not just in it to put issues forth

I think he's playing an "all or nothing" game. The campaign for him is over when supporters quit giving him money or when the election comes around. That's great to me.

[Bennyboy]

4. Why does he not think....

he has to follow the rules? Why does he not have an office in Iowa?

Seems to me he does what AARP wants and he is in, but instead decided to not do that and then publically rip them.

He might not think it is a big thing, but as someone who has supported DK, this is making me look at him in a different light.

[patrioticintellect]

6. Good point

The campaign action center is full of supporters upset with his decisions for dealing with Iowa. I sent him an email asking him to give us an idea what his plans really are or were for Iowa so we can know what "scheme" or plan he was pursuing in his campaign. Who knows...maybe this is all a ploy. Until he clarifies or explains himself, we have to sit back and question him. I also can't defend him against supporters from other campaigns or non-voters thinking about voting for him. He MUST figure out that this is a BIG issue in his campaign. Bigger than he thought it would be. It's hurting his rise in the polls.

[William769]

7. He was invited and chose not to go.

So from this am I to believe he is a liar now?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3533438&mesg_id=3533438

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Oops, beat me to it, but the thing is...

that not only did he refuse to go, he's pulling an incredibly lame trick trying to blame it on AARP.

Like nobody will notice he's full of shit here.

[Connie_Corleone]

9. Why would Obama do anything for Kucinich?

This isn't Kindergarten! It's a political race. Obama doesn't have to do anything for Kucinich.

If Kucinich wanted to be part of the debate he should've had an active organization in the state and a full time staffer. Is he running for president or school monitor?

Obama announced earlier that he was going to limit the number of forums he would attend, and he would only participate in DNC sponsored debates.

He wants to focus on doing more retail campaigning. I don't have a problem with it.

[patrioticintellect]

16. Yeah I know.

But sometimes it feels like I am watching kindergarteners.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. Here's what the AARP says...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3533438

This guy seems to thinks that being the only "authentic" liberal in the running gives him a free pass and he doesn't have to read the rules.

Well, OK, stiff the AARP and then come back and blame them for kicking you out for not playing by the rules-- beats just telling them to shove it publicly, doesn't it?

If that's how you run your campaign, don't think we'll let you run the country. Keep running forever, and keep collecting your nickels from your 5 percenters. And be irrelevant forever.

[bluedog]

17. bravo...thats the truth

[Peggy Day]

15. Just called and cancelled my AARP membership, and told them why. nt