The Association of Mature American Citizens Has Quietly Become A Conservative Powerhouse – By Mark Hemingway (The Federalist) / Jan 5, 2024
Move over, AARP. A conservative competitor that rejects the AARP’s liberal political agenda for seniors has 2.2 million members and growing.
For decades now, AARP, which once stood for the American Association of Retired Persons and has been subsequently rebranded as just a set of initials that stand for nothing, has been one of the most influential lobby groups in Washington, D.C. Though AARP was supposed to represent a large and politically diverse cross-section of older Americans, its transformation into an overtly partisan Democrat organization is hard to deny.
Recently, AARP lobbied heavily for the Biden administration’s disastrous and ironically named “Inflation Reduction Act.” AARP’s biggest congressional critic, Sen. Rand Paul, recently noted that of AARP’s 94 congressional lobbying events during debate over the Inflation Reduction Act, only one was held in support of a Republican officeholder. The rest were for Democrats.
As if AARP’s partisan turn weren’t bad enough, the organization has also become a complete sellout. Over half of AARP’s $2 billion in annual revenue no longer comes from dues, but instead comes from corporate royalties, including lucrative arrangements selling insurance to members.
