Newsweek: Seniors Draw Fire (AARP - Info on next USANext attack)

[RamboLiberal]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7038359/site/newsweek/

<snip>

(AARP)The organization opposes major changes in Social Security—especially private savings accounts. White House aides met privately with AARP chief William Novelli last week, NEWSWEEK has learned, and insist that they don't view AARP as the enemy. "I think the ice is breaking a bit," said one top official.

But with GOP support and the plan's arithmetic looking equally shaky, Bush's allies aren't taking chances. A well-funded conservative group called USA Next posted a Web page with two pictures: a camouflage-clad American GI with an X painted on him; two men in tuxedos kissing, with a checkmark on them. The caption: "The REAL AARP Agenda." The ad was justified, the group argued, because the Ohio branch of AARP had opposed an anti-gay-marriage referendum in the state. (The national body has taken no position on that or other cultural issues.) But the real reason, said USA Next's CEO, was pure political provocation. The ad was a "test," Charlie Jarvis said, to see whether "left-wing bloggers" would "focus entirely on one image and explode about it. My guess was right."

White House insiders insist that the attack wasn't their idea. But while USA Next is no AARP, it's no fly-by-night operation, either. IRS records show that the 14-year-old organization (known as the United Seniors Association until last month) has received millions of dollars in "grants" from the pharmaceutical industry—a key administration ally—while AARP hasn't received any. Another contributor is Bob Perry, the Houston developer who served as sugar daddy to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Next up: an attack on what Jarvis sees as AARP's "support" for gun control. "We're going to make sure their members know their positions on everything," Jarvis vowed.

[aquart]

1. Aww. Gannon ain't the GOP's only male whore.

I wonder what Jarvis gets for a weekend?

[applegrove]

2. Prime Mininister Chamberlain met with Hitler and got off a plane waving

a "non-agression pact" in the air. You cannot trust the word of sociopaths. I'd wait if I were AARP. Wait and see if the evidence points to them not being attacked. If rovbots went after them...they are in the way. A meeting is not going to change that.

[magellan]

3. Naughty USA Next

A well-funded conservative group called USA Next posted a Web page with two pictures: a camouflage-clad American GI with an X painted on him; two men in tuxedos kissing, with a checkmark on them.

The Republicans really shouldn't throw checkmarks and X's around like this now that they've gone to the pickets for Jimmy/Jeff.

[tinrobot]

7. The obvious response ad...

Helen Thomas with an "X"

Naked Guckert with a checkmark

[seventythree]

9. LOVE IT!!

[magellan]

12. DON'T do that when I'm drinking coffee!! LOL (nt)

[kbm8170]

14. LOL.. . .LOL

I can't stop laughing at that obvious response ad. I say someone needs to take up a collection and print that sucker right next to anything USA NEXT produces. Seriously - send that cartoon idea right to the MSM . . .or let's get an ad campaign going. . .

[tsuki]

18. Who can do this? The REAL Republican Agenda!

[shimmergal]

21. Or, how about photoshopping "the kiss" photograph,

(Bush kissing Lieberman) into the pic?

[RoBear]

22. Great idea!

I also like the Lieberman idea posted below. I was a little ticked at the AARP for their foolishness in the Medicare prescription deception, but now I'm one of their avid supporters and will tell all I know to join up!

[chomskysright]

26. I'm a member!

[RoBear]

30. Me too. Have been for some time...

[McCamy Taylor]

24. ROFLMAO, someone should do it

[drm604]

28. That's good but

even better, I think, would be the following. Instead of Helen Thomas, have the gay marriage picture (from USANext's ad) with an X, next to the Guckert picture with a checkmark (use the underwear pic from the AOL ad to keep it legal). Label it something like "The GOP's Real Agenda". In other words, they oppose gay marriage but support people who engage in illicit gay activity for money.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

33. Why argue facts when you can make personal attacks and sling mud?

[MessiahRp]

4. Republicans to Seniors: Shut up and die already!

How sad is it that the Right is attacking the AARP or any seniors group. They have absolutely no morality oncesoever. They should be kissing the AARP for helping them cheat that Medicare scam through Congress last year.

Rp

[jaysunb]

6. Name me one person or group

thats been suckered into supporting a Bush initiative that they haven't come back to fuck........

[tsuki]

19. But look at it positively.

The Republican Party is now down to eight commandments to post before the courthouse doors. They scratched honor thy father and mother and do not bear false witness. If the Republican Party works at it, posting the commandments won't be an issue, they'll be gone. /sarcasm off

[Guckert]

20. What about "thou shall not kill" (unless your retarded or Muslim.)

I guess mentally ill people on death row doesn't count, capitol punishment, collateral deaths in Iraq, our own military sent without the proper equipment, abortion doctors killed by right wing wackos, KKK lynching victims. etc...

[tsuki]

32. That's seven. n/t

[William Bloode]

34. You're also forgetting with these thugs...

Thous Shalt not steal does not apply to them either. so thats down to six ;)

[Mr_Spock]

5. ...pure political provocation. The ad was a "test," Charlie Jarvis said,

to see whether "left-wing bloggers" would "focus entirely on one image and explode about it. My guess was right."

LOL - like it really matter what bloggers do. Some of us here had already surmised it was a bit to flagrant to be anything more than bait - interesting he is admitting this was a "tactic". It may be because they know it would backfire - as I suspected...

[seventythree]

10. Jarvis underestimates us.

Seniors are the most well informed demographic there is -- they(we, still not used to that) don't dupe as easily -- they've (we've) lived too much --- and don't forget the leading edge of the boomers is 60 -- we are the BIG gorilla and while we might disagree with AARP, we are all members because it's our lobby -- besides our card gets us discounts :) Jarvis telling the Nam generation that we don't support the troops? We know what it is to support the troops and not the mission -- we invented it.

[NJCher]

8. such hideous people

Such hideous strategies. As if guns has anything to do with Social Security. And does AARP even have a position on guns? Why would they?

Once again, these America Next people sicken and disgust me.


Cher

[jmcon007]

11. Test Ad?

The ad was made to see if it pissed anybody off? And this genius Jarvis character is proud to announce that it did?
And his point is.....?
Let's follow suit by creating an ad with a big red X on a photo of FDR and a green check on one of Hitler with the caption, "The Real Neocon Agenda." Our gauge of its success will be if it gets the neocon's panties in a wad.
DUH.

[KayLaw]

17. Smarmy little weenie, Isn't he?

The went too far, too fast, and when called on it, came up with "just testing you." My ass! And now with the guns? They're really going after the support of the slack-jawed knuckle-draggers, aren't they? Well, if their target group believed Kerry was traitor and Pretzeldent AWOL was a hero, their PR job shouldn't be that tough.

[gademocrat7]

13. AARP was fooled once

on the Medicare drug card scam. Not again. It is disgusting that Jarvis and company think they can continue to manipulate Seniors.

[kbm8170]

15. I think what is most hilarious

is that Jarvis. . .and that mail-order televangelista-wannabe USA NEXT organization actually thinks it has any credibility. It's increasingly evident that the GOP has one campaign strategy - smear, fear and deception. I'd wager AARP's membership is likely to grow from this travesty, and seniors have a very long memory when election time comes around again.

[Toots]

25. Don't count on it...The head of ARRP is a Right-winger

Notice he is in private talks with the GOP. Do ARRP members know this? Have they given him complete authority to speak for them? The intimidation and coercion practiced by the Bush* Cabal knows no bounds.

[snippy]

16. This exposes the White House strategy of ordering Bush's followers

to hate the AARP and anyone who supports or defends it. Bush's followers will willingly and eagerly obey such orders. The advertising campaign is designed to persuade Americans other that Bush's follwers to also hate the AARP. Opposition by any organization to a Bush policy justifes the destruction of that organization by any means, including a campaign of lies and smears.

[Mizmoon]

23. You wouldn;t believe how psycho they are

I saw one of their talking heads on CNN and this guy repeated endlessly, "The AARP's radical left wing agenda that some of their members MIGHT not agree with ..."

What a freak.

[Plaid Adder]

27. And they're testing what, exactly?

Is the image supposed to distract us while they go off and do something more slimy and nefarious? OK, fine...but in that case isn't it a bad idea for them to reveal in the papers that that's their evil plan? Or are they trying to psych us into ignoring their next bonehead ploy? "See, now the liberal bloggers will think this is just a distraction...so we can put up as many pictures of two men kissing as we want and they'll never make a peep!" Don't tell me, one of these geniuses has a degree in reverse psychology.

The simpler explanation is that they ran the ad as a 'test' to see how much they could get away with. Or, that they ran the ad assuming nobody would notice it and then pulled it.

WHatever,

The Plaid Adder

[burned]

31. a test shot

I wouldn't put it past them to think that now the bloggers are going to be "too embarassed" to make any noise about the next one, no matter how extreme it is. This is the exact tactic used on the media.
It's not going to work here.

[Megahurtz]

29. Give me a fucking break.

They divert the public's attention off of the real issue of Retirement and Social Security by throwing the Gay issue into it (which of course brings out Repuke backlash and paranoia)

More and more lowest of the low gutter-slime tactics by the G.O.P.!!!

I am beginning to really hate them.:argh:

[William Bloode]

35. This is a good chance to stick it to them.

We should be working overtime to make stuff like this stick to the right wing. They do it to us at every turn, we need to apply the same strategy. Buncha cowards hiding behind some pseudo retirement organization, so they can use the old line "it wasn't our idea" knowing good and damn well it is/was all along.