Most Americans Share Fairly Liberal Core Values
White nationalist Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to U.S. president Trump, is promoting a group to compete against the extremely popular AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) with its 38 million dues-paying members, on the basis of politics. He writes, “AARP wants you to believe they are a non-partisan organization. But you need to understand WHAT you are supporting if you are an AARP member. AARP backed Obamacare and strict gun control. AMAC (Association of Mature American Citizens) fought AGAINST all of these things. And AMAC fought hard to block the federal funding on abortion, and won.”
There is a reason that AARP has 20 times more members than you guys, Sebastian. The problem you’re running into here is that the vast majority of Americans support women’s reproductive rights, common sense gun laws, and universal healthcare. You certainly have the right to reject these concepts, but you need to realize that these are core American values.
William Mannella, one of Gorka’s fans joins in, “Can’t believe how many seniors vote against their economic interests because of guns and abortions.”
William, perhaps this is a foreign concept to you, but decent people often vote against their own economic interests simply because they want to do what’s right.
Craig,
Why do you make these absurd claims, or at least sweeping generalizations?
“women’s reproductive rights, common sense gun laws, and universal healthcare” are not “core values” of the American people !
They’re not even the “core values” of all Democrats!
Universal Healthcare is a vague concept that means different things to different people. Ask what 100 people what “Universal healthcare” means, and you will receive 100 different answers.
Ask what “common sense gun laws” means and the same result will be achieved.
The same can be said for “abortion on demand”.
Commissioning a poll designed to produce a result helpful to your advocacy isn’t helpful, just delusional. It may make you feel good, but then becomes terribly frustrating when you try to convert your ideas into reality and you find no one really agrees.
Your attack on the AMAC or Association of Mature American Citizens is undeserved and irrational.
The AMAC alliance was formed in 2007.
AMAC in alliance with Christian Seniors Association,
United Seniors Association, the 60 Plus Association and American Seniors Association, and several smaller grups, represents more than 20 million active members at least half of whom have deserted the AARP.
The AARP in 1958 was founded by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus and evolved from the older National Retired Teachers Association.
Membership grew dramatically when Leonard Davis, chairman of the Colonial Penn Group of Insurance Companies saw an opportunity to use the group to sell health insurance and other retirement products.
In 2000 the AARP underwent a dramatic change, extending it’s range of commercial activities. AARP no longer requires that members be retired, and there are no longer any age restrictions even for a full membership).
In 1995, Senator Alan K. Simpson described AARP as “a vast empire that has figured out how to gimmick the nonprofit laws”.
His claim the AARP was “31 million people bound together by a common love of airline discounts, automobile, pharmacy and other discounts.
His investigation relealed than not one in ten members had the slightest idea what the organization stood for or could be correctly described as active participants.”
The AARP is currently defending a class action lawsuit which alleges the AARP deceived Medicare patients into paying an undisclosed commission when they enrolled in AARP-branded supplemental health insurance plans.
AARP is a very generous employer. The CEO receives a salary in excess of $2 million while he, board members and executive employees fly first class.
AARP allows board members and even some senior executives to accept paid directorships or employment with companies associated with AARP.
Fortune magazine, in an editorial opined, the main difference between AMAC and AARP is at least 80% of AMAC members are actively involved in political policy issued, whereas less than 10% of AARP members supported AARP lobbying positions or were apathetic.
If that appraisal is accurate, then it would appear AMAC has at least 4 times as many members as AARP !
Craig,
Why do you slander and libel people with such reckless abandon?
You label Sebastian Gorka, as a ” White nationalist” !
Maybe you would care to explain why?
Since Sebastian Gorka has never belonged to any “white nationalist” organization or supported any such organization, so why would you use such a description?
It’s true Sebastian Gorka is an active anti-communist and opposes all forms of totalitarianism, but it’s hard to see how that makes him a “white nationalist”.
His dislike of Communism may be understandable given his parents fled to the UK from Hungary after the failed anti-Soviet 1956 uprising and subsequent persecution of Hungarian patriots.
This may also have been a motivation for Gorka choosing to serve in the military as a uniformed member of a counter-terrorism unit.
He is certainly an “anti-jihadist” along with the overwhelming majority of Muslims.
Gorka and his wife founded the largely Roma Catholic Institute for Transitional Democracy and International Security in Budapest, Hungary in 2003.
He certainly isn’t anti-Semitic as a multitude of Jewish supporters have attested.
So where is the evidence for your charge of “White Nationalist”?
Or maybe you know more than Derrick Johnson President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who dismissed any allegations against Stephan Gorka saying,
“it’s become fashionable to label anyone you happen to dislike by calling them a “White Supremacist”. I know Stephan very well and he certainly isn’t a racist of any kind”.
But, hey, maybe you know better and would like to share with everyone your superior knowledge?
When you libel someone unfairly, it’s the right thing to admit your error and apologize. It takes real moral courage to admit error.
(but, I won’t hold my breath waiting)