Title: AARP: Money First, Seniors Second
Headings: AARP: Money First, Seniors Second
AARP: Money First, Seniors Second
Russel Hanson is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.

Content: Only $550 went to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, while Barack Obama received $30,901. AARP employees also contributed $496,169 to state candidates in 2008. In addition, in 2009 and 2010, the years in which the roiling debate over health care took place, AARP spent over $43 million on lobbying. In 2010, it directly employed sixty-five lobbyists (and six indirectly) through firms including Quinn Gillespie & Assoc and Williams & Jensen. AARP is a political juggernaut, and it knows how to toss its weight around. As a result, few dare to challenge the organization. That is why AARP has been allowed to masquerade as a non-profit organization for so long, dodging taxes and hiding its true purpose: to sell insurance. AARP's political clout helped get Obamacare signed into law. Though initially somewhat quiet, at least publicly, AARP's spokespeople ended up strongly and vocally backing the legislation.