AARP Socialism?
I Don’t Think So
Merriam-Webster defines socialism as “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”
Merriam-Webster also defines Marxism as “a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society.”
Yup, those descriptions exactly fit the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the august organization which is the single, largest representative of older Americans. Actually, AARP has nothing in common with socialism or Marxism, although the GOP right wing would argue otherwise, as they extend the culture wars to label President Biden as the leading proponent for creating a socialist, Marxist state from sea to shining sea.
The latest right wing assaults take aim at the AARP for its relationship with other “un-American” organizations like the now-defunct, progressive Air America Radio and the Interfaith Alliance, a progressive, nationwide interfaith religious organization that champions causes including religious freedom, LGBTQ+ Equality, education, protecting religious minorities, combating hate and religious freedom in the courts. Equally under the right wing radar is the “State of Belief Radio,” a project of the Interfaith Alliance which touches on such topics as ways to celebrate Rosh Hashanah during the COVID-19 pandemic and taking an empathetic look at life for Muslims in the U.S.
According the AARP website, the non-partisan, non-profit organization was founded in 1958, with the mission to “empower people to choose how they live as they age” and focuses on related issues, like social security or health care, with almost 40 million members nationwide.
“AARP’s ties to Democratic politicians and a liberal agenda have been questioned over the years, but never more so than now,” notes the website.
A fact check by usatoday.com found that AARP does not donate to the Democratic Party, or any political party; that it does not have a political action committee; and that claims about the organizations support of the Democratic Party are false.
Most infamously, ex-president trump has labeled Biden a socialist-Marxist while Republicans have taken on the AARP in its latest political witch hunt, as an example of the leftist swing toward destruction of all that is good in America. An example of the right wing propaganda effort is a 2009 letter that calls on AARP members to cancel their subscriptions The letter, which has been copied on social media, targets the late, former AARP CEO A. Barry Rand. He was the first African American to lead the AARP and coincidentally has the same surname but no relation to the novelist Ayn Rand, who was one of the most vehement opponents of socialism.
A copy of the letter was forwarded to me today by a friend and it includes extensive anti-immigrant, racist rhetoric. The letter is from Walt and Cyndy Miller, owners of Miller Equine Transport of Cheraw, S.C. Cheraw, a small town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, played a leading role in South Carolina’s secession from the Union in 1860 and was known for its significant cotton plantations, according to the Cheraw municipal website.
The letter says the Democrats are leading the nation to a real-life “Soylent Green,” referring to the dystopian, futurist film about the controlling power of big corporations.
“Washington has rendered Soylent Green a prophetic cautionary tale rather than a nonfiction scare tactic,” the letter reads. “This presidential administration scares the living daylights out of us. Not just for ourselves, but for our proud and bloodstained heritage. Even more importantly for our children and grandchildren.”
The Miller letter says that neither Mr. or Mrs. Miller have ever endorsed any militant or radical groups, “but now I find myself listening to them. Their borderline insanity presents little more than a balance to the voice of the Socialist mindset in power.”
It also disparages the AARP for offering its newsletter in Spanish, and referring to immigrants, “I DON’T choose to welcome them. I DON’T choose to support them. I DON’T choose to educate them. I DON’T choose to medicate them, pay for their food or clothing.”
A 2007 rant by a writer calling himself “expreacherman” also has been resurfacing on social media, and accuses AARP of being an enemy of conservative Christians while singling out individuals and groups, including: “Julian Bond, radical leftist Chairman of the NAACP,” the National Urban League and its president and CEO, Marc Morial; the Business Roundtable, the “leftist” Service Employees Union and AARP, which together represent more than 50 million Americans. And don’t forget the “extreme leftist Huffington Post” and “your tax supported, leftist NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.”
Contrary to Expreacherman’s claims, the Business Roundtable is “an association of chief executive officers of America’s leading companies working to promote a thriving U.S. economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans through sound public policy.”
“Conservative Christians,” writes the Expreacherman, “our Biblical faith is being attacked directly and indirectly by those whom we support financially — and some of us find it impossible to extricate ourselves from it.”