The AARP, congressional Dems, and an ongoing grudge

While the right gears up to destroy the AARP for its opposition to Bush’s plan to kill Social Security, the left is hoping to devise a way to defend the group against the Republican smear. But there’s a small catch: Dems are still a little peeved about the AARP’s recent past.

Democratic anger with AARP for supporting the Republicans’ Medicare prescription-drug bill 15 months ago has barely subsided, and many House lawmakers remain skeptical that the advocacy group’s opposition to GOP attempts to reform Social Security will last.

The Democrats’ apprehension about AARP, the nation’s largest group representing senior citizens, registers at different levels throughout the caucus. Some lawmakers are willing to set aside their lingering resentment over the party’s defeat on Medicare in hopes of defeating the president’s proposal to offer personal accounts. Less forgiving Democrats, however, say AARP should stay on the other side of the aisle and work with “their new GOP friends.”

At this point, several key players — Families USA, the National Women’s Law Center, the AFL-CIO, NOW, the NAACP, among others — have been meeting regularly with Nancy Pelosi’s office to discuss strategy, but the AARP has been noticeably absent, in large part because it hasn’t been invited.

There’s more than just hurt feelings at play. Congressional Dems felt the AARP would stand firm against Bush’s Medicare scheme in 2003, until the group caved in the 11th hour and gave the White House a political boost. Dems now worry that the AARP’s opposition to Bush’s Social Security privatization scheme will wane and the group will disappoint again, a concern the AARP says is unfounded.

Fortunately, there are signs the ice is thawing between the AARP and the Dems.

Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Subcommittee and the Democrats’ point man in the House on Social Security, has met with AARP CEO Bill Novelli, Smith and John Rother, AARP’s policy director. He appeared to be more forgiving than many of his colleagues, though he said Democrat’s were still disappointed over Medicare politics.

“They know that Democrats were disappointed. They know that, if it was raised, it was not dwelled upon,” he said.

Levin said that he was convinced AARP would not abandon the Democrats on this issue. “When I talked to Marie Smith, she was categorical” in her opposition to the president’s plan.

This is encouraging. I know I’m always lecturing the Dems on the benefits of getting and staying tough, but in this case, working with the AARP on defeating Bush’s scheme makes its defeat more likely. There’s nothing wrong with reminding the group that we haven’t forgiven them for their mistake, but the AARP is already coming under intense fire from the right because everyone recognizes the group’s unique lobbying role on this issue.

Time to let the AARP off the hook, Dems, at least until the Social Security fight is over.