ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

Today on Capitol Hill, Divided We Fail held a press conference to announce the start of its efforts in 2009. Acknowledging the quick start that Congress and the President-elect have had, AARP CEO Bill Novelli noted that "The president-elect and new Congress have hit the ground running this month, and we're here to help with the support of 53 million consumers, workers and entrepreneurs." The press conference marked the beginning of Divided We Fail working to improve health care and financial security issues in 2009.

Divided We Fail will be working through the upcoming Congressional recess with townhall meetings across the country to take the people's message to their Representatives and Senators.

President and CEO of NFIB Todd Stottlemyer said "If our organizations-business, labor and consumers-can join forces, so can our leaders in Washington. We're just getting started and we're ready to help."

We are just getting started, but it looks like it's going to be a busy year for Divided We Fail.

Take a look at some photos from today's press conference:

AARP CEO Bill Novelli speaking at today's press conference on the Hill.

Sen. Orrin Hatch making remarks.

Senator Dick Durbin made an appearance and spoke at the DWF press conference.

America just finished a historic election that brought millions of citizens to the polls. We voted in hopes that the new President and Congress would act quickly to address the most important issues facing our nation. And we were united - Democrats, Republicans, and independents - in frustration with Washington gridlock and partisan bickering. Now the real work must begin. We need to turn hope into action and hold our political leaders accountable for delivering on the promises they made to get elected.

At Divided We Fail we've been doing our part in the past 18 months to rally together organizations representing well over 50 million Americans in order to make a unified statement to our president-elect. Barack Obama promised prior to the election to make quality health care affordable, help families save more of their own money, strengthen Social Security for future generations, and end partisan bickering and Washington gridlock. Now is the time to hold him to that promise.

Recommit to Divided We Fail by demanding that this much-needed reform happens, and that it happens quickly! Join DWF and help Obama lead America forward with more than just words--with action.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, AARP, Social Security, Barack Obama, election, Washington, gridlock, health care, financial security, ShAARP Session

Cookie Monster attended the Obama rally in Des Moines on Halloween and donned a Divided We Fail gear! He handed out Champ stickers (not cookies) to the delight of many in attendance. He also talked to hundreds of people at the rally about Divided We Fail. He explained how a blue donkey + a red elephant = a purple "Champ" and how it is important to work together to break the gridlock on health care and financial security issues.

While at Divided We Fail we relish in seeing the number of Americans who have signed our pledge grow more and more each day, the reason that number is already up to 811,994 is because there are real-life, personal human stories to back up the magnitude of health care and financial security issues in our country right now. Take Kathy, from New York, for example, who tells DWF:

"Last year at the age of 42 I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I have a six year old and a one year old. For obvious reasons, I can no longer work and my husband, who works full-time, and I are having a difficult time taking care of our family. My health insurance only covers about two-thirds of my costs (which is not terrible) but now I am trying to figure out how to pay for a live in nanny so she can help me take care of the kids, cook, clean and drive me to doctor appointments. One of us has to keep working so my husband is doing all that he can do. We were doing fine before the cancer hit but now we are floundering."

It's harrowing stories like Kathy's that wake us up as to how far-reaching these issues really go. You can hear more touching tales from your fellow Americans in our new Average American ads on YouTube.

Divided We Fail wants to hear your stories, as well! Tell us why you're making health care and financial security your top priorities for Election 2008 at http://www.capitolconnect.com/dividedwefail/reg_share.aspx. If not a story, then at the very least sign the Divided We Fail pledge at http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, health care, financial security, pledge, Average American, YouTube, DWF, AARP, ShAARP Session

More than 700 people turned out for a diverse, intergenerational Debate Watch Party at Nashville's Centennial Park on Tuesday night. The crowds turned out despite a rainstorm that force planners to move the event from outdoors to an enclosed pavilion at the park. Photos of the party are posted on the AARP Tennessee website. Here are some highlights.

Debate Watch Team in Nashville with Champ

Mayor Karl Dean Signs DWF Pledge

Read More »

Steven P. Smith is our DWF Champ of the Week

Divided We Fail is proud to recognize Steven P. Smith, from Boston, as this week's DWF "Champ of the Week". Steven posted an encouraging message on our Divided We Fail Facebook Fan Page, where he calls on America to "work to assure health and financial security for all."

Thanks Steven for your commitment to DWF and for being an engaging member on our social network pages!

You too could be named Champ of the Week by joining the active discussions on our Facebook and MySpace fan pages! The lifeline of this initiative depends on raising millions of voices and making sure our political leaders hear what America has to say... so get talking!

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Facebook, MySpace, Steven P. Smith, Boston, health care, financial security, social network, Champ of the week, Champ, politics

Rock the Vote is all about empowering and building the political power of young people in America to achieve progress. Divided We Fail wants to reach out to future generations about the issues of health care and financial security. So what a perfect marriage of these two initiatives, now that DWF Facebook fans can pledge to vote right off of our Facebook fan page, thanks to the Rock the Vote widget!

Divided We Fail recognizes that America's younger generations are going to be the most affected by the state of financial security in their retirement, and to take a stand, it's important not only that they be aware of the issues, but that they vote now, in the upcoming election, and make a difference.

So learn about the issues and sign the Divided We Fail pledge, and then register to vote with the Rock the Vote widget so your opinion is heard!

Divided We Fail is on the road, and could be headed your way! We've got community events all over the country, and you can help us achieve our goals of ensuring health care and long-term financial security in America.

The success of Divided We Fail relies on harnessing the voices of millions of Americans so that we can demand action in Washington. But getting those voices heard is hard work, and Champ can't do it all by himself!

To see if we'll be in your area soon, check out our Divided We Fail online events calendar.

Not visiting your hometown? Don't fret. There are still plenty of ways to get involved. Help us spread the word about DWF by sending V or e-cards to all of your friends, or post a DWF banner on your webpage or blog.

Get started now and let people know what Divided We Fail is all about!

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Champ, ShAARP Session, AARP, community

You. Three close friends. The concert of your dreams. It's all possible, thanks to Divided We Fail's new social network competition!

Put those hours you might spend browsing social networks to good use. Recruit the most people to the Divided We Fail groups on MySpace and Facebook, and you will win 4 tickets to the concert of your choice!

It's simple and easy! Once you're a Divided We Fail friend or fan on MySpace or Facebook, just get your friends to join the group and have them post a simple message:

"[insert your name] wants Champ Concert Tickets."

The person who recruits the most friends for Divided We Fail wins!

Start inviting your friends now!

Get stared now by joining our MySpace group or become a fan of the Divided We Fail page on Facebook.

Now, invite all your friends! Not on Facebook or MySpace? Don't let others miss this great opportunity. Forward this message to your friends and family!

Each grand prize is worth up to $1,000.00 in concert tickets for each winner! Get started now and Start friending!!

TAGS: Divided We Fail, Champ, Concert Tickets, Contest, MySpace, Facebook, music, DWF, Social Network Competition

Have you heard about the new $40 million campaign in Washington, Health Care for America Now, that's pushing for health care reform and universal insurance coverage for the upcoming presidential election? On the AARP Bulletin, you can see the article, "Coalition pushes for health care reform", where it explains:

"Health Care for America Now's stated goal is 'quality, affordable health care for every American.' The coalition has set out to ensure that health care reform remains a top priority in the presidential and Congressional elections."

Sounds oddly familiar, huh? The Associated Press published an article comparing Divided We Fail and HCAN. Read the article, "Money, ads give health care top political billing," and let us know what you think.

TAGS: Health Care for America Now, Divided We Fail, AARP, health care reform, Associated Press, DWF, affordable health care, health care

I can't tell you how thankful I am that so many are helping us demand affordable health care from political leaders. It means so much to see all of the encouragement in your posts, comments, and new friendships on the DWF community pages.

Your stories, feedback and commitment really keep us going which is why it is so exciting to celebrate a monumental achievement of reaching 650,000 signed pledges for Divided We Fail.

A number of politicians have supported the DWF initiative, but it is the commitment and support that comes from our friends on social networks that are putting the initiative into overdrive so that we reach our goal of 1,000,000 signed pledges.

So, once again, I'd just like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who's participated in the campaign!

If you haven't had an opportunity to make your voice heard, I hope you take action now by signing the Divided We Fail pledge.

If you're looking for new ideas on how to get involved you may want to consider working with one of our state offices, joining us on Facebook or MySpace, posting a banner on your blog or site, commenting on any blog that is talking about health care and financial security, or simply starting conversations in your community about these important topics.

Keep up the great work and together, we can end partisan gridlock and realize real change.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Facebook, MySpace, Divided We Fail pledge, blog, health care, financial security

Champ was in the Roanoke, Virginia area in early June for a number of Divided We Fail activities. Here he is with the mascots of the Salem Avalanche, just before throwing out the first pitch. Of course, since he is missing opposable thumbs, Champ needed help throwing the ball from AARP Board Member Jacob Lozada (left) and AARP Virginia President Warren Stewart (right).

For more from Roanoke, check out the album from the DWF Team in Virginia.

We're starting a new feature here on ShAARP Session: it's Friday Champ blogging!

If you don't know him, Champ is the official spokesperson for those tired of partisan gridlock in Washington. And he's going around the country to talk about the importance of health care and financial security to all Americans.

Last week, Champ was in Unity, NH to help spread the Divided We Fail message amidst the media frenzy.

You can see more pics from Unity from our DWF team in New Hampshire. And check out the Divided We Fail Events Calendar to see where Champ will be next!

Tired of hearing empty promises from politicians?  Feel like our leaders are just paying lip services to the issues that matter most?  We feel the same way, and that's why we're rolling out a new ad telling the Presidential candidates to stop talking and start doing.  Check it out:

Have you seen this ad for the Alliance for Climate Protection yet? Pretty striking, right? Left and right working together for the greater good of all…sounds vaguely familiar. Who does Al Gore think he is?!

OK, OK – Divided We Fail doesn’t actually own the idea on encouraging bi-partisan solutions to the problems facing Americans. I guess great minds really do think alike that if we’re going to accomplish anything, we’re going to have to work together. What are you waiting for? Go ahead, get involved already!

Here's the latest from Carmel Perez-Snyder in Florida:

Three clowns, a pirate, a Gecko, a beauty queen, the mayor and young women in orange shorts from a certain chain ... No this is not a joke. All have one thing in common: they visited the Champmobile and all signed a Divided We Fail pledge in Palatka at the Blue Crab Festival.

It was literally three hot days at the Blue Crab festival as staff and volunteers collected pledges and authentic voices.

In the end, we gathered more than 800 pledges, recorded three authentic voices, plus a couple submitted online and really gained some strong possibilities for volunteers in Northeast Florida. We even had some folks hop on the CM and join AARP online.

An update from the center of the universe in politics (this week), from Florida's Carmel Perez Snyder:

Don’t bring your water bottles, big bags, food, chairs, etc. Security was tight at the first Obama rally in Tampa since the Democratic boycott of Florida. But no one told Divided We Fail staff and volunteers to leave the pledge cards at home. Determined volunteers like Tess Canja worked the crowd as they waited for the candidate to appear. Not only did DWF Florida get one television interview and several notable newspaper interviews – they also walked out with more than 110 signed pledges and half the crowd by the stage was wearing Champ buttons.

Check out this Yahoo! article about aging Aussies who rallied for better pensions … in their underwear. Well, it certainly got our attention, right? How far would you go to make your voice heard? Here’s an idea – start by signing the Divided We Fail pledge to ensure that all Americans have access to health care and long-term financial security. You can also share your story and spread the word about Divided We Fail. It’s not naked, but it’s a start!

There was an interesting piece in the New York Times yesterday from Bob Herbert, talking about the Millennials. Aside from the political conversation, what’s so interesting to me is that Herbert discusses the bleak financial picture for this age group. Combine this with the new research out today from AARP on boomers and the stress they feel about their finances.

Herbert writes:
“The landscape is changing before our eyes. Younger voters struggling with the enormous costs of a college education, or trying to raise families in a bleak employment environment, or using their credit cards to cover everyday expenses like food or energy costs are not much interested in hearing that the government to which they pay taxes can do little or nothing to help them.”

The survey released yesterday found almost 25% of people ages 45-64 are prematurely taking money out of their 401(k)s and other investments. Younger boomers (ages 45-54), in particular, are doing things like postponing paying bills (27%) and even cutting back on medications (17%).

Seems like young and old alike are struggling today, even sometimes with the same challenges – meeting basic needs.

You may have heard that the presidential candidates are interested in holding joint forums with voters. AARP is offering to host them and have sent a letter out to the campaigns telling them. Why you ask? Because going beyond the partisan differences is important, it’s the only way were going to get anything done. It’s also why AARP formed Divided We Fail with a bunch of different organizations who have all come together agreeing to find common ground.

We’ll keep you posted on all of the candidate’s responses.

An update from the Champmobile in Florida:

Divided We Fail - Florida staff did a double take when they spotted (pun intended) a cow -- yes, a cow -- as it hopped aboard the Champmobile today in Brooksville, Fla. The unidentified cow, known to promote the consumption of poultry over beef, took a short stroll through the Champmobile at the Older Americans Month Picnic at Oakhill Hospital in Brooksville. Fortunately, beef wasn't on the menu -- or maybe it was...

While Champ was entertaining his guest inside the CM, volunteers and staff were engaging picnic attendees, collecting more than 100 pledges from the 130 picnic goers.

Today, the LA Times reported that the price of health insurance for people who get coverage through work jumped 30 percent between 2001 and 2005. Thirty percent. And wages were up just 3 percent. While we might want to beat up on insurance companies, there’s a much bigger problem. The cost of health care is out of control. I’ve blogged about how the increases in the cost of health care pales in comparison to the increase in the cost of living. And who pays for it? You and me.

An update from Virginia AARP's Bill Ballas:

Last week, I attended the annual Virginia21 award soiree at George Mason University's Johnson Center. The event was to fete Virginia21's outstanding chapter for the past year which, not coincidentally, belonged to George Mason University. A highlight of the evening was a conversation between best friends and MOC colleagues, Tom Davis (R) and Jim Moran (D) -- both of whom signed the Divided We Fail (DWF) pledge.

Festivities began with a cocktail party where Kelly Porrell and Stephen Jones, Virginia21's Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director, respectively, introduced us to representatives from their chapters across the commonwealth. (A special shout-out goes to Carl and Chelsea from Old Dominion University who were exceptionally bright and eager to get started with DWF. Kelly mentioned that their members want to conduct a YouTube contest where they will create videos explaining why they should be selected to wear the Champ costume at an upcoming event. )

After dinner, Representatives Davis (who is retiring) and Moran took the stage and answered questions by the moderator, a very distinguished political science professor whose name now escapes me! The very first question he asked was why they endorsed Divided We Fail. Their answers were not surprising so much as revealing; both officials shared their insights on how the topics of social security and healthcare reform are essential -- not just from a cost perspective, but as a moral imperative. Mr. Davis and Mr. Moran clearly and painstakingly cited case after case where petty partisan bickering had brought the country to a standstill and with partisanship guiding redistricting, that voters don't choose their elected officials so much as politicians choose their voters. They recalled the dozens of times that they had worked together across the aisle to help one another and their colleagues get things done. At the close of their conversation, I thought to myself, "These guys are a great team. They reminded everyone that elected officials represent everyone in their districts -- those who voted for them and those who didn't."

Health care is the theme of the week. Probably one reason is that it is Cover the Uninsured Week. Now why are people uninsured? Lots of reasons – don’t think they need it, don’t think they have access to it, but most important is they can’t afford it.

On the campaign trail, there has been some discussion of the key issue here – the skyrocketing cost of health care. Senator John McCain spoke about it both yesterday and today, emphasizing the role of personal responsibility in health care. No one can dispute the importance of this. In fact, every candidate has a nod to better behaviors (eating less junk, exercising more) in their plans. It’s all good.

But where is this in the national media? Almost nowhere! Instead of the substance focused on the things that impact people’s everyday lives, we are left to tune into the bickering and melodrama that has seemed to envelop the spin cycle. Elizabeth Edwards wrote about it for the New York Times on Sunday, but today we’re still seeing the same old thing play out. Who isn’t sick of it?

Here's an update from Florida AARP's Carmel Perez Snyder:

The Champmobile, a boat, big fish and a high-flying dog, all helped Divided We Fail Florida take Charlotte County by land, sea and air this weekend. The CM was a hot bed of activity at the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Tournament in Punta Gorda, FL as energetic volunteers played games with kids and helped them color Champ in the newly created Champ Activity Book for kids. While the kids were busy, volunteers talked to parents about Divided We Fail. Others were inside the Champmobile sending emails to candidates or surfing the DWF Web site.

Across the way by the water, DWF volunteers Sam Reams and Chris Folsom battled with some sea-savvy 11-year-olds in the cardboard boat races. The heated battle was captured by the local paper photographer and landed Chris and Sam and the AARP Divided We Fail boat on the front page, above the fold.

DWF also had an entry in the international splash-dog contest. "Alex," a beautiful yellow lab turned out to be a contender for the title in the high-flying competition, leading with a jump of 21 feet five inches. In between his competitions, Alex cooled down by wearing a DWF T-shirt.

Next stop? The Champmobile is on the road this week with two more stops in Port Charlotte today and Tuesday. Then up Interstate 275 to Lakeland for a downtown community event. On May 3, the Champmobile will be in Mascotte, Florida for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Interesting read from the San Francisco Chronicle today about the age gaps in the electorate. While the piece talks about the different perspective on age, it digs a little deeper and brings up the issue of socioeconomic status. According to The Numbers from ABC News, it appears that how much you make is a bigger factor than how many years you’ve got. This is a valid point, especially when you consider that key issues like health care and financial security are both connected to your finances. Regardless of age, everyone is concerned about skyrocketing health care cost, but especially those who are struggling the most financially. As for financial security, it’s no different – those who are the most concerned are those who feel least secure today.

Inside E Street, AARP's own TV show, had a chance to talk to all the Presidential campaigns about health care. You can watch the full show online, but what's most interesting is the fundamental difference between the candidates when it comes to how to approach health care.
Here's a highlight:

UPDATE:
Had some YouTube issues, check out videos of each campaign below:

While tonight's debate began as most of the debates so far this election cycle - full of sniping and attacks - the debate finally settled down and we heard some substance. The candidates did talk about financial issues, which are weighing heavily on all Americans. But there was virtually no mention of health care tonight, which is unfortunate

The most interesting portion came when the candidates traded lobs on Social Security. While Senators Clinton and Obama are both concerned about the future of the program, they traded barbs about how to ensure the program is strong for future generations. It was a healthy discussion and it's a good thing to see the candidates willing to discuss a range of options. Getting to solvency is going to take a commitment from everyone.

The most disappointing thing about tonight's debate was that too much time was spent on the accusations and attacks that turn people off from politics. With just seven months left of the election season, it would be nice to see more substance and less fluff. Hopefully that's what we'll get.

Troubling poll numbers on how middle class Americans feel about their lives, according to a new poll out from the Pew Research Center. One-third of those who responded to the poll believe they are worse off than five years ago – the highest number over the last 50 years.

If this isn’t a battle cry for change, I am not sure what is. Let’s just hope people actually hear it.

Feeling secure about personal finances is tough for everyone right now. Home values are dropping, the stock market is volatile, and the price of food and gas keeps rising. One of the ways to dodge the bullet is to plan and be smart about your dough. According to the Wall Street Journal, even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is pushing the financial literacy thing. He even thinks financial literacy classes should be required in all high schools before graduation. Not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all.

Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Senator John Edwards, has endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton’s health care plan. You may recall that I blogged about her tousle with Senator McCain earlier this week. In announcing her support this morning on Good Morning America, she mentioned the mandates that are included in Clinton’s plan.

Whether you mandate it or not, at least all the candidates (Clinton, McCain and Obama) agree that something needs to be done.

Last week there was talk on the campaign trail about health care with a back and forth between Elizabeth Edwards and McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Now most of this is inside partisan sniping over if Senator McCain’s plan would cover preexisting conditions, but media attention has the McCain folks working on more details on the Senator’s health care plan.

More thinking on health care reform is welcome news, especially when it comes to more specifics. We need to hear more from the candidates on how they can help those with preexisting conditions as well as how they are going to bring skyrocketing health care costs down.

Here's the scoop from Florida AARP's Carmel Perez-Snyder:

Springtime in Tallahassee, Florida brings out a diverse group of organizations and individuals from college students to...AARP. And, Divided We Fail Florida's Champmobile was right in the mix of the Springtime Tallahassee celebration this past weekend. After a stop in the courtyard of the Florida State Capitol, the Champmobile and crew lined up for the annual parade. The hot day provided a perfect opportunity for "branding" the crowd with Divided We Fail fans, which soon lined Monroe Avenue from one end to the other. The new interactive vehicle will continue its tour of Florida's capital region with the parade kicking off the Leon County "community blitz."

Think Progress today points out some confusion about Senator McCain’s position on Social Security. While in a Wall Street Journal interview a few weeks ago, McCain reiterated his support of private accounts. According to Think Progress, yesterday Senator Lieberman was out denying McCain’s stance. Hmm? Cloudy, I’d say.

It’s early, so I will rain on your parade and get it over with. Yesterday, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees report brought us some not very good news. The Cliff Notes version is that Medicare is facing a tough future, one that's not likely to get any easier if we contine to ignore the elephant in the room: skyrocketing heatlh care costs.
And Social Security also faces a tough outlook. It is a reminder that it’s time for our political leaders to get to work on our nation’s problems. Bottom line, the sooner we tackle these problems, the more feasible the solutions.

People say they are ready for the solution – a new survey out this week by the AFL-CIO on health care says it all. According to U.S. News and World Report:

Among those surveyed, 95 percent said health care in America needed fundamental change or a complete overhaul. Seventy-four percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said health care was a very important election issue, as did 80 percent of 50- to 64-year olds.”

Sounds like pretty much everyone is ready for a change.

Concerns about the economy are not just for those 50 plus. Check out this story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about how college students see the economy as the top issue facing the country. Students are talking about the price of gas, the price and quality of health care. Sounds familiar? I guess it doesn’t matter where you are in life… we are all feeling the pain. And more importantly, we are all looking for action on these issues from our political leaders.

The latest from the Sunshine State from AARP Florida's Carmel Perez-Snyder:

What's big and purple and soon coming to your town in Florida? It's the Champmobile! The CM is an interactive, educational vehicle that will travel around Florida between now and the November election. It's hard to miss the purple 57-feet vehicle and truck that is named after Champ, the Divided We Fail mascot. The Champmobile made its debut at the Miami Gardens Jazz Festival March 15 and 16 at Dolphin Stadium. The "official" unveiling will be held this Friday, 10 am at the State Capitol plaza in Tallahassee.

So what does a Champmobile do? Glad you asked. The CM is equipped with satellite - great for debate watching and election night watch parties, two television screens (42" on the outside and 21" on the inside), and is its own "wi-fi" hot spot. Visitors will be able to watch DWF videos and ads, surf DWF sites, including the Champmobile's own Facebook page, or share their story online. Sitting inside the Champmobile, visitors feel as if they are on a park bench in the Capitol Mall in D.C. Visitors can even give their own "presidential" speech on the stage at the back of the Champmobile. The Divided We Fail Florida team is super excited about this new tool and ready to hit the road!

New research out of the Harvard School of Public Health today says just over half of Americans think health care in the U.S. may not be as good as other nations. And when it comes to costs, America received less than stellar grades with just 40 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of independents saying the U.S. did better on affordable health care than France, Canada and Britain.

Sounds like some dissatisfaction with the status quo. Now we just need people to actually let their elected officials know about it.

New report out today from Divided We Fail that shows Generations X and Y are thinking about their future financial security – that they are not as prepared for it as they should be and they know it.

In the survey, 86 percent of Gen Xers and Gen Yers know they should be more prepared for a "rainy day," many report that they know more about their iPod (40 percent very knowledgeable) than they do about filing their taxes (26 percent), buying a home (21 percent), investing outside of work (15 percent) and saving for retirement (15 percent). Also, three out of four Gen Xers and Gen Yers said saving for retirement is a personal financial goal, and an overwhelming majority (92 percent) feels that they can achieve their most important financial goals in the next ten years. However, many younger Americans grade themselves poorly when it comes to saving money (42 percent gave themselves a D or F) and investing their money outside the workplace (47 percent gave themselves a D or F).

At least we know what we aren’t doing – it’s the first step towards change, right?

A bird dogging update from New York's Kristin Legere and Erin Mitchell:

Presidential Candidate and New York's Junior Senator Hillary Clinton was in Albany earlier this week for Governor Paterson's swearing into office. Anybody who was anybody in New York government could be seen in the Assembly Chamber and so were a dozen AARP volunteers wearing red Divided We Fail shirts and seated across from the national media cameras. After the 55th Governor of the Empire State was sworn in, AARP volunteers stood outside the Assembly chamber when Sen. Clinton walked right by our volunteers and made sure she got a good look at the DWF brigade. And she did.

Divided We Fail is out with new ads on the nation's critical need for health care and financial security. The TV spot highlights a woman injured in a car accident but forced to continue working because health care costs are too high. Check it out below.

As I have for the other primaries, I did a little poking around in the exit polling from Mississippi. Where people are in Mississippi is pretty emblematic of where things are in the other states so far. According to the CNN exit polls, half of the Democratic and over 60 percent of the Republican electorate was over 50. As for issues, the economy continues to dominate, with 55 percent of Democrats and nearly 40 percent of Republicans saying it is the issue they are most concerned about. Health care was also mentioned by almost a quarter of Democrats.

AARP’s issues, as well as 50 plus voters continue to dominate the landscape. It’s a wonder why the candidates are still sniping instead of talking about the issues that people constantly bring up as important to them.

An update from Bill Ballas of AARP Virginia:

The other night, AARP Virginia sponsored a “Primary Watch Party” for more than 30 Virginia Commonwealth University students and faculty at the Richmond hotspot Baja Bean & Company. In between a delicious quesadilla platter, nachos, pizzas and riveting primary results, AARP staff chatted with the multi-generational crowd that included members of the Young Democrats, College Republicans and supporters of the various campaigns. The enthusiastic group was eager to learn more about the Divided We Fail movement, to sign our petition (24 signed!), and to sport their new DWF trucker hats!

Last night was a big night in the race for the White House. And where were 50 plus voters? Making up nearly half of the electorate, according to the exit polls. In Texas, 44 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans were 50 plus. In Ohio, the trend was similar, with 46 percent of Dems and 52 percent of Republicans over 50.

And the issues? Economic issues are dominating with all voters - in Texas, one in three Republicans and half of Democrats cited it as their top issue. Nearly half of voters in Ohio (59 percent of Dems and 42 percent of Republicans) also named economic issues as the topic they are most concerned about.

These issue continue to reign supreme in the hearts and minds of voters. When will the candidates really pay attention?

Seems that our friends over at the National Farmer's Union have a blog. And what are they blogging about? AARP Board President Erik Olsen speaking at the group's annual conference in Las Vegas about Divided We Fail. Check out the posting here.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, there are some excerpts from a recent interview with Senator John McCain. Included in the myriad of questions is one about Social Security. While private accounts don’t really address the problem with Social Security, McCain does bring up a key part of getting to a solution. He said:

“The way I would fix Social Security is to sit down with Republicans and Democrats together at a table, voicing my opposition to tax increases, and sitting down and negotiating a fix to Social Security, which is the only way that Social Security is going to be fixed. That's my solution to the Social Security system.”

McCain (as well as the other candidates) have ideas about how to shore up Social Security, but the good news is that he understands that a real solution is going to mean everyone gets together at the table in order to get something done.

A state update from AARP Virginia's Bill Ballas:

Last week, a group of our most ambitious advocates from AARP's Virginia office and the Hanover area went to bird dog former Governor Warner at an event at the Ashland Coffee and Tea in Ashland, VA. As you might expect, most of them arrived early and stayed late, engaging patrons and the former Governor in conversation about health care and financial security. Everyone rallied around the DWF banner, and they easily collected some pledge cards and distributed more than a dozen DWF t-shirts to attendees. (It seems a lot of the t-shirt recipients had already signed our pledge!) We hope that former Governor Warner will sign and return his DWF pledge soon! Until then, you can count on Virginia’s volunteers and Champions-4-Change to keep “bird dogging” the candidates.

An update from Google on Google Health, their effort to create a product for electronic medical records that’s worth reading about and keeping an eye on. I’ve talked a lot about the benefits of electronic medical records, so read about what the googlers are planning on doing.

Divided We Fail (AARP, Business Roundtable, SEIU and NFIB) and WISER are co-sponsoring an event today to examine how women can increase their lifetime financial security. An array of perspectives and solutions ranging from implementing new public policy to rethinking financial planning options will be presented, with panels to include Martha Hamilton of the Washington Post, Mary Beth Franklin of Kiplinger, and folks from a whole range of groups.

This comes on the heels of a new report that shows women are nearly twice as likely to be poor as men as they reach pre-retirement and retirement ages, according to a new report. The Public Policy Institute Report found that variables such as marital status, labor force participation, and health status affect the risk of poverty for women as they age. In fact, the poverty rate in retirement for African-American women is nearly three times the rate for white women. African-American women, even those who are not poor, are only one-third to one-half as likely as white women to have income from assets.

Check out the conference.

Yes, in Ohio the temperatures are freezing. But if the candidates are out, so are AARP volunteers and staff. Across the state, they are bird dogging candidates and talking to people about health and financial security. Some photos from AARP Ohio's Kevin Craiglow, who is currently counting to make sure he still has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes.

An interesting piece in Kiplinger’s about the National Federation of Independent Business and Divided We Fail that’s worth checking out. The piece brings up a key argument in the health care reform discussion that cannot be overlooked, which is that even business recognizes there needs to be a change in the way health care is delivered in this country. When Starbucks spends more on health care than on coffee, you know that something’s gotta give.

Another night, another debate. And we're not hearing anything different than we have before. The same argument over the health care plans of Senators Clinton and Obama that we've heard since the first debate in South Carolina 10 months ago. Yawn.

It's amazing that the issues the people are concerned about, health care and financial security, were barely touched upon tonight. The debate covered no new ground and failed to give voters any new information to help them make a decision. The issues were abandoned tonight and instead we heard and saw clips of the candidates on the attack. This type of bickering only deflects from what's really important- how these candidates are prepared to solve the challenges that are plaguing our nation.

I'm all for the candidates to have the opportunity to go on national television to talk about the issues. But come on... talk about the things people care about.

Yesterday, Senator Barack Obama was out on the stump talking about Social Security. It's about time we started hearing about this issue from the candidates, particularly with people so concerned about their financial futures. Reform is important and yesterday the Senator mentioned just one option when it comes to making sure Social Security is around for future generations - raising the payroll tax. There are lots of other ideas out there and with 80 million Americans likely to retire in the next 20 plus years, it seems like a great time to start looking at the ways to make sure that Social Security is around for the next generation.

Solutions will involve answering difficult questions and making tradeoffs, no doubt about it. Whoever is elected in November will have to lead in finding a solution.

After watching another debate, the conclusion remains the same... these debates are just not a helpful forum for getting any details from the candidates on the real issues. Health care and financial security were barely mentioned; just one question was asked about financial issues. The candidates themselves brought up health care, or else the issue would have just been left out in the cold tonight.

Where is the commitment to addressing health care? What about doing something about the financial squeeze people are feeling? Don't look to the debates, you won't get any answers.

AARP today announced it’s 2008 legislative agenda and it includes some important stuff that lawmakers need to work on this year. You can read the whole thing, but I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version. The big thing is modernizing and improving health care and containing costs by supporting things like health IT (including e-prescribing) and greater reliance on evidence-based medicine. Not to be forgotten is strengthening Medicare and Medicaid; expanding health coverage not just for children (SCHIP), but also the 50-64 set; and making prescription drugs more affordable.

Your pocketbook shouldn’t be forgotten either. The focus on the financial side will include getting lawmakers to establish programs in the workplace that help Americans save for retirement, like automatic enrollment in IRA and 401(K) plans and greater use of payroll deduction through the work place. Other things include broader protections for consumers from financial fraud and abuse and improved transportation and housing options for older Americans. On housing issues, protecting funding for federal housing programs and promote more affordable reverse mortgages will take front and center. And don’t forget about working for better utility regulations and more affordable energy.

Phew, that’s a lot of work…

Last night there was another set of primaries/caucuses in the march towards November and as part of my regular commentary, here’s the skinny from the CNN exit polls. There were only exits from Wisconsin (since Washington and Hawaii had caucuses) and again, 50 plus voters were half of the electorate on both the Democratic and Republican side – 51 percent for the Dems and 52 percent for the Republicans. As for issues, Democrats cited the economy tops, with health care coming in second. For Republicans, 41 percent called the economy the most important issue.

Wisconsin is following a what we have seen across the nation – AARP’s top issues continue to dominate the landscape.

In the dark of a Friday night before a long weekend, the Administration proposed a non-solution to exploding health care costs – raise premiums on those in Medicare. Unfortunately, this ignores the elephant in the room, the entire health care system needing reform. I’ve written about this a dozen times, but the entire health care system need attention and is the cause for the explosion in Medicare spending.

Before completely dissing the proposal, there is some interesting stuff in the White House’s proposal that are worth a look. Things like electronic medical records and paying doctors for quality, not quantity. These types of measures would be helpful in lowering costs in the entire health care system, not just Medicare.

Enough tiptoeing around the edges; it’s time for a real solution on health care.

According to the Washington Post, “In Virginia, exit polls estimated that nearly one-third of registered voters turned out yesterday, a state record in a presidential primary. In the District, nearly three times as many voters cast ballots as in the 2004 primary. Maryland officials, meanwhile, projected turnout of about 39 percent, nearly equal to the record set in 1992.”

AARP Virginia’s Amy Gilbody pointed us to this story that had people voting on slips of paper because they ran out of ballots!

Despite nasty weather that left some commuters on the road for 8+ hours, you stuck to it and let your vote be counted. Thanks to all of the AARP volunteers that braved the cold to greet commuters with Divided We Fail candidate side-by-side brochures!

AARP VA's Divided We Fail Program Assistant Liz Gannon talks with voters on Election Day.

Today, AARP CEO Bill Novelli, Business Roundtable President John Castellani, SEIU President Andy Stern and NFIB President and CEO Todd Stottlemyer announced that their organizations – which collectively represent more than 53 million Americans and together make up Divided We Fail – would be pushing for a new bill that gives business a tax credit if they provide their employees tools to get and stay healthy.

The legislation is called the “Healthy Workforce Act: and was introduced today by the bipartisan team of Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR). If passed, the law would give the credit to business that offered programs containing at least three of the following elements:

* Health awareness/education – including assessments and preventive screenings;
* Behavioral change – including counseling, seminars or self-help materials;
* Supportive environment– including health premium reductions or daytime exercise options; and
* Employee engagement– to tailor the program to the needs of the company’s workforce

To learn more, visit www.dividedwefail.org.

This just in from AARP Virginia State Director Bill Kallio: While AARP staff and members were spreading the Divided We Fail message today, they ran into Governor Tim Kaine who was on his way to vote. The team told him about our efforts to bring bipartisan support to the issues of health care and financial security – and he signed the pledge!

Take the pledge, tell us your story and see who else has signed on at www.dividedwefail.org.

AARP staff and volunteers pose with Governor Tim Kaine after he signed the Divided We Fail pledge.

Despite sporadic snow flurries in the Beltway and rare winter weather advisories, the local media says turn out is “high” and voters are “enthusiastic” today.

Our Divided We Fail volunteers were braving the cold this morning to distribute candidate side-by-side brochures that outline where the candidates stand on health care and financial security issues.

Check out the pics from AARP Maryland's State Director Joe DeMattos:

AARP’s Volunteer Community Coordinator Brenda Kelley-Nelum made today’s Washington Post while front and center at the Barack Obama rally at TC Williams High School in Alexandria yesterday. Check out that great red Divided We Fail fleece she’s wearing!

See Divided We Fail in your newspaper? Send us the link!

Divided We Fail volunteers fanned out across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia today greeting candidates with questions on health care and financial security and passing out information at Metro stops during the morning commute.

With 168 Democratic delegates and 116 Republican delegates up for grabs, you can bet there will be more volunteers spreading the Divided We Fail story tomorrow as voters head to the polls.

Let us know if you see them on your commute!

AARP’s Stepheni Schlinker reports on the statewide launch of Divided We Fail in Michigan today: “Despite a “feels like” temperature of -15 today in Lansing, Divided We Fail had a smoking kick off today beginning with AARP State President Eric Schneidewind doing morning radio interviews in 12 markets followed by a jam-packed press conference.

Divided We Fail allies from AARP, SEIU and NFIB Michigan joined Senator Mark Schauer (D) and Rep. Rick Shaffer (R) at the kick off where they talked about the importance of working together in a bipartisan manner to solve our nation’s health care and financial security problems.

Everyone signed the oversized Divided We Fail pledge and then headed back out into the frigid cold! We’re still burning up the phone lines talking to legislators and reporters about this great project though… even if our noses are frozen.”

Sign the pledge here.

Last night, the Senate addressed something I know concerns all of you – the sluggish economy. It is continually cited as people’s top concern, regardless of party affiliation. They did it by passing an economic stimulus bill that is fair and timely and includes help for those who need it, including the 20 million Americans who receive Social Security. And all of were a part of making it happen. Over 200,000 emails, faxes, and calls came into members of Congress to ask them to do it. Check one off for the people.

It couldn’t have happened without a little bipartisan cooperation. A unusual but welcomed thing in Washington. Maybe a sign of more to come?

Last night, the Senate addressed something I know concerns all of you – the sluggish economy. It is continually cited as people’s top concern, regardless of party affiliation. They did it by passing an economic stimulus bill that is fair and timely and includes help for those who need it, including the 20 million Americans who receive Social Security. And all of were a part of making it happen. Over 200,000 emails, faxes, and calls came into members of Congress to ask them to do it. Check one off for the people.

It couldn’t have happened without a little bipartisan cooperation. A unusual but welcomed thing in Washington. Maybe a sign of more to come?

Yes, I’ve written about it before. And yes, I am going to talk about it again – Medicare and Medicaid. Our growing fiscal stress is not really about the coming retirement of the baby boomers, but the ever exploding cost of health care for everyone. Check out the graphic below, courtesy of the Congressional Budget Office. Thanks to Ezra Klein, who wrote about it here.

How can Washington solve this? Tackle the skyrocketing cost of health care for everyone.

I have been digging around the exit polls this morning/afternoon and there’s a couple of interesting trends worth highlighting.

50+ voters continue to make up nearly half of the electorate in Super Tuesday states. In Alabama, California, Missouri and Tennessee, roughly half the voters were 50 plus. In Arizona and New Mexico, over 60 percent of the electorate was part of the age group. Also the economy dominates, even across party lines, with anywhere from a third to one-half of voters in primary states calling it the most important issue. Health care is a significant issue among Democrats, with as much as a quarter of Democratic voters calling it the issue they are most concerned about.

Yes, there is collective nail biting across America tonight as we all watch the primary results roll in. There are some exit polls coming out tonight that give us a sense of what the electorate looks like. And we know, as expected, that folks are overwhelmingly concerned about economic issues and nearly half of the voters are 50 plus. A smattering of results:

In New York, 52 percent of the Democrats and 58 percent of the Republicans were 50 plus. In both primaries, over 40 percent of folks cited the economy as the issue they were most concerned about.

In Arizona, over 70 percent of the electorate in both primaries was 45 and over. The economy was a key issue for half of the Democrats and nearly a third of Republicans.

Illinois followed the path, with nearly half the Democratic voters and over half of the Republican voters in the 50 plus group. The economy also dominated, with 42 percent of Republicans and half of Democrats calling it the issue they are most concerned about.

Doesn't three make a trend?

Today, millions of Americans will hit the polls to decide who should represent their party in the upcoming Presidential election. One thing we know about the electorate is that as many as half of them could be over the age of 50. In 2006, about half of those who went to the polls were 50+. So far in the primary season, we’ve seen:

- In the Republican primary in Michigan, half the voters were 50+.

- In South Carolina, just over half the Democratic voters were 50 plus; and for the Republicans, nearly 70 percent of voters fell into the age group.

- 61 percent of the Democratic voters in Florida were 50 plus and 65 percent of the Republicans were over 50 too.

The bottom line is that the 50 plus vote will be big today, of this there can be no doubt. Our research shows they are interested in hearing about health care and financial security. We’ll be watching and blogging through the night about 50 plus voters.

Today, millions of Americans will hit the polls to decide who should represent their party in the upcoming Presidential election. One thing we know about the electorate is that as many as half of them could be over the age of 50. In 2006, about half of those who went to the polls were 50+. So far in the primary season, we’ve seen:

- In the Republican primary in Michigan, half the voters were 50+.

- In South Carolina, just over half the Democratic voters were 50 plus; and for the Republicans, nearly 70 percent of voters fell into the age group.

- 61 percent of the Democratic voters in Florida were 50 plus and 65 percent of the Republicans were over 50 too.

The bottom line is that the 50 plus vote will be big today, of this there can be no doubt. Our research shows they are interested in hearing about health care and financial security. We’ll be watching and blogging through the night about 50 plus voters.

Here's an update from Pat Jones from AARP Arkansas where they have a mini Super Tuesday campaign going and they are bird dogging the candidates.

AARP volunteers in red shirts holding up red and white Divided We Fail signs were hard to miss amidst a sea of Clinton campaign signs at the Hillary Clinton campaign event last week at North Little Rock High School in Arkansas.

Introduced by the state's three Democratic congressmen and Governor Mike Beebe, the senator spoke for about an hour to the audience of 2,500 supporters and students. She shared her thoughts on making health care affordable for all, and to improve financial security for all Americans. And she also promised not to privatize Social Security.

And the red shirts saw and heard it all!

Nearly half of the women at the focus group today think that the candidates have not addressed health care or financial security adequately. Also, 54 percent of them do not have 401k or similar retirement savings. No wonder economic issues have been tops in the early primary states.

Here's some interesting poll numbers from an iVillage and AARP poll about women and politics:

* Over 20 percent of women believe the economic issues are the most important facing our country
* More than 80 percent of women agree that there are some goods things in our health care system, but fundamental changes are needed to make it work better
* Half of women are concerned about having enough money to live on later in life

Sounds like health and financial issues are weighing pretty heavily on women..

Right now, live from LA there's a webcast with a diverse focus group of hundreds of women interacting in real time on a discussion of issues with panelist including Ron Brownstein, Political Columnist, Los Angeles Times; Frank Luntz, Political Consultant and Pollster; Donna Addkinson, Political Consultant and Pollster; Paula Madison, Executive Vice President, Diversity, NBC Universal and Nancy LeaMond: AARP Group Executive Officer and Director of the Divided We Fail initiative.

Many positioned tonight's debate as a showdown, but it was more of a discussion then a debate between Senators Clinton and Obama. There was an in-depth discussion of health care tonight and both candidates brought up a vital piece of any health care reform - reigning in skyrocketing costs. Both candidates agreed this is an important issue and both discussed a range of options to try and manage it. Sadly, it took the end of the debate cycle for the candidates to start discussing some of the specifics in the health care discussion. Things like electronic medical records and preventive measures were discussed tonight and are critical to bringing down the cost of health care for everybody.

Financial issues were mentioned, but lacked the details that voters want to hear about. Right now, economic issues are a huge motivator for people at the ballot box. We know that people are concerned not just about the shaky housing market (since homes are such a critical piece of retirement savings), but also how they can afford to retire. It was a lost opportunity for these candidates to overlook these issues tonight.

While tonight's debate was less contentious than last night's, the questions were more focused on personality than substance. Instead of falling into the trap, the candidates chose a route of talking about the issues instead of swiping barbs. This is a good thing and we can only hope this mature tone is part of things to come.

A report from AARP Colorado’s Morie Smile, where they are gearing up for Tsunami Tuesday:

AARP Colorado has been getting into the community to talk abut Divided We Fail and do some candidate bird dogging. We sponsored the National Western Stock Show and over 16 days signed up 3,315 new Divided We Fail voters and spoke to scores more. We weren’t alone: our partners from the National Federation of Independent Business also showed up at our booth to meet and greet attendees for a while. Yee haw!

Also this week, we braved the early morning, single digit temperatures and the crowds to bird-dog Senator Obama at a rally at the University of Denver. We were able to break into two groups with ten of us making our way to the VIP area four rows back from the front of the podium and the rest sitting, taking up an entire aisle, all in red shirts, of course! We were in lots of photos, and managed to get ourselves into a TV shot. Not bad considering there were 13,000 people there.

I am grateful that we are coming to the end of the primary debate season. Why? Tonight's debate was certainly a little more heated than last week's snoozer in Florida, but it unfortunately focused little on substance and more on the intra-party warfare that has just become tedious.

There was some talk about the economy, an issue that is overwhelmingly important for everyone. But instead of talking about how to bring relief, the discussion was brought back to finger pointing and he said/he said rhetoric. People want to hear about solutions, not accusations. There was no real mention of how the candidates are going to tackle skyrocketing health care costs or how they will be able to prepare for their future financially.

There is just one week left before a huge number of voters will flock to the polls. Let's hope there will be a more substantive discussion on the issues that people care about and impact their lives.

Last night, Floridians went to the ballot box to select their candidates in the primary. Over 60 percent of those who showed up in Florida yesterday were 50 and over, according to CNN’s exit polling.

In the Democratic race, health and financial security mattered. In the CNN exit poll of Democratic voters, 55 percent overall cited the economy as the top issue. Just as interesting: those who supported Senator Clinton, 55 percent cited health care as the top issue.

Financial concerns were important in the Republican race as well. Florida attorney Justin Sayfie, author of the online Florida political bible Sayfie Review said in a recent interview in National Review online, “Economic issues are at the forefront in Florida, as the cost of living in the state has become unaffordable for many, and we have seen our population growth go flat in the past year. Property taxes and high property insurance rates are top of mind for Florida voters.” He wasn’t wrong. In the same CNN exit poll, 45 percent of Republicans cited the economy as the top issue.

Yes, we are Florida obsessed today, but so is the rest of the blogosphere. Check out this posting on Huffington Post about yesterday’s rally in Hollywood. Good stuff.

I mentioned it last night briefly when talking about the State of the Union, but it looks like chapter one of the tale of the economic stimulus package could unfold later today with an anticipated vote in the House.

In the current environment, with so many people concerned about their finances and the economy, we need relief that is quick and helps those who need it the most. And the Senate plan super sizes what the House has put on the table. It would help approximately 20 million Americans who primarily depend on Social Security for retirement income AND also enhance unemployment insurance, which is critical for 50+ workers who have a more difficult time finding new employment after a job loss.

Word today is that both Democrats and Republicans are getting behind the Senate bill, which is good news. Maybe they can break through the partisan gridlock and actually pass something.

If you thought last night's presidential address was severely lacking on the issues that matter most to Americans, you're right. In fact, an analysis by the National Journal’s Congress Daily showed that the president spent just 10 percent of his 53 minutes on the economy and even less on health care. Meanwhile, our economy is stumbling, more than 47 million Americans don't have health insurance, and millions more are underinsured.

AARP's Florida State Director Lori Parham brings us this report from the Sunshine State:

We had more than 200 folks come out on Monday to a Divided We Fail rally in Hollywood, with interest from both Democratic and Republican state legislators who agree with the bi-partisan message of our efforts. Also surrogates for Romney, Huckabee, Giuliani, McCain were there. Craig Romney's son, loved Champ and even danced with him.

Staff and volunteers were in Pensacola to greet Huckabee today, share the side by side and ensure a presence in the often overlooked north. Folks covered McCain in Tampa, were on stage with Romney in Ft. Myers, and followed both of these candidates to Orlando as well. We’re everywhere!

It continues on Tuesday, with folks in Tampa at the Romney site and in Miami at the McCain event. We'll have students and volunteers in front of the capitol in Tallahassee waving signs and have asked more than 700 people since last Wed to go to the polls in their DWF shirts. Today, Florida will be a sea of red shirts.

Even though there's been a huge focus on the next occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, tonight the current occupant had some thoughts about the state of things. The focus naturally, as on the campaign trail, was on domestic issues and in particular the economy.

While the calls tonight from the President about ending partisan gridlock are encouraging, action would be nice. It's a good thing that Washington jumped in with the stimulus package and what the Senate Finance Committee is offering up is worth another look. No matter what, quick relief is needed for the economic crisis that many Americans are facing right now and it sounds like the Administration recognizes that.

Today everyone's playing nice. Hopefully tomorrow they still will. It's the only way they can begin developing solutions to our most important domestic problems - ensuring access to affordable health care and lifetime financial security.

Sunday was a whirlwind day, with events following both a Democrat and a Republican.

The day started at a rally for former Governor Mitt Romney at the Jorge Mas Canosa Center in western Miami. The center is a small community center attached to a park in the middle of a residential area a stone's throw from Calle Ocho, the main street of Miami's Cuban community.

We've noticed in South Florida that frequently we get comments about the red shirts - red is affiliated with Chavez and Castro, which is not a good affiliation in Miami. But here, the crowd seems to be very friendly to us, and several people ask for side-by-sides. One man asks "who is the most bipartisan candidate?" Now we're getting somewhere!

The school we passed in the neighborhood has a motto painted on the side of the building facing the turnpike: Bilingual, Biliterate, Bicultural. Speaking of multicultural, son Craig Romney speaks to the crowd in Spanish, then Romney, clad in a guyabera shirt, chatted with the crowd.

Later in the day, it was a different scene outside the Lucky Strike on Miami Beach, where Senator Hillary Clinton was scheduled to appear at a fundraiser. AARP staff and 30 plus volunteers from around the state clad in red shirts and stood with Champ and Divided We Fail signs. While we waited in 58 degrees (that is cold for Florida), State Director Lori Parham kept us from freezing by leading the rowdy group in a cheer - "What do we want?" "Health care and lifetime financial security!"

South Florida is a wacky place and this came through, particularly on Miami Beach. Among those in the melee waiting for Senator Clinton included a man who was singing and stripping down to a bathing suit. We considered drawing straws to talk to him about Divided We Fail, but focused instead on the passers by and reporters. We even got a few converts.

Sunday was a whirlwind day, with events following both a Democrat and a Republican.

The day started at a rally for former Governor Mitt Romney at the Jorge Mas Canosa Center in western Miami. The center is a small community center attached to a park in the middle of a residential area a stone's throw from Calle Ocho, the main street of Miami's Cuban community.

We've noticed in South Florida that frequently we get comments about the red shirts - red is affiliated with Chavez and Castro, which is not a good affiliation in Miami. But here, the crowd seems to be very friendly to us, and several people ask for side-by-sides. One man asks "who is the most bipartisan candidate?" Now we're getting somewhere!

The school we passed in the neighborhood has a motto painted on the side of the building facing the turnpike: Bilingual, Biliterate, Bicultural. Speaking of multicultural, son Craig Romney speaks to the crowd in Spanish, then Romney, clad in a guyabera shirt, chatted with the crowd.

Later in the day, it was a different scene outside the Lucky Strike on Miami Beach, where Senator Hillary Clinton was scheduled to appear at a fundraiser. AARP staff and 30 plus volunteers from around the state clad in red shirts and stood with Champ and Divided We Fail signs. While we waited in 58 degrees (that is cold for Florida), State Director Lori Parham kept us from freezing by leading the rowdy group in a cheer - "What do we want?" "Health care and lifetime financial security!"

South Florida is a wacky place and this came through, particularly on Miami Beach. Among those in the melee waiting for Senator Clinton included a man who was singing and stripping down to a bathing suit. We considered drawing straws to talk to him about Divided We Fail, but focused instead on the passers by and reporters. We even got a few converts.

While we are in Florida, there's been some big happenings in South Carolina on the Democratic primary front. One of the more interesting things from last night's exit polls is this nugget reported by the Associated Press:

"Given three choices, half the voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the country — up from 38 percent in the only other competitive Democratic primary to date, in New Hampshire on Jan. 8. About a quarter picked health care, comparable to New Hampshire. Only about one in five picked Iraq, down from 27 percent in New Hampshire."

There was chatter on the blogs about this last night, but this is not revolutionary. What we know from AARP members, AARP surveys and even just informally talking to people across the country that health and financial security are the top issues they are concerned about day in and day out and it's time for politicians to start addressing them.

Yes, it is warm here and in no small part to the energy and enthusiasm of AARP volunteers and staff across the state. Here's an update from AARP's Jeff Johnson:

"On Saturday, we saw volunteers walking through orange groves and eating pork at 10 am with former Governor Mike Huckabee, handing out side by sides and bird-dogging former Mayor Rudy Giuliani at trendy St. Armand's circle in Sarasota, attending rallies and town halls for Senator John McCain in Fort Myers and Lakeland and former Governor Mitt Romney in Lutz, and prepping for Monday's rally. We are also rallying our volunteers who live too far from the Monday's rally in Hollywood to alert them to the what each candidate is doing around the state. Essentially, we could accomplish a lot by painting Champ logos on the runway of every small plane airport in the state. I'm guessing the FAA has rules about that stuff, though."

We're headed to Miami today to remind Senator Hillary Clinton and former Governor Mitt Romney about the importance of health and financial security issues. While the Democratic candidates are not officially campaigning in Florida, we have heard a rumor that Senator Clinton will be here today. We'll let you know.

On Friday, volunteers and staff from the AARP Florida office went to Miami's historic Versailles restaurant in the heart of Little Havana to remind former Governor Mike Huckabee of the importance of health and financial security issues. While waiting for the Governor to show up for lunch, we spoke to the people milling around about the importance of ending the partisan bickering in DC and finding solutions to the issues that affect us everyday. Also in the crowd were the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio and Florida State Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla. Pics below.

Also, the staff volunteers and members in Florida are gearing up for a big rally on Monday, the eve before the big day of voting. Check out what the blogs have to say about it.

On Friday, volunteers and staff from the AARP Florida office went to Miami's historic Versailles restaurant in the heart of Little Havana to remind former Governor Mike Huckabee of the importance of health and financial security issues. While waiting for the Governor to show up for lunch, we spoke to the people milling around about the importance of ending the partisan bickering in DC and finding solutions to the issues that affect us everyday. Also in the crowd were the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio and Florida State Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla. Pics below.

Also, the staff volunteers and members in Florida are gearing up for a big rally on Monday, the eve before the big day of voting. Check out what the blogs have to say about it.

The spin room post debate is a clutter of bodies and voices, all clamoring to give reporters their own "spin" on the evening's festivities. All the campaigns have surrogates who speak on their behalf and they range from current and former members of Congress to campaign staff to family members of the candidates.

There were placards notating all of the candidates, but only one little purple character was out and about...

Is it possible that these debates are getting more underwhelming? It's the closing stretch for the candidates, you would think their might be a focus on the real issues that concern people day in and day out. Fewer than a quarter of tonight's questions were about health care or financial security. Instead, tonight's discussion focused on question of religion and campaign ads- issues that at the end of the day don't alleviate what ails us as a nation.

There was a brief mention of Social Security, but honestly, all the options need to be discussed and neither Congressman Paul or former Governor Romney (who both talked about the issue) laid out the full scope of what is happening. It is important that we reform Social Security for the long haul, but we've got to do something that will be fair for all generations.

It would be great if the candidates took these debates as an opportunity to show the American people that they are committed to change. I guess there's next week.

They're already prepping for the onslaught of spinners...

Here in the spin room, press are watching the debate attentively. The early focus is on financial security issues, finally. Jim Dau mentioned it yesterday and it looks like the debate moderators are finally paying attention to the issues that families across the country have been talking about. While talking about how the candidates will improve the economy is important, there are many issues that have yet to be discussed, such as retirement security or the need for help when it comes to savings. The big picture things are important, but it's the day in, day out that people are focused on.

We're in the spin room, just across the courtyard from where the candidates will debate in under an hour. Things are definitely picking up here, with numerous prominent Republicans swirling through the room. A couple of sightings include former Senator Connie Mack, as well as chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer. No candidates...yet.

There is a special campaigning area set up for the debate groupies. Thought you'd enjoy a look.

We're camped out in sunny Boca Raton, Florida preparing for tonight's Republican debate. A little chaotic here, with several hundred media running about preparing for the showdown.

Lots of candidate signs, but the only candidate sighting we had was on the plane from Washington, where we shared the jet way with Congressman Ron Paul. Also, his supporters took advantage of the warm weather by camping out on the main thoroughfare into Florida Atlantic University with homemade signs, lawn chairs and coolers.

Not to be forgotten, there are AARP signs and Divided We Fail signs everywhere.

Some thoughts from AARP's Jim Dau:

It’s hard to find a silver lining in the news coming out of Wall Street and Washington, where global economic volatility is further threatening the financial security of millions of Americans. However, we’re at least grateful that the political media is finally spending more time discussing the economic plans of various candidates (for instance here and here), rather than breathlessly dissecting horse race numbers, photo-ops and slung mud.

The campaign press is waking up to what voters already knew – economic security is a critically important issue. In the Iowa caucuses three weeks ago, voters cited economic concerns as their top issue. Even back in November, both AARP polling and Washington Post polling showed big concern from voters on financial security issues.
Voters want impartial and substantive information on the candidates’ economic plans. It may be that an economic stimulus package is less sexy than decades-old allegations of wrong-doing, but hopefully reporters get that it’s more important.

Here’s an update from Amy Gilbody from AARP Virginia, who is trekking around Virginia and talking about Divided We Fail:

Last week, we brought DWF to the Virginia General Assembly! We camped ourselves out for the week in the lobby of the General Assembly Building – an AARP first. Volunteers from our Driver's Safety, Tax Aide, Faith in Action, Rebuilding Together, and Divided We Fail programs all hung out and chatted with legislators and others about the good work they are doing. We finished the week with a day dedicated solely to Divided We Fail. Not only did we give away fun goodies, we also were able to talk to folks about health and financial security and get them fired up about learning about the issues.

It wasn’t just the staff and visitors who we chatted with - even those in the executive branch got involved, including Virginia Department for the Aging’s Ben Garrett.

Blogs in Florida are talking about a new survey that shows AARP members in Florida are far from settled in their candidate preferences, with over half of potential Democratic and Republican voters saying they are likely or very likely to change their minds between now and Election Day based on what the candidates are saying about the issues.

The hot stuff? Health care and financial security. In particular, financial security issues remain a concern for AARP members. More than one in four members cited the economy and jobs as the most-important issue facing the country. Just as interesting is financial security has replaced Iraq as the top issue among AARP members, with the war falling as the top priority by 30 points among potential Democratic voters and 15 points among potential Republican voters since the summer.

Tonight's debate was certainly the friskiest we've seen so far, but unfortunately not as substantive. Yes, there was some talk about the economy, which was key for voters in South Carolina and Nevada this weekend. With the news of the stock market and a still shaky housing market, people are concerned about the economy. There was even a brief discussion about health care and the need for reform to the system. The candidates even talked about the importance of reforming Social Security for generations to come. This is all good stuff.

But the candidates spent as much time talking about the stuff people care about as they did sniping at each other. The hand to hand combat is part of the problem in Washington, these folks need to instead focus on the solutions. There's still at least three, maybe four debates left, so there's still a chance for these candidates to dig in and get to the things that really matter. We'll be watching.

Today's dispatch from Florida AARP staff member Jeff Johnson, who continues to follow the candidates all over the state:

Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday weekend appears to be the launch of the Florida Republican primary campaign in earnest. Till now, the only candidate actively campaigning in Florida was New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and I lost track of how many stops his bus tour has made in the Sunshine state, but we've covered 26 in the last 11 days. Now he has company, and even in our sprawling state, it makes for some interesting intersections. This morning, Divided We Fail volunteers and staff greeted Arizona Senator John McCain at his appearance at the Versailles Restaurant, a venerable hotspot in Little Havana, before sprinting north to Miami Gardens for that town's MLK Day festivities. In Tampa, more than 300 people signed on to Divided We Fail at the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and McCain will all be in Jacksonville at some point today, and in Orlando, staff and volunteers have only three blocks to walk between a Romney appearance and a Giuliani one.

Last night, Michael Douglas was on the Late Show with David Letterman, talking about his new role as the announcer as The News with Brian Williams. Check it out here and find out the backstory on the deal, which was forged at Life@50+. Also, Douglas shares with the audience what he learned while in Boston – one in four voters are members of AARP. Thanks for the reminder Michael!

A dispatch from Jason Merritt of AARP Florida. Yesterday he was at Florida Atlantic University, where things are gearing up for next week’s Presidential debates:

Divided We Fail volunteers and those interested in the campaign have used many forms of transportation to get to events; car, bus, train, plane...and now, skateboard? Two Florida Atlantic University students rolled up to a recent informational gathering at the campus Starbucks on skateboards. At the same time, just down the hall, AARP volunteers sat in on policy sessions to discuss health care and social security with students.

It was part of a day of activities with aRock The Vote rally on campus; free food, music, coaches and players from the FAU football team speaking about the importance of voting. We had a table and were collecting pledges and handing out side-by-sides plus CHAMP buttons. It was in their main breezeway with various student organizations and groups each having an informational table.

After a day of talking to 1000 plus students, I was happy not to have to skateboard home.

The New York Times editorial board has an interesting blog posting about one of the ways we can start lowering health care costs. It's a fancy term - comparative effectiveness - but it essentially means giving people the ability to research medical treatments to determine which one gives us more bang for our health care buck.

It's a good idea considering that we already know our costs aren't rising because people are getting older; they're rising because of pricey new technologies and services. Why not find out which of those are really worth the sticker price before we pull out the checkbook?

An update from Stepheni Schlinker of AARP Michigan, where they are running around crazy on primary day:

AARP Michigan State President Eric Eric Schneidewind was in the Citadel Broadcasting studio from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. this morning with the morning news show host – Michael Patrick Shiels – and right away, Shiels told Eric that Mitt Romney was “calling into the show in 5 minutes,” and said he wanted Eric to ask Mitt a question from AARP. So, there was a little witty banter between Shiels and Romney about his dad being Governor of Michigan in the 60s and then he introduced Eric and told Romney that he wanted to ask a question on behalf of AARP. Eric told Romney about DWF and asked, “What is the plan for ensuring the future solvency of Medicare?” Romney started with saying that “we need to reign in the growth and cost of Medicare” and then used his Massachusetts health plan example.

Following the Romney piece, Eric was able to talk extensively about DWF, specifically keying in on the importance of financial security and affordable, quality healthcare. They talked about why our members are more likely to vote (experience, they see the difference leaders can make, why having a good leader is important to the future of our children/grandchildren, etc.). He explained that AARP does not endorse specific candidates and encouraged voters to visit www.dividedwefail.org to check out where the candidates stand on DWF issues such as affordable health care, social security, Medicare, financial security and breaking Washington gridlock.

A dispatch from my colleague, Jeff Johnson, in Florida, who is tracking the candidates across the Sunshine State:

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani was two hours late to events in Sarasota and St Pete. We had people in the front row of both stops. Because a couple of us got to the St Pete stop late, we were locked out in Florida cold weather (aka 50 degrees). It worked out though...when his bus finally pulled up, we it let him out right where we were standing, so the first things he saw were Dived We Fail signs.

At the deli across the street from the event, Huckabee and McCain volunteers stayed warm (!) while waiting for a meeting that ultimately never happened. The McCain people had volunteered in New Hampshire and knew immediately who we were and said they saw us everywhere up there. They were excited to see us in Florida too. The Huckabee people said they had all signed the Divided We Fail pledge and were glad their candidate had too.

Giuliani made it to his last stop in Lakeland at an ice cream parlor at 9:30, saw two Divided We Fail volunteers up front, poked one in the chest and said "AARP." It was his sixth stop of the day and he'd seen red shirts at all six.

But the Naked Cowboy sighting still tops the day. That and this little vignette of 21st Century campaigning: Rudy is on the bus in Clearwater, he stands up to put on his coat, and the TV on his bus (turned to Fox News) starts a story on Rudy campaigning in Fort Myers earlier in the day. So Rudy puts down his coat, sits back down, and watched an interview of himself conducted on the bus he's now sitting in. After the segment he gets back up, puts the coat on, and comes out to meet the chilled but rowdy crowd at the rope line.

Some new research coming from both ends of the political spectrum point out that the American health care system is broken. The Urban Institute has a new report that says 27,000 Americans died in 2006 because they didn't have health insurance. Meanwhile, The Commonwealth Fund is reporting the U.S.---which spends more on health care than any other nation---ranks dead last in preventing avoidable deaths among the industrialized world. We're spending more and people are getting less. If researchers on both sides agree isn’t it time we see some action from the politicians?

More fun from Stepheni Schlinker, Associate State Director for Communications for AARP Michigan:

Nearly 2,000 Lansing, MI-area residents packed the Big Ten Room of The Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University to listen to presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain speak at a rally on Sunday, January 13.

Among the attendees were 15 Divided We Fail volunteers, including five members of the MSU Democrats, who graciously offered their time to help promote the Divided We Fail campaign by wearing red Divided We Fail tee shirts and carrying Divided We Fail signs.

The rally kicked off with a short speech from Cindy McCain. On stage, behind Cindy McCain, sat a large group of sorority sisters from MSU’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter. They were asked to be on stage for the event because Cindy McCain was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority when she attended University of Southern California.

McCain spent most of his time talking about Michigan’s lagging economy and the need for alternative energy. He said he believes Michigan can lead the way in green technology and helping the United States reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Additionally, McCain he would support community-college based training programs for Michigan’s many displaced workers.

“We are going to give them another chance,” McCain said. “We are going to be what America is all about and give them the education and training not to go back to an old job, but to come back for a new job and one that will earn them more money and be more satisfying and will contribute to the challenges that this nation faces.”

The DWF volunteers at the event could be seen in several different shots on the 11 p.m. local news in Lansing on all of the major networks – ABC, FOX, CBS and NBC. Overall it was a great showing for Divided We Fail.

In Michigan, AARP Associate State Director Stepheni Schlinker, is criss-crossing the state tracking the Presidential candidates. Here's her weekend dispatch:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spent several hours in Grand Rapids, MI on Saturday, January 12, starting the day at 8 a.m. with a prayer breakfast with about 100 pastors at the Amway Grand Hotel, focusing on social issues. Immediately following the prayer breakfast, also at the Amway Grand Hotel, Huckabee told a crowd of approximately 600 people about his modest upbringing in Hope, AK and about his father, who held two jobs to support their family. Several Divided We Fail volunteers attended the rally.

“I understand the workers in this state,” Huckabee said. “I can see the fear in their eyes. They know that any day could be the day when they are told their jobs are headed to Mexico or the Middle East, and when that happens they will wonder how they are going to put food on the table.”

He also talked about industries building tanks and planes during World War II, pointing out President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the state as “the arsenal of democracy.”

"Michigan helped save America, and now, America needs to help save Michigan,” he said.

Huckabee told the crowd that if he were elected president Michigan would get help from training programs for displaced workers and fair-trade policies protecting employers and consumers.

He closed the rally by picking up a bass guitar and joining students from the Belding, MI High School jazz band to play “Mustang Sally,” reportedly one of Huckabee’s favorite songs.

An interesting press release from the Lt. Governor in South Carolina about next weekend’s primary. What does he say about voters who are 65 plus? That they will be key to whatever happens. Also, he makes a nice plug for the recent AARP survey in South Carolina that showed 8 in 10 Republican voters 50 plus are undecided about who they will support in the upcoming South Carolina primary next week. Also worth mentioning here that 61 percent of Democrats are also still undecided.

Last time I checked, things were pretty tight. Probably worth talking about what folks are concerned about. And what did the recent poll say on this? About nine in ten AARP members surveyed say the issue of health care will be important in making their decision about who to vote for (96 percent of Democrats and 88 percent of Republicans), and virtually all of them say that issues related to financial security such as Social Security, incentives for savings and investment and pension protection will be important to their voting decision (97 percent of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans).

I know everyone is tired after staying up late for the election returns over the last few days, but a little p.s. on what has been happening in Iowa and New Hampshire. AARP, its members and the issues that are so important to them have been a big part of the action. The 50-plus bloc remains a force in this election, especially on the most important issues regarding health care and financial security. In Iowa, 60 percent of Dem caucus goers and more than 70 percent of GOP caucus attendees were baby boomers and older. In New Hampshire, nearly half of all votes were cast by someone 50-plus.

It’s not just the boomers who are breaking records. Younger voters are turning out, and in record numbers. Their concerns seem to be the concerns shared by people over 50: health care and financial security. In fact, one IA entrance poll showed that GOP caucus goers under 25-years old were more concerned about the economy than the rest of the Republican caucus goers (33 percent of under-25s listed it as most important compared to 26 percent of all other GOP caucus goers).

The record turnout by all ages shows the importance of these elections and how much all Americans want change, regardless of age; especially when that change will come to the benefit of all generations. Look, if the gridlock of Washington is going to be broken, that change is not only going to come from Democrats and Republicans getting together, but also from older people and younger people coming together for common goals.

If we’re going to solve our health care crisis or address financial security issues then Washington’s going to need a change. The good news is it looks like a whole lot of people also think so.

All the cool kids are...

I’m not even in New Hampshire and even I’ve heard it… “Your signs are everywhere”. By this, I mean Divided We Fail signs. So, for those of you in warmer locales, a little taste of what you’re missing.

AARP has a team of folks in New Hampshire leading up to primary day tomorrow and they are attending candidate events all over the state – Nashua, Manchester, Keane, you name it. But sometimes it is the less direct education that can have an impact.

The team came up with these cool coasters that they have been handing out to the candidates. They have clever sayings like, "A Republican and a Democrat walk into a bar to discuss health care. This shouldn't be a joke." On Saturday, they took it a step further. While chatting up reporters at New Hampshire’s notorious Wayfarer Inn, they stumbled upon an even better idea – they left our Champ coasters at the bar. The bartender said she'd be glad to use the "Champsters" (that's Champ and coasters - get it?!) when serving the media folks.

Influence any way you can, I say!

Today, the universe is focused on Iowa, but the next stop on the way to November 2008 is New Hampshire. And what’s happening in New Hampshire besides watching Iowa? They are being besieged by lots of campaigns and not just the candidate kind. And Boston Globe’s online political guru James Pindell tells the Hippo Press, “There’s such a [glut] of them now. I don’t think they’ve had much effect or any effect on the race, with the exception of AARP’s ‘Divided We Fail,’ They were able to bring the candidates to them instead of going to the campaigns,” he said. “A smart organization is one that figures out the new model.”

Not bad, not bad at all.

An interesting story today from WCBS on just how far companies are prepared to go to get their employees to drop a couple of pounds and save them some dough on health premiums- pay ‘em a couple of hundred bucks to do it. It’s an interesting idea and a great example of how everyone can do their part to lower health care costs. And besides, someone paying you to stay on your diet isn’t a bad incentive.

This weekend was a big one for health care along the campaign trail: Senator Clinton in New Hampshire getting asked lots of questions, Governor Romney on television talking about the issue of mandates in health care, and Senator Obama and former Senator Edwards sparring over their health care proposals.

It’s good that there’s talk, but it is also time for action. After the Children’s Health Insurance Program was vetoed again last week, it begs the question about how serious politicians are about actually doing something when it comes to health care. Guess the season for determining that is upon us.

Here’s a dispatch from my colleague, Jamie Bulen in New Hampshire from an AARP event where Governor Richardson spoke to some members:

“Media today included a fifth grade reporter and two videographers - accompanied by their principal – from Beaver Meadow Elementary School. What a hoot. They were reporting for Scholastic News and were able to ask questions of the Governor before the event started. The two things that interested them: (!) Why should my parents vote for you? (2) What was the most important thing you learned in 5th grade. Cool!

"I had to help some folks so I only heard a bit of the Governor’s response, but he talked about a 5th grade teacher that really pushed him to succeed.”

They certainly learn young these days, don’t they?

A lot is happening in New Hampshire too. The entire Congressional delegation, the Governor, Executive Council and all 24 members of the State Senate have all committed to working to make health and financial security a priority. This is good news considering that a new poll of AARP members in New Hampshire shows that over 60 percent of those who say they plan to vote in the primary consider financial security an important issues and concerns about healthcare continue to climb.

You can join these elected officials by signing the pledge.

An article in the Washington Post this week highlights the perfect holiday gift…. A gift card for health care. Unfortunately, you can't gift your way to decent health.

Check out the latest from us on the Huffington Post.

Check it out... Perez Hilton talks about how cool Divided We Fail is.

Mr. Orszag (head of the Congressional Budget Office) in the Wall Street Journal brings us today’s ah ha moment “…we have to pay even more attention to the health-care costs that exert the dominant influence on our fiscal future.” It’s worth checking out the whole piece, where Orszag reminds us that our growing fiscal concerns are not really about the coming retirement of the baby boomers, but the ever exploding cost of health care. He also makes the important point that it is not a Medicare or Medicaid problem – the challenges in health care are system wide and reform is needed to ensure our nation’s long term fiscal health.

Ah ha!

With just three weeks until Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, Iowa AARP members of both political parties say they are following the campaign closely, but like many polls, they are not yet settled on their candidate preferences. It’s gonna come down to the wire.

Full survey here, but some interesting tidbits:

The survey also asked AARP members their opinion on how well the candidates are addressing the Divided We Fail issues of health and financial security. Member responses show that only five candidates are rated as addressing financial security at least somewhat well by 50% or more, and six are rated as addressing health care very or somewhat well by half or more.

When asked to name which candidate respondents feel has best addressed financial security issues, Gov. Mitt Romney came in at 15 percent and Gov. Mike Huckabee 7 percent. On the Democratic side, Sen. John Edwards was cited by 14 percent, Sen. Hillary Clinton by 14 percent and Sen. Barrack Obama by 10 percent. A majority in both parties say they still do not know enough about the candidates' positions to make a judgment - 61 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of Democrats.

When asked to name which candidate respondents feel has best addressed health care issues, Romney was cited by 15 percent and Huckabee by 9 percent. For the Democrats, Clinton was mentioned by 27 percent, Edwards by 22 percent and Obama by 8 percent. A majority of Republicans, 58 percent, and a plurality of Democrats, 31 percent, say they do not know enough about their party's candidates' position to say.

Sounds to me like some folks still have some work to do…

Lots of talk on the blogs about the mortgage situation and now today’s announcement from the President. Left, right, you name it – everyone is concerned.

A sampling for your enjoyment this afternoon:

Red State gives us the lay of the land; and

Eschaton on what the mortgage rate freeze plan will do.

Often, home ownership is a key part of financial planning for the future – this is something we aren’t hearing enough about. If we can’t afford our homes, how are we ever going to be able to stop working and start enjoying our lives?

Some pictures from our colleagues in Iowa, who yesterday kicked off a multi-city bus tour across the state delivering copies of "In Their Own Words", AARP's presidential candidate side-by-side booklet.

The news today in America is a stark reminder of where we are as a nation when it comes to our health care – it’s pretty bad. Twenty percent of Americans cannot afford their health care according to a new Center for Disease Control report. Government cannot seem to get its act together when it comes to covering kids. And the National Federation of Independent Business Foundation is out today with a report linking a decline in employer sponsored health insurance to new small-business owners. Why? Because they fear rising costs will force them to take benefits away from employees.

People can’t afford it, government can’t afford it, business can’t afford it. It’s time for a change, it’s time for those who want to lead to talk about how they are going to help people.

There’s another debate today and while it is only one half of the field, it is certainly time for these folks to talk about health care and how they are going to solve this crisis. We haven’t heard enough on these issues in the past. It’s time for candidates to step up and talk about the issues our members and all Americans care about – how to help with exploding health care costs.

What’s here you ask? A key resource as 2008 comes upon us…. “In Their Own Words”, a comprehensive online tool that can help provide AARP’s nearly 25 million households with the information they need about the candidates positions on health and financial security.

This won’t just exist in the virtual universe. During the first few weeks of December, Iowa AARP members who are likely Iowa caucus voters will receive a mailing that includes the candidates’ positions on six health care and financial security principles. Over the coming weeks, these same mailings will reach likely primary and caucus voters in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida.

In addition, the December issue of AARP Bulletin—which reaches 23.5 million households November 30—includes a side-by-side look at the presidential candidates’ positions on affordable health care.

Check it out!

Just a taste of what AARP members and elected officials are saying and doing when it comes to Divided We Fail and health and financial security:

In Texas, people concerned about the cost of their health care are signing the Divided We Fail pledge.

In Missouri and Ohio (see below), prominent elected officials are signing the pledge.

What about you? Click here to join them.

OH Gov. Ted Strickland reading the pledge (which he signed) and AARP Ohio President Joanne Limbach at the Governor’s Conference on Aging on November 28, 2007.

There’s an interesting new poll today out of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, sponsored by AARP, giving the pulse of African American voters just a month out of the primaries.

Two things worth noting:

Respondents named Senator Hillary Clinton over Senator Barack Obama as having the best position of the Democratic candidates on two important issues – affordable health care (47.3 percent to 18.7 percent) and strengthening Social Security (41 percent to 18.6 percent).

Among African American Republicans polled, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had the favored positions on Social Security (28 percent) and healthcare (25 percent). Senator John McCain ranks a distant second to Giuliani on Social Security and former Senator Fred Thompson ranks a distant second on health care.

Check out a wonderful editorial/blog posting from Brad Warthen, an editorial writer from South Carolina’s The State. Brad recalls not only the misery of a doctor’s visit (who hasn’t endured that one), but more importantly, the need for serious reform in the health care system.

AARP is cooler than you think. Today they are announcing a new public service announcement campaign featuring Ben Affleck, Garth Brooks, Dakota Fanning, Morgan Freeman, Eva Mendes, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Piven and Reese Witherspoon highlighting the need for affordable, quality health care and financial security for all Americans.

This also brings two new groups under the Divided We Fail umbrella, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). Directed by actor and director Tony Goldwyn -- grandson of legendary producer and EIF Founder Samuel Goldwyn -- with music composed by Philip Glass, the PSA urges everyone to let their voice be heard on the need for affordable, quality health care and peace of mind about financial security.

Ray linked to it this morning, but a little more context… yesterday’s Washington Post poll is echoing what we have seen from AARP members in New Hampshire and other primary states– voters see health and financial security issues as the top domestic issues. Today, AARP South Carolina is releasing a poll of AARP members in South Carolina that are likely primary voters with similar results. Both health and financial security are weighting heavily on the minds of voters, now candidates need to propose what they are going to help people manage both of these things.

Our colleagues in Nevada have joined with the Nevada Broadcasters Association to encourage voters in Nevada to participate in the upcoming caucuses. See below for ads in English and Spanish.

We're watching so you don't have to... the latest in the health care ad world? Chris Dodd, link here.

My colleagues down in Florida had a fun event last night in the spirit of Halloween, reaching out to parents and asking them to tell presidential candidates that the "future should not be scary" on the issues health care and lifetime financial security.

Divided We Fail is growing. Today, the National Federation of Independent Business joined the Divided We Fail coalition. Small business is joining the call to end the partisan bickering and come together to find solutions on health and financial security. These issues are a big deal to small businesses - more than 27 million of the estimated 46 million Americans without health care are small-business owners, employees or dependents of small businesses.

This is exactly the type of thing - groups that represent a whole bunch of different constituencies coming together- that is needed to get action on the issues we know people care about.

Fellow bloggers over at the OMB Watch Blog put in a plug for yesterday’s testimony from AARP’s CEO Bill Novelli. Testimony here and subsequent hullaballoo here and here. Making sure that Social Security is around for the long term is a fixable problem that will involve tough choices for all generations. But the real crisis is the exploding costs of health care, and it’s good to see that there are other people that get it. I am sure this is not the end of this discussion and you can bet we’ll be keeping tabs on it as it unfolds.

Today, Senator McCain was at the Families USA and the Federation of American Hospitals Forum on Health Care talking about the importance of the private market in health care. He mentioned the importance of the safety net, as well as bringing down costs.

We’ll keep pressing for more details, but glad he’s out there talking about it.

The Clinton campaign has put together it’s own ad on Social Security- link here.

The candidates are continuing to talk about the issues… Senator Barack Obama has a new ad about Social Security and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has a new ad on health care. Good to see candidates focusing on health and financial security; we look forward to hearing more about these issues in the coming weeks and months.

Kaiser Family Foundation has a new poll on the issues that the public wants to see Congress take action on. Big shock, the top domestic issue is health care for Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Just another reminder about how important this issue is to voters.

Lots of coverage in today’s papers on last night’s forum in Sioux City where McCain and Huckabee talked about health and financial security issues. The highlight comes from CNN: Huckabee says, "I think that frankly they're the losers for not being here," Huckabee told reporters following the forum. "I thought the format was the most refreshing we've had in this entire presidential campaign."
According to exit polls, roughly 1 in 4 voters in the 2006 election were AARP members, so maybe he's onto something...

An interesting article this week in The New Republic by Jonathan Chait about what he deems “entitlement hysteria”. He brings up, correctly, that there’s a lot of talk, but not a lot of action in Washington on the long term health of Medicare and Social Security. Chait also argues that the reason for inaction is a lack of urgency and a lack of permanency. While this is somewhat true (nothing will fall apart tomorrow), what Chait is off on is the impact. For many (especially considering the housing market AND lack of savings), Social Security may be even more important in the future. While people still need to save and build a nest egg for themselves, they also need something they can rely on in retirement, which is what Social Security is all about.

When it comes to Medicare, Chait is right on – the biggest challenge to the future of Medicare, and health care more generally, is cost. That’s why it’s time the Presidential candidates start to address this issue, as well as financial security. The cost of inaction is too high, not just for us, but for the next generation.

While some of the candidates might be lame for not attending the AARP Iowa issues forum, there is good news. The event will now be a forum with Senator John McCain and former Governor Mike Huckabee talking about health and financial security issues AND it will be online.

Be sure to check out the webcast this Thursday, October 25th at 7PM CT (8PM ET).

Presidential candidates are out and about chattering about health and financial security. The latest? Senator Biden is expected to announce his health care plan in Iowa today. And former Senator Fred Thompson was just out and about in Florida talking about Social Security yesterday.

It’s great that candidates are talking about these issues, now we need to hear some details. And see some action.

AP reported that AARP, along with IPTV have retooled the previously scheduled debate to a candidates forum with Senator John McCain and former Governor Mike Huckabee. The candidates will talk about health and financial security issues.

AARP members in IA will be lucky to hear from these two candidates on the issues, but those who are not attending are really missing out on talking to an important constituency in the state. It’s their loss.

Blogs have been talking about 10 Questions, a new opportunity for people to ask the candidates questions about the issues they care about. It is sponsored by blogs from both sides of the aisle, as well as the mainstream media and looks like it will be quite interesting and, more importantly, another forum to get candidates to address health and financial security.

Intro video below, check it out!

New poll out of Florida today, with AARP members (both Democrats and Republicans) saying that they are likely to change their vote on key issues like health and financial security. What’s really interesting is that voters say they don’t know enough about candidate positions on these issues to make a choice. Sounds like voters are waiting for the candidates to talk about these issues before they are going to make any decisions.

The Kasier Family Foundation has put together a nifty online tool to compare the candidates positions on health care.

I expect this to be one of many of these to be coming down the pipeline, so we'll keep you posted as they come online.

Iowa’s Republican caucus goers want to hear from the Republican candidates on health and financial security issues. This comes from an AARP poll released today in IA that shows one of every three GOP caucus goers in IA is an AARP member or Divided We Fail volunteer.

So far Sen. Sam Brownback, Sen. John McCain, and former Gov. Mike Huckabee have all said they will attend. Where are the rest of the candidates? It’s a good question, so ask ‘em.

Today, the titans of industry have convened for a daylong meeting in Williamsburg, VA to chat about the issues of the day. The focus of today’s event? Health care. It is definitely a sign of changing times that CEOs are talking about this as an issue. When Starbucks spends more on health care than coffee and GM spends more on health care than steel, you know it’s time for a change.

Nice clip here and here from CNBC talking with WebMd and Aetna on the need for changes to the healthcare system, with lots of interesting ideas from the private sector about how we can make health care work for everyone.

Candidates left and right are talking about important financial security issues today. Senator Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan for universal 401ks and Senator John McCain outlined retooling job training programs for older workers. It’s great to hear the candidates bringing up these issues if only to spurn a debate and discussion among the field. Hopefully we’ll hear more from other folks in the coming weeks.

A CNBC online poll asks,” What is the most important economic issue the next president should focus on?” with the choices being taxes, free trade, government spending or health care. It’s nice to see that they included health care as an economic issue.

With the debate happening at 4 pm today, it may be a chance to impact the questions. Vote here.

IowaVotes 2008 picked up an AARP poll about likely Democratic caucus goers, which shows that health and financial security are top issues. With the caucus creeping ever closer, these results serve as a reminder about how important these issues are to the 50+ voters.

Full survey here.

Today’s Sioux City Journal gets it right - Republican presidential candidates are missing an opportunity to talk to 50+ voters in Iowa by not yet agreeing to come to the AARP Forum on October 25th.

So far former Governor Huckabee and Senator John McCain have agreed to attend. We’re still waiting to hear from the rest of ‘em. AARP took out ads asking folks in Iowa to contact the campaigns directly. Print ads here and radio ads here.

Just so you know... AARP has over 390,000 members in Iowa, including over 65,000 that have attended a caucus before.

Interesting column from Robert Samuelson about Social Security and Medicare. Look, we know all know the programs need to be strengthened so everyone can afford to grow older. Samuelson is missing the full point. As both Matthew Ygleasias of the Atlantic and CBO Director Peter Orszag note, the growing cost of health care is the root of the problem. That’s the real problem politicians need to start addressing.

As reported everywhere in the free world, President Bush has vetoed the CHIP bill. While the rumors had been brewing for days, this really represents a step backwards for everyone. We’ve got a health care crisis in this country and the chance to insure 9 million kids is an opportunity to start addressing the problem.

The latest from NBC is that the White House is open to negotiations. Let’s hear what he’s got.

In honor of AARP’s upcoming October 25th Republican Presidential Forum, the Sioux City, IA City Council had declared October Divided We Fail month. The forum in being held in Sioux City and as of today, Senator John McCain and former Governor Mike Huckabee have agreed to attend. Story here.

This week saw the unveiling of two online forums that the Presidential candidates are using to talk about the issues. One, which began on Thursday, brought to us by MySpace and MTV- click here to check it out.

The other, organized by the Federation of American Hospitals and Families USA, feature candidates being interviewed by a panel of prominent journalists from ABC News, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, and the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Click here to see more.

Update from CQ here, but lots of drama in Congress today on SCHIP, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Congress is close to a reauthorization deal, but it's just not enough when you consider that a whole lotta people who are 65 plus can't afford their drugs and may lose access to their own doctors next year. It’s especially lousy when you consider that if you're on Medicare, your premiums have doubled since 2000. Now I know health care costs are expensive, but it can’t be easy for people who have limited incomes.

Reaction from AARP: Joining with the American Medical Association to run a new round of joint advertisements in DC, asking Congress not to defer Medicare improvements until the last minute. Will post ‘em once I see ‘em.

And so are the days of our lives…

We’re heading into debate season, as if we are not already there!

AARP and IPTV are holding two candidate forums in IA focused on health and financial security, on September 20th and October 25th. The 9/20 event is being held in Davenport and includes Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Biden and Richardson. The 10/25 will be held in Sioux City and right now McCain and Huckabee have RSVPed yes. Judy Woodruff is hosting and the debate will be carried across the country on 250 plus stations.

Release from AARP here and IPTV here. Let’s hope they actually say something about the issues that impact us every day.

Check out the interesting post on my DD today about the importance of the 50-plus population when it comes to voting.

It is true that one in four voters is an AARP member. The power of this constituency is also seen in the primary states– 11.8 million. In IA, we have 385,000 members; in NV we have 321,000; in NH almost 234,000; in SC 547,000; and in FL almost 2.9 million.

Bottom line: This is a lot of people and the candidates need to step up a pay attention to the issues these voters care about. A recent poll of our members tells us what those issues are: health and financial security.

Today, former Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Hillary Clinton talked to AARP members about health care and financial security, two issues we know are important to AARP members. Huckabee and Clinton both mentioned AARP's Divided We Fail effort and how important these issues are for the candidates to discuss.

Sometimes the fare was light, such as when Governor Huckabee reminded us that he was a member. But things were serious when both candidates talked about the importance of going beyond politics.

"It's time to go beyond politics as usual. There are not Republicans or Democratic solutions to the problems we face," said Senator Clinton.

Huckabee also piped in, "I am a former Governor and didn't have the luxury of being an ideologue."

All the major presidential candidates were invited to address the event.