The retired persons advocacy group AARP wished First Lady Michelle Obama a happy 50th birthday by welcoming her to “the club” and giving her an upcoming AARP The Magazine cover.
AARP, which is pushing hard to promote Obamacare for its own financial interests, also complimented Michelle Obama’s “great” looks and her work to “reshape the way people look at aging.”
“On behalf of AARP and its more than 37 million members, we want to wish a warm and very happy 50th birthday to First Lady Michelle Obama, as she reaches this very special milestone. Welcome to the club!” AARP CEO A. Barry Rand wrote in a statement Friday.
“Not only is Mrs. Obama helping to change and reshape the way people look at aging in this country, but she’s also showing folks how great 50 looks today. We’re proud to be able to call her a member of the AARP family and know that she will continue to set a great example to all by showing that age sets no boundaries on what you can achieve in life,” Rand wrote.
AARP is promoting the First Lady as part of its 2014 “Year of the Boomer” celebrating the last of the Baby Boomers to hit 50 years of age. AARP is using the Twitter hashtag #boomers50 to push its campaign.
“Excited to join Barack in the 50+ club today… check out my @AARP card! –mo,” Michelle Obama tweeted Friday, proudly displaying her AARP card in a photograph that is now available upon request from AARP.
AARP’s heavy promotion of Obamacare, including creating the informational website HealthLawAnswers.org and holding informational events and health fairs, has alienated many seniors who hold membership in the organization.
The Daily Caller reported that AARP partners with the Herndon Alliance, the tiny but powerful left-wing messaging group that crafted President Obama’s “you can keep your plan” Obamacare lie.
AARP, which is also a major health insurer that sells “Medigap” plans to Medicare beneficiaries to cover things that Medicare does not provide, has a financial incentive to push Obamacare.
AARP saved $1.8 billion by successfully pushing to keep Medigap reform out of the final draft of Obamacare. AARP also benefits from cuts in Medicare Advantage, which will force more seniors to enroll in traditional Medicare and supplement it with Medigap plans.
AARP coordinated closely with the Obama White House during the push to pass Obamacare, even helping to craft Obama’s talking points and pledging its devotion to “the cause,” according to previously published emails.
AARP The Magazine is not the only publication wishing Michelle Obama a happy birthday. ABC News actually ran a piece Friday entitled “50 Ways to Celebrate Michelle Obama’s Birthday.”