USA Next, AARP Battle for Seniors

NPR | By Peter Overby

Published March 22, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

Behind the fight over possible legislation to overhaul Social Security is a battle for the allegiance of older voters -- and it's turning nasty. A conservative group called USA Next surprised a lot of people by running an online ad attacking the senior citizens' group AARP. The ad charged that AARP's "real agenda" wasn't Social Security or any other seniors' issue, but rather an alleged opposition to the troops in Iraq and alleged support for gay marriage. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Peter Overby

Peter Overby has covered Washington power, money, and influence since a foresighted NPR editor created the beat in 1994.

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