Biden Ignores AARP Debate Request, Cites Their Endorsement of Obamacare

After AARP chided Obama for citing their endorsement of Obamacare in his first debate with Mitt Romney, Vice President Joe Biden went ahead and did the same thing last night in his only debate with Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Here’s how the Washington Examiner reported AARP’s reaction to President Obama’s first use of the organization’s name at his Denver debate with Governor Romney:

President Obama invoked AARP to defend his health care law last night, prompting the influential group to release a statement telling him not to do that again.

Obama can perhaps be forgiven for thinking he could mention AARP given how they coordinated with him to pass Obamacare, which is a golden goose for the organization.

Joe Biden missed that memo from the AARP. In last night’s Vice Presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky, he repeated his boss’s line:

“But let’s talk about Medicare. What we did is, we saved $716 billion and put it back, applied it to Medicare. We cut the cost of Medicare. We stopped overpaying insurance companies, doctors and hospitals. The AMA supported what we did. AARP endorsed what we did. And it extends the life of Medicare to 2024. They want to wipe this all out.”

Paul Ryan would have none of the Vice President’s spin:

“Here’s the problem. They got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, turning Medicare into a piggy bank for Obamacare.Their own actuary from the administration came to Congress and said one out of six hospitals and nursing homes are going to go out of business as a result of this.”

Hours before the Vice Presidential debate, the AARP sought to strike a bipartisan tone,  releasing the following statement from Senior Vice President John Hista:

“Before tonight’s debate AARP held a thought-provoking conversation on the campus of Centre College about the future of Social Security with people of diverse ages and political viewpoints.  As the Presidential campaigns and debates have progressed AARP is pleased that the candidates have begun discussing what they’d do to strengthen Social Security and Medicare for current and future generations. But our conversation today demonstrated that America’s voters still want and deserve more details about what the candidates’ plans will mean for them and their families. Americans of all ages want to hear how the candidates would strengthen Social Security and Medicare to protect the health and financial security of today’s seniors and future beneficiaries. We encourage the candidates to offer more specifics about their plans before Election Day.

“Across party lines, older voters say that getting more information on the candidates’ plans on these crucial economic security programs will help to determine their vote. We know our members vote, and they want the candidates to tell them how they’ll protect the critical Medicare and Social Security benefits that they — and their kids and their grandkids — count on.”

No word yet from AARP about Vice President Biden’s debate comments ignoring their earlier request to keep the organization’s name out of the political dialogue.

UPDATE

AARP spokesperson Tiffany Lundquist told Breitbart News this morning: 

“AARP is a trusted organization, and our name is often used by campaigns and organizations without our knowledge or consent. We don’t endorse candidates or campaigns.”