One Nation under AARP: The Fight over Medicare, Social Security, and America's Future [Paperback]

Frederick R. Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2011

This book provides a fresh and even-handed account of the newly modernized AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)--the 40-million member insurance giant and political lobby that continues to set the national agenda for Medicare and Social Security. Frederick R. Lynch addresses AARP's courtship of 78 million aging baby boomers and the possibility of harnessing what may be the largest ever senior voting bloc to defend threatened cutbacks to Social Security, Medicare, and under-funded pension systems. Based on years of research, interviews with key strategists, and analyses of hundreds documents, One Nation under AARP profiles a largely white generation, raised in the relatively tranquil 1950s and growing old in a twenty-first century nation buffeted by rapid economic, cultural, and demographic change. Lynch argues that an ideologically divided boomer generation must decide whether to resist entitlement reductions through its own political mobilization or, by default, to empower AARP as it tries to shed its "greedy geezer" stereotype with an increasingly post-boomer agenda for multigenerational equity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engaging, insightful portrait of America's retiring baby boomers and the way they are changing the politics of aging."--Library Journal

"Well written, insightful, and on target . . . a fascinating analysis of where boomers are headed, the many challenges they face."--Foreword

From the Inside Flap

"Lynch provides a fresh and comprehensive look at the potential for politically mobilizing the large Boomer generation. He successfully mixes anecdotes, scholarship, and statistics to present an entertaining and informative analysis of a timely topic. Anyone desiring to effect change in public policy will welcome this book."--William H. Frey, The Brookings Institution

"Fred Lynch has written a nuanced and marvelously comprehensive examination of the state of the Boomer Nation. This book offers an in-depth look at the economic challenges facing Boomers as well as a colorful account of how AARP has tried to rebrand itself to attract the generation that once celebrated the free spirit and hated the 'establishment'."--Neil Howe, co-author of The Graying of the Great Powers

"A timely and important study of one of the most powerful lobbying groups in America as it redefines its mission and its message to confront the generational challenges of the twenty-first century." --Steve Gillon, author of Boomer Nation and Resident Historian of the History Channel

"Fred Lynch's interpretation is an illuminating and much needed empirical corrective to the confusing and misleading cant that dominates so much of the debate. His scholarship deftly distinguishes between the organization's marketing to an aging society and the diverse realities of that population demographic." --Ted Marmor, author of Fads, Fallacies, and Foolishness in Medical Care Management and Policy and The Politics of Medicare

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (June 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520268288
• ISBN-13: 978-0520268289
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Public Affairs & Policy > Social Security

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, insightful and lively May 11, 2011

By David Sadava

Format:Paperback

If you are over 50 and have a real mailbox, you know AARP, and this is the book you should read about this influential organization and the age group it represents. The book is lively, well written and very interesting, with insights about AARP and the "boomer generation" that I found fascinating. Fred Lynch goes well beyond the stereotypes of AARP and the "boomers", placing both in a broader perspective. With access to the leadership of AARP and interviews with many contemporary thinkers, Lynch shows how AARP has worked hard to overcome its image as a glorified insurance broker representing greedy seniors, and how 50 to 65 year-olds are far from a homogeneous group. Certainly some people now approaching retirement were protesters and involved in the social upheavals of the 1960s and early 1970s. But others were on the other side of these issues and have more traditional social views. As America debates its financial future, this book could not be more timely. Lynch clearly describes the differences in background and priorities between the "AARP generation" and those who are younger and are being asked to carry much of the financial burden for seniors who are generally unprepared for retirement. As these generational conflicts heat up, AARP may end up as a powerful uniting force for seniors. If you want to understand this important aspect of the future of our society, read this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One Nation under AARP - A Must Read October 13, 2011

By Monica B. Morris

Format:Paperback

Professor Lynch's One Nation Under AARP appeals both to scholars and to general readers. His concern is with the 78 million aging baby boomers and their courtship by the newly modernized and transformed 40-million member AARP.

With lively, often humorous, writing, he profiles the sociological and demographic characteristics of the boomer generation and the potential political influence of this huge group. The boomers have come of age - and old age- in a changed and changing society and in a changed and changing economic and cultural global environment. Many who have taken a secure retirement for granted are now worried by the real-estate meltdown, the stock market crash, and the diminishing of their retirement accounts. Seniors vote in higher proportion to other age groups but they have not thus far voted as a united bloc. Will they be galvanized by these events and use their "senior power" to fight against the threats to Medicare and Social Security and other social supports?

Lynch also analyzes AARP' efforts to study and recruit aging boomers and its role in the passage of the controversial Affordable Care Act ("Obama Care"). In so doing, he provides a long overdue analysis of AARP's commercial and political activities. This is a timely and highly readable book for anyone interested in American politics and social change.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at a leviathan organization December 29, 2011

By Mark J. Miller

Format:Paperback

One Nation under AARP offers a fascinating profile of a leviathan organization struggling to balance competing agendas of its for-profit and advocacy divisions. Fred Lynch also deals thoughtfully with AARP's sometimes conflicting strategies to serve today's seniors and the aging baby boom generation.

More broadly, Lynch offers important insights into the pivotal role AARP plays in setting the national agenda for Social Security and Medicare. He examines thoughtfully the conflicting impulses of conservative older voters to support entitlements at the same time that they rail against "big government." He asks important questions about the potential potency of older Americans as a voting bloc, the future of health care reform and the Tea Party.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the inner workings of policymaking in Washington affecting older Americans.

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good points, but repetitive December 20, 2012

By Ken Deken

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am interested in the issues facing the country with growth in the cost of Medicare and Social Security squeezing our national budget. The book addressed these issues to a degree and provided some useful insights. Some portions addressed the shared experiences and potential for Baby Boomers to coalesce into a voting block to protect their interests. They may be forced to do so, though Baby Boomers today remain quite fragmented, as younger voters will challenge the cost of benefits to seniors in the future. The book suggests that AARP has the motivation and the capability to lead the Baby Boomers to fight the challenge. In my opinion, the book proved to be worth the time and cost but it seemed to repeat many points several times, almost as if in an effort to fill pages.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thorough Analysis May 24, 2012

By Marinn Pierce

Format:Paperback

"I received a copy of this book from Goodreads first-reads. Lynch provided a well-rounded discussion of the issues related to generational politics, with SES and race as significant mediating factors. Lynch explored whether AARP can become a uniting force in order to create a substantial voting block of Baby Boomer's. Using California (As a recent migrant to California, I found this discussion particularly helpful.) as a case study, Lynch examined the potential power of this voting block, the challenges regarding is development, and the role this block might play in the future of retirement benefits. Lynch presented a solid thesis that was, at times, repetitive but also necessary in this type of academic writing."