DES MOINES, Iowa -
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) created the Divided We Fail campaign to learn from ordinary Americans what's on their minds and to make the information available to presidential candidates crisscrossing the Hawkeye State during caucus season. The organization's logo is a hybrid animal with donkey's leg bucking in the air with an elephant's head and trunk.
The Divided We Fail website states that the effort was "launched to raise the voices of millions of Americans who believe that health care and lifetime financial security are the most pressing domestic issues facing our nation." The grass-roots effort works with volunteers around the nation plus partnering with varied and established groups such as the Iowa league, the National Urban League, the Business Roundtable and the 1.8 million card holders of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Their goals include strengthening Social Security; making affordable, quality health care available; making prescription drugs more affordable; creating incentives to save for retirement and expanding job opportunities so people can keep working and contributing to society as they get older.
For the Iowa CU League, Divided We Fail was another effort to reach consumers, learn about their concerns and knowledge of financial affairs. "We partnered with them to promote responsible financial planning. It has reflected credit unions in a positive light to the public," according to Julie Duhme, director of governmental affairs with the Iowa league.
Duhme described the town hall meetings as assemblies with 20 to 30 members of the public in an open dialogue discussing their experiences with finances and what can be done to improve their stability. To spread the word on financial education and how Iowa credit unions are helping consumers costs nothing but staff time to organize the volunteers.
"It's all on a volunteer basis. Individual credit unions have sent staff members, CEOs or members to town hall conversations," Duhme said.
In Washington, AARP spokesman Drew Nannis said the Divided We Fail campaign presently has offices in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and one is set for Florida. Nannis cited the Iowa CU League's reputation for financial education and its commitment to its members' welfare.
"We're very happy to have credit unions on our team," he said. "They just fit with our financial stability platform."
Nannis said including the public helps to keep debates focused and to get past political rhetoric and the never-ending quarrels about the Iraq War.
The AARP/Divided We Fail forum for Democratic presidential candidates was held in Davenport, Iowa on Sept. 20 with PBS newscaster Judy Woodruff moderating a 90-minutes debate. Nannis echoed Duhme's comments on bringing the public's concerns before the candidates citing 1,000 questions from consumers that were submitted on the AARP website. As of press time, Woodruff was set to choose from those submitted questions for the candidates. A Republican presidential candidate forum is set for Oct. 25 in Sioux City. Nannis said the overall message of the Divided We Fail campaign is to unify the nation after getting elected officials to cooperate. Afterall, Nannis said if a labor union, retiree PAC and a group of CEOs with 10 million employees can join forces, just about anyone can.
"The stalemate has to stop. If the three of us can get together, so can you. Everyone needs to work together," Nannis said.
