Glenn Beck surprised regular listeners today with a new sponsor: Generation America. Beck said he was “thrilled” to have them as a sponsor, and claimed that they represented a conservative answer to the “sham” that is the AARP. Besides promoting them on his show, Beck's picture and words appear several times on generationamerica.org.
From the October 14 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: Sponsor this half hour is - is a client that I am so thrilled to have on. Do you remember when AARP was endorsing this health care? And I said to you over, and over and over again, “They are selling our parents out. They're selling our parents out; they're selling our grandparents out. This is an abomination.” AARP is the biggest sham I have seen - in my opinion - I look at AARP and I see how they sold my parents out and I can't believe it. And they did it for special exceptions and special favors. AARP can do whatever the hell they want. But I remember saying at the time “Where is someone else giving someone else the opportunity to get out of AARP?”
Beck went on to say that “most people are in AARP” in order to get discounts, and touted Generation America's health insurance plans, travel discounts, and roadside assistance. He added: “But here is the main benefit to Generation America. They will be your conservative voice in the government. Fighting to repeal Obama care. Fighting to stop runaway government spending. Fighting the government corruption.”
Generation America bills itself as conservative alternative to AARP. The organization and its more political counterpart, Gen-A Voice, say they were founded “in reaction to the irresponsible spending and runaway government of the current Administration and Congress.” The organization offers services to its members similar to those offered by AARP: Insurance, travel discounts, roadside assistance, etc.
Generation America's “principles” are listed as:
1. Limited government
2. Free private enterprise
3. Personal freedom
The website gives visitors tips on political advocacy, including how to write letters to the editor and how to write letters to members of Congress. It also features a fairly standard conservative legislative agenda opposing most Obama initiatives, health care reform in particular.
This isn't the first time Beck has gotten involved with promoting overtly political organizations who happen to sponsor his programs. He has a long standing and well documented relationship with Freedom Works, which raises money off his endorsements and with whom Beck has urged his listeners to “link arms.” He has also worked tirelessly to drive his listeners to the polls, arguing that otherwise, the United States would fall into Marxism, Nazism, or chaos.