Moderate House Democrats, particularly those facing competitive 2010 races, are taking fire from all sides on the health care debate.
The Republican National Committee is going after 60 Congressional Democrats, including 41 CQ Politics rates as at least somewhat vulnerable in 2010, in a radio ad pressuring them to oppose the Democrats' health care overhaul proposals.
The ad, airing in 33 states, is part of a campaign the RNC is waging against the health care overhaul through the end of August. The committee is committed to spending nearly $1 million nationwide, which includes a television ad already on the air in North Dakota, Nevada, and Arkansas -- the latter two of which are likely to host competitive Senate races in 2010. It is all part of a recent blitz of health care-related ad buys the parties and interest groups are making as they gear up for a full-court grass-roots press on the issue during Congress' August recess.
In addition to those 41 vulnerable members, the RNC is airing ads against Democrats in GOP-leaning districts such as Arkansas Rep. Vic Snyder; Colorado Reps. John Salazar and Ed Perlmutter; Florida Rep. Allen Boyd; Kansas Rep. Dennis Moore; Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler; Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak; Minnesota Rep. Collin C. Peterson; Mississippi Rep. Gene Taylor; North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre; North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy; Ohio Rep. Charlie Wilson; Oklahoma Rep. Dan Boren; Tennessee Reps. Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon and John Tanner; Utah Rep. Jim Matheson; Virginia Rep. Rick Boucher; and Washington Rep. Brian Baird.
"The Democrats targeted by the RNC radio ad have campaigned on fiscal responsibility, and now" they "are being held accountable to their campaign promises as they prepare to vote on a government-run health care bill that will cost American taxpayers $1.6 trillion," RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said in a release.
The RNC's ad campaign counters a television ad the Democratic National Committee launched July 23 accusing Republicans of killing attempts to overhaul health care. The ad is not targeting specific Republicans; it is airing in Washington, D.C., and on cable for two-and-a-half weeks. The progressive labor-backed coalition Americans United for change is also airing an ad in D.C. criticizing what it characterizes as Republican stalling tactics.
Some other Democratic allies have mounted health care-related ad campaigns pressuring individual members, but instead of Republicans they have opted to focus on recalcitrant members of their own party.
Health care for America Now, a liberal coalition backing a public, government-sponsored option for health care, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees kicked off a five-day, $800,000 television advertising campaign July 17 targeting moderate Democrats Gordon, Stupak, Mike Ross of Arkansas; John Barrow of Georgia; Baron P. Hill of Indiana; Zach Space of Ohio; and Charlie Melancon of Louisiana.
All but Stupak are members of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats who have expressed concerns about the cost of the Democratic health care proposal. Barrow, Hill, Space and Melancon all face 2010 races CQ rates as Leans Democrat or Democratic Favored.
And the International Brotherhood of Teamsters labor union Monday rolled out a Web-based ad campaign looking to pressure all 52 Blue Dog members to back support the health care overhaul. The Teamsters are not disclosing their budget for the grassroots campaign, which will include phone calls and events as well as online advocacy over the course of the recess.
To see how all the 2010 House races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics election map.
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Comments
All of these groups, with the glaring exception of Americans United for Change, are targeting the correct lawmakers. Afterall, the GOP has no power to stop or change this monstrosity. It's those dastardly Bluedogs and Senate Dem moderates who are to blame. And, if this thing is so wonderful, as these leftist groups would have us believe, these lawmakers should be jumping on bandwagon enthusiastically. But they're not, Hmmm?
Posted by: NObama
| July 28, 2009 1:13 PM
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