The health care ad assault continues this week, led by a $1.2 million ad campaign launched by conservative anti-tax group Club for Growth.
The Club is targeting members of the House and Senate from four states whom it believes "may be persuaded to reject a government-run health insurance program" -- read, centrist Democrats, many with competitive contests on the horizon.
Those targeted include: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall of Colorado; Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas; and Byron L. Dorgan and Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
Democratic represenatives include Marion Berry, Vic Snyder and Mike Ross of Arkansas; Diana DeGette, Jared Polis, John Salazar, Betsy Markey and Ed Perlmutter of Colorado; and Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota.
The ads, which Club for Growth said will "run throughout the August recess," seeks to play up seniors' fear that the Democrats' proposed health care overhaul will lead to government intervention in end-of-life decisions, or as Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan less artfully put it last week, "government-encouraged euthanasia."
Citing the United Kingdom's "socialized system" of medicine and policy of capping how much can be spent on medical treatment to keep someone alive, the ad declares, "Life and death medical decisions should be made by patients and doctors not politicians and bureaucrats."
Also hitting the airwaves on health care this week is progressive union-backed group Americans United Change, which launched its latest ad buy, a spot reportedly worth five figures, on D.C. and national cable on Monday.
Taking a page from the White House playbook, Americans United is focusing its health care message on insurance companies, zeroing in on the industry's hefty profits.
And the Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm is hitting back against a round of radio ads run last week by its counterpart the Republican National Committee with its own radio buy starting Tuesday and running into next week. The ads seeks to bolster 23 vulnerable Democratic House members -- all of whom were targeted by the RNC last week -- thanking them for supporting the Democratic agenda on health care and the economy.
The DNC is running ads focused on health care in districts of the following 19 members:
Steve Driehaus of Ohio; Kathy Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania; Anne Kirkpatrick and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona; Jerry McNerney of California; Perlmutter; Suzanne M. Kosmas and Alan Grayson of Florida; Tim Walz Minnesota; Martin Heinrich of New Mexico; Dina Titus of Nevada; Dan Maffei and Eric Massa of New York; Mary Jo Kilroy, John Boccieri, Zack Space and Charlie Wilson of Ohio; Glenn Nye of Virginia; and Steve Kagen of Wisconsin.
The party is also running ads in four districts focused on the Democrats' economic agenda, in behalf of Allen Boyd of Florida; Travis W. Childers of Mississippi; Ben Chandler of Kentucky; and Pomeroy.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also running radio ads against eight Republican members -- Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen of Minnesota; Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana; Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania; Dan Lungren of California; McCotter; Dave Reichert of Washington; and Pat Tiberi of Ohio -- for opposing the Democrats' health care proposals.
"Tell him not to side with insurance companies... and start supporting real health care reform," the ads urge listeners, part of what the DCCC has dubbed its August recess "advertising and grass-roots offensive" against 26 House GOP incumbents facing competitive 2010 races.
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Comments
It seems to me, fairly or not, that it's always been easier to tear something down than to build it up. Therefore, those attacking this "UK/Canadian Style Health Care Through The Back Door" initiative have the advantage here, especially with the elderly and their adult children who look out for them. You think these ads are bad, you ain't seen nothing yet. I almost feel sorry for the Leftists. These Reps and Senators are going to get pounded mercilessly.
Posted by: NObama
| August 4, 2009 7:59 PM
The ads and town hall meetings will serve the Democratic House members well.
One of the things I did not like about the previous administration was the conservative penchant for sacrifice bunts. Home folks right to be heard was too often sacrificed for tactical reasons. conservatives either thought they were above listening to their constituency or else were afraid to hear what the voters had to say. Thus serious issues were often voted on right before a recess.
I am glad the Democrats are going home to talk about health care reform with their constituents before a vote is taken. It is a great big important issue. It means a lot to us now and will mean even more when a bill is signed into law. We deserve to be heard on the subject. From the news reports I’m reading, conservatives are opposed to everything including allowing us the opportunity to listen to our Representative. conservatives are afraid to let us hear the truth and don’t want us to make up our own minds about health care reform.
So for me, knowing there are Democratic Representatives holding town halls, trying to be heard over the conservative loud mouths, makes me more likely to support health care reform. I look at the loud mouth conservatives who have no idea how to comport themselves in a public forum and I think these folks don’t represent me, nor will they ever represent me.
Posted by: JB Feucht
| August 5, 2009 12:14 PM
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