Obama’s Political Operation To Air “Harry And Louise” Style Health Care Ads
This kind of got lost in the shuffle last night, but it’s important: In another bid to throw Obama’s campaign apparatus behind the push for health care reform, his political operation is now raising cash to run nationwide “Harry and Louise” style ads featuring the health care horror stories of real people.
Organizing for America — the operation run out of the DNC by operative Mitch Stewart — blasted out an email to its massive list late yesterday announcing the plans and soliciting cash. The goal: To put compelling health care stories collected in OFA’s big health care story bank up on the air, using the power of personal anecdote against opponents, who are also busily concocting anecdotal ammo to use against reform.
From the email…
Many experts believe health care reform was defeated in the early 90’s by the infamous “Harry and Louise” ads. They featured actors sitting around a fake kitchen table, pretending to be a family that was frightened by reform.
So just imagine if this time around, the debate is shaped by real people, looking us in the eye, telling their actual story, and asking for our help to fix this broken system.
Phony stories helped defeat health care reform in the past. But this time, real stories could be the reason we win.
It’s unclear whether Obama himself is doing enough to use his popularity to sell health care reform. His campaign apparatus seems to be doing its part, though the real proof will be in the amount of money collected and the quality of the ads themselves.
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Ohhhh…that’s very bright!
Uhmmmm Greg, the people of this country ARE sold on health care reform. The poll numbers don’t lie. So it might be questionable as to whether President Obama has done a good job cracking heads in his own party and with the opposition to get it done, I don’t think its safe to say he has done an AWESOME job of selling reform to the country. Hell most polling has people willing to pay higher taxes for health care reform. And thats a MAJOR change from the last 8 years.
I want to point to a Thomas Frank piece in the WSJ today…it is probably the most succinct analysis I’ve bumped into of why “government is bad” political ideologies must be (logically and in practice) destructive. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124640443679876503.html#mod=rss_opinion_main
And today we have Lieberman coming out against the public option. SG is right. Focus on his party.
It’s about time!
But, it’s the democrats themselves (ourselves?) that are the problem – I’d like to see a series of ads blanketing the country identifying which democrats in Congress are getting how much money from corporate “health” interests, and connecting that information clearly to how they are approaching “reform”. We apparently need to start publicly shaming our own in order to get them to do what they were elected to do.
Total agreement with Pirate Wench. Money talks and health care walks…off the stage. Start with Kent Conrad, Ben Nelson, move on to Diane Feinstein etc: Health and Insurance Dollars. Put that out there..asap.
Total agreement with Pirate Wench. Money talks and health care walks…off the stage. Start with Kent Conrad, Ben Nelson, move on to Diane Feinstein etc: Health and Insurance Dollars. Put that out there..asap.
Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!
“It’s unclear whether Obama himself is doing enough to use his popularity to sell health care reform.”
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Obama isn’t pushing HIS PARTY hard enough to sell health care reform. Democrats are responding to health industry PAC money instead.