Conservative Health Care Group Caught Fabricating Ad Controversy

As the fight over health care reform heats up, the teevee airwaves have become one of the battlegrounds. And the rivalry between pro-reform Health Care For America Now and pro-something-other-than-reform Conservatives For Patient Rights is aflame! And aflame with persnicketyness! CPR is bugging out big time, over this ad from HCAN:

And CPR thinks they've caught their rival in a tough spot over this. In a blog post today from "CPR Staff," the organization asserts that Comcast has "Order[ed] Misleading HCAN Ad About Rick Scott Off the Air."

After reviewing ads produced by Health Care for America Now that attack CPR Chairman Rick Scott personally, Comcast has determined that they are indeed misleading and have been pulled off the air. "Supporters of government-run health care were taught a lesson today - they can try to change the subject, but they can't lie to change the subject. Their misleading ads against me were a desperate attempt to change the subject. They don't want to debate the substance of what we want in health care reform -- choice, competition, accountability and personal responsibility - versus their goal which is a government-run health care system where bureaucrats, not patients make the decisions. We'll continue our fight to put patients and patients' rights first and bring true competition to lower costs," Scott stated. Now that Comcast has put an end to HCAN's misleading personal attack ad, it is time for the proponents of government-run healthcare to stop misleading the American people about the pitfalls of a government takeover, including fewer choices and longer waits for patients.

But is there any truth to this claim of Comcast laying the mad kibosh on HCAN? The Huffington Post contacted Jacki Schechner, National Communications Director of Health Care For America Now, and as it turns out, the ad was not pulled.

"Uhh, no," Schechner said, "The ad buy ran out on Wednesday." And far from being ordered down by Comcast, a second ad buy will soon see the spot returning to the airwaves. At Comcast's suggestion, HCAN will be making a single change to a single graphic on the original advertisement. "And because we stand behind the ad one hundred percent," Schechner says, "We will make Comcast's one suggested change and go back up with a second buy."

In a statement, Sena Fitzmaurice, Comcast's Executive Director for Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, backs up Schechner's side of the story: "To clarify -- Comcast has not pulled any ads produced by Health Care for America Now (HCAN) off our systems. The media buy for the ad in question expired on May 13. Comcast has asked HCAN to include a clarification in future versions of the ad."

And the change? It's not anything that alters the ad's premise: "It is literally nothing more than adding the Hospital Corporation of America logo to additional portions of the advertisement," Schechner says.

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Comments

[EndTheEcho]

I think we should organize some public demonstrations at Rick Scott's home, work and place of worship. Time to bring shame to the executive class.

And if he is a Catholic, let's get his bishop to deny him communion for his anti-life busniess dealings.

[langej]

I am sorry Comcast did not pull this ad.
It tastes just like the rabid conservative ones against healthcare reform.

The body politic has no room for this kind of name calling.
It distracts from the main issue and the main purpose seems to be to encouage anomie by gettting Americans to fear/hate/distrust each other.

We voted for Obama to stop this sort of garbage.

[Mugzi]

Is there a site that gives daily progress?

[1differentdrummer]

So they lied, what's new?

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

The real problem is Universal Health Care is no longer being touted as the preferential choice.How did this happen and why are we accepting of "more of the same"?

[Reighben Labilles]

Powerful corporate lobbyists and a brainwashed conservative mass-base opposition is the cause of the shift. Proponents of Universal Health Care and its supposed allies in the executive and legislative branches are now in a more difficult position to pursue the desired policies. Only heightened, more aggressive, and more deep reaching promotion campaigns can thin the enemy line. More people from the other side must be convinced that Universal Health Care is the best option for everyone. Yes it entails a tax cost, but the tax cost is considerably less than premiums from private insurances. The opposition must realize this simple fact.

[blueskybigstar]

There should be laws that force jail time for this. Start with Fox news.

[escribacat]

Rick Scott is an illness profiteer -- just as bad as a war profiteer. I hope they run this ad on every station in the country.

[JuliaRain]

I agree.

[homerman]

Rick Scott caught Lying about Lying. This guy needs more time in jail !!!

[imsosure]

I have never seen so may gaseous windbags as these so called conservatives and their antiquated stance on nearly everything.

[Sensiblebg]

The ad must be working when HuffPosters are blogging about it...

[kitsinu]

Sounds like libel to me, but I am not a lawyer.

[Horus45]

You can't be charged with libel when you only state the truth.

[zukervati]

Here here.

[jadeba]

Sorry if I sound like a "broken record" but it would help if everyone who wants a public option to write Nelson (him especially) and at least your own senators (if they don't support its inclusion) and let them know you fully expect them to give up their publicly financed insurance. It would be hypocritical to take what you will not extend to others. If this isn't included, we need a movement to deny "socialized" medicine to the people who work for us. That would be quite a savings, I should think.

[steppenwolfsayshi]

That's klassy and I like it. Kagan, who barely won her seat in a red state, really needs a letter like that after she's blocked every single financial reform bill.

[escribacat]

I don't think they care about letters from people outside their constituency. I tried writing to one senator (can't remember who it was now) and the form wouldn't even let you submit unless you came up with an address in the right area.

[MaryanneAZ]

If you use the website's own address as your own, then the form will go through. I have done this to contact Senators in other states and it works every time. You can get a zip code four digit extension from various websites if needed as well. Obviously, their filters do not recognize their own street address in a contact form. Generally, I stay with my own State senators, but sometimes a party leader needs to hear from the rest of the Nation as well on important issues.

[up420oz]

I notice on todays health care article, a serious lack of slamming Canadian & European style health care.

Did the thugs get schooled from their idiot post from yesterday?

UBIQUE

[jadeba]

I think it would be too much to hope that they learned anything - they're immune to fact based information.

The public option, that has the repugs knickers in a twist, would actually benefit everyone - even those who wish to keep paying for private insurance. Their premiums would go down and services would improve. It's a win-win but they're too ignorant to see that.

[paramour]

Health Care Reform is being "Swiftboated" as Rachel Maddow refers to them, “the Swiftboard veterans for unaffordable insurance” Who is going to figure out a way to expose the Swiftboaters so every citizen will know the truth.

[mtdem4ever]

THAT won't get reported by the MSM.