Obama, DNC Launch Ad Campaign: True Stories Of Health Care Suffering (VIDEO)

The Obama White House and Democratic Party are making a major new push to rally support for a health care overhaul, going up on air with a television advertisement declaring that "It's Time" for reform.

The spot builds off of the growing effort by the administration to frame the health care debate with personal stories of struggle. In the ad, a woman describes the medical challenges faced by her four-year-old son. A man says he was losing his health insurance along with his job, and another man reveals that his "father-in-law walks with a limp because he didn't have health care."

The Democratic National Committee is officially putting out the ad, but the coordination with the White House is obvious. The administration and its campaign arm -- Organizing for America -- have made a major push in recent weeks to shift the focus of the debate over health care onto the people who personify the need for reform. This included launching a site, "Health Care Stories for America," a site that allows people to look up individual stories of suffering from within their community. The soon-to-be-released ad, obtained by the Huffington Post, directs viewers to Organizing for America's main health care website.

Officials with the DNC say the spot will go up on air on Tuesday. They would not disclose how widely it will air, including how much money was behind the campaign and what markets would be targeted. The ad will be distributed via email to Organizing for America's 13 million members.

That email, signed by Barack Obama's former Campaign Manager David Plouffe, asks viewers to make $25 contributions to help buy air time.

"I want you to be the first to see this powerful ad. It features real people telling their true stories of lost coverage, watching loved ones go without care, and making the case for why we need reform," reads the email. "Once you watch this, you'll see what we mean about how powerful these personal stories can be -- and why we need to get them on the air right away."

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Comments

[policyhack]

Watch interview of Former Cigna Executive who argues government health insurance is appropriate.

http://axisofreason.com/2009/07/15/former-private-health-insurance-executive-concludes-appropriate-role-for-government-in-health-insurance/

[propitiousmoment]

I agree with the people who think this is lame.

[Guitar63]

Here is a thought. We have an industry in this country which actually receives a benefit from keeping people less healthy - You guessed it, THE HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY!!!! I want to know exactly why we should feel bad about some private insurance companies losing business when they have in no way benefited society. O NO! You wont be able to afford your Lincoln anymore because people will be helped out by the government and wont need to struggle not to be randomly dropped by your corrupt @$$3$ when they actually need help!? Seriously? QUIT BEING GREEDY!

[LeLoup]

"I want you to be the first to see this powerful ad..."

Man! If I was the CEO of a major HCI corporation, I wouldn't believe how easy the battle to derail reform will be.

[LeLoup]

The degree of lameness of these ads is nothing short of stunning. If we are to win the health care reform with those ads, we'd better surrender now.

[uglygnome]

Extremely ineffective. There are so many heart-wrenching stories about people actually dying for lack of health care, why put out an ad that says, "My father-in-law limps because he does not have health care"?! It is another tepid step by tepid dems when what we need now are tenacious demands for public health care.

[CanadianBeef]

It is impossible for the libertarian-minded to accept, but there is an industry in America that adds absolutely nothing of value. In fact, it stands in the way of Americans receiving the most basic of their needs, after foor and water.
Can you guess the name of that industry? Here is a clue:

H_ _L_ _ _N_U_R_N_E.

[Opus007]

Good points - Canadian Beef!

[uglygnome]

Healthy nurses?

[killpack]

I'm wouldn't really consider myself "libertari­an-minded,­" but if health insurance companies add NOTHING of value, why would anyone give them any money? That's definitely impossible for me to accept.

[CanadianBeef]

FINALLY, Obama is hsowing some 'nads and going into this issue with the force it deserves.
Health care reform is not just about the 45-million-plus uninsured.
It is also about the 25-million-plus underinsured, the millions more who lose their insurance when they lose their jobs.
It's about every person who thinks they're fully insured until a health disaster comes along.
It's about every person who must choose between paying premiums and buying food.
It's about the lost competitiveness of American industry, which must price health care into every one of its products.
It's about having a civilized country where health care is seen as a right of citizenship, a basic human right. It's about fairness, giving to the public what their politicians already enjoy.
It's about, yes, saving money by attacking the No. 1 source of bureaucracy and waste: private health insurance.

[JuliusR]

Well said. Comrade.

[CanadianBeef]

Red-baiting is cheap and easy, isn't it? Do you have any real reply to make?

[araratone]

Samalabear, I am with you. I donated to Ralph Nader's single payer campaign. I will no longer donate to anyone just because of party affiliation. The Dems are too much like the Repubs. I supported, campaigned, and donated to Obama and Hagan (NC) but will not do so again unless I see real change.

[Samalabear]

Most of the nation wants single payer. Now if Obama really wanted to do something he would put an ad out there on the pros and cons of single payer. I've seen some great bulleted comments on many of these blogs that do just that. He could take the fear out of single payer. Oh, I forgot, Obama doesn't believe it's feasible or there aren't enough Americans to force Congress's hand. And the only time he utters the words single payer now is when he wants to let us all know it's not feasible.

Thank you, but I will donate with my meager funds that send out the message that I support.
As the poster below me said, why does Obama have to tell us all something we know already or are living first-hand? Thank you, but I'll donate to ads that give a solution, not just talk about the problem.

[AProudLiberalDem]

Don't be shocked if the other side uses this same technique of individual stories to oppose universal single payer healthcare. Some examples:
----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­---
A three-year-old girl awaiting heart surgery has had her operation cancelled three times this month because of a shortage of beds. (http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthcare/ukheartop.html)

Cancer survivor confronts the health secretary on 62-day wait (http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthcare/ukcancersurvivor.html)

Kidney cancer patients denied life-saving drugs by NHS rationing body NICE (http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthcare/ukkidney.html)
----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------
Hype can be used both ways. Stop the hype... give us the facts.

[StillweRise]

all the cases you listed are overseas. I see where you are going in pointing out the hardships people suffer from the other side of the coin, (socialized medical care), but again... that stuff happened "over there". Americans are to shallow minded to care about how other countries do things....

[Shashi0224]

At least they can get care. Why do repubs think having a profit driven corporate exec deciding yes or no to your healthcare is better than having a non-profit government person? Medicare works pretty well. Is anything perfect, no....but you go for the best of the best. There will always be horror stories, but at least people will be able to get care without going bankrupt.
More people fall through the cracks now than anywhere else in any developed nation. We should be embarrassed.

[CanadianBeef]

All the horror stories seem to come from Britain, which does suffer from a somewhat underfunded public system. What about the other 30-odd industrialized countries with public systems? Hmmm.

[JuliusR]

. What about the other 30-odd industrialized countries with public systems? Hmmm.

Oh! You mean those are the folks that come HERE when they really need the BEST care?

Who ever heard of an American going to Cuba to get a heart transplant or going to China to have prostate cancer treatment?

[myoungholt]

About Mark Valenti's Liberty Page: "I created this website to detail current and historical events that demonstrate the superiority of the free market and private property."

'Nuff said.

[Mnemanth]

Ad campaign? What- to tell the People of the nation something we're all experiencing first hand?
"It's Time" my eye. It's long been "time"! Now spare us this empathy nonsense and do something about it!

[JonG345]

you are the converted that they are NOT preaching to. why do you fight those that are on your side?