Obama Campaign Arm Targets Critical Dems And GOP In Late Health Care Push

Barack Obama's campaign arm is going after Republican and Democratic Senators alike in a major new health care reform advertising campaign that could last for the remainder of the month.

Organizing for America's 30-second spot, titled "It's Time," was formally made public to reporters including the Huffington Post in early July. Now the details of the ad, which frames the need for health care reform around personal stories of struggle, have officially been released. And they're impressive.

OFA will be running the ad on national cable, the District of Columbia, local stations in Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio, and major online news sites. While no financial figure for the purchase was offered, an official with the group said the spot will be airing for the next two weeks -- roughly to the point when the Senate Finance Committee is hoping to finalize its version of health care legislation.

From the details it is easy to infer just which Senate votes the White House and, by extension, leadership in the Democratic Party see as most critical to health care's passage. No Senators are named in the ad. But the spot is airing in the home states of critical moderates - Senators Ben Nelson, D-NE, Olympia Snowe, R-ME, Susan Collins, R-ME, Mary Landrieu, D-LA, and Blanche Lincoln, D-AR - as well as recalcitrant Democrats - Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. - and retiring Republicans - Senators Mel Martinez, R-FL, and George Voinovich, R-OH.

"Millions of Americans lose their health insurance when they lose their job, are denied care because of a pre-existing condition, and delay care or skip medication because they can't afford it," said OFA Executive Director Mitch Stewart in a statement trumpeting the ad's release. "Skyrocketing health care costs are hurting American families and straining already-strapped budgets for businesses and governments. It's time to reform our health care system to lower costs, preserve patient choice and ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable care."

OFA itself has tried to influence the health care debate through the collective power of its 13 million members. The organization, which is left over from the Obama presidential campaign and operates in basic coordination with the Democratic National Committee, has hosted house parties on the need for reform. It has also sponsored online town halls for its members and launched a website aimed at allowing individuals to share their personal stories of medical struggle.

Through it all, an OFA official says, the broader goal remains to make common citizens the face and voice of the need to systematically overhaul the health care system. The ads, which come as two major Senate committees (Finance and HELP) are finalizing work on respective outlines for health care legislation, are the latest and most aggressive steps in that process.

Comments

[suzukimom]

I don't think the message is strong enough if the intent is to pressure lawmakers. "Reform" could be just about anything, but it needs to include a strong public option modeled on Medicare available to all from day one. Anything less may be called reform, but it won 't be enough to provide real relief and change in the system. The ad should say just that. When I get a letter from my Senator telling me that she supports a "public option" I want her to go further and say what she means by that. Our ad should do so as well.

My personal horror story: My aunt was in her 40s when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After her death the insurance company refused to pay claiming that she had a pre-existing condition. When her sister was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a few years later, her insurance company refused to pay claiming the treatment was "experimental". That experimental treatment saved her life. Insurance is a racket. You're screwed if you buy into it, and your screwed if you don't.

I want a stronger ad. It should mention the 20,000 Americans who die every year because our system is so immoral, inefficient, and perversely incentivized. And it should call for a public option modeled on Medicare available to all Americans from day one.

[escribacat]

Slimebags. I am very sorry about your aunts. The insurance companies should be in prison for that.

[Firbolg]

"Reform" could be just about anything, but it needs to include a strong public option modeled on Medicare available to all from day one."
Exactly.
Implicit in this definition is that insurance companies move to the sideline and become a private option for additional peripheral illness related coverage for those ho can afford it or it get it as a "perk" from employers.

[Chaimirija]

It has pretty much been estalished that they are @holes...why are people defending them again?

[suzukimom]

Money. Our so-called representatives have been bought.

[Samalabear]

Thank you. You are talking about a strong single-payer public option. You have perfectly described what is wrong with the public option debate. It's become a catch word like affordable. What does it mean? What are the details. Obama has never done this, either, and that's been the problem from day one. And I've listened to him very carefully. This is how people get tricked into supporting bad bills.

[escribacat]

For all you cons who say health care for all Americans is too expensive --

2009 US military budget:
====================
$515.4 billion (base budget)
plus
70 billion war on terror emergencies
20 billion bring on more troops
159.7 billion daily ops of millitary
5.7 billion special ops
49.1 billion recruiting
389 million strengthen ties with Africa
750 million support allies
17.3 billion modernize fleets
7.5 billion vehicles
12.7 billion warships
1.8 billion drones
496 million fight IEDs
10.7 billion space
10.4 billion missile defense
Undisclosed amount for secret ops
300 million data security
3.4% raise for military (undisclosed amt)
42.8 billion health care for military
9.1 billion military infrastructure
649 million bases
40 million land around military bases
76million housing for retired vets

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/USbudget/fy09/pdf/budget/defense.pdf

[sc300nc]

How can they put a 1.5 Trillion dollar price tag on something that is supposed to be reducing health care costs. Seems to me this is turning into a massive welfare program that we can ill afford.

[Spesabsquemetu]

Seems to me that an INVESTMENT IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE for meaningful, affordable healthcare would go FAR beyond the investments in corrupt financial practices that the American people have been left burdened with paying the COSTS FOR.

Why are the American people being forced into paying the cost for CORRUPT PRACTICES ON THE FINANCIAL MARKETS? WHY ARE WE BEING FORCED TO PAY FOR CORRUPT FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS THAT LEFT THE TAX PAYERS HOLDING THE DEBT TO PAY FOR THE GREED AND CORRUPT FINANCIAL PROFITS LAUNCHED OFF FRAUDULENT PRACTICES - FOR WHICH - WE NOW ARE LEFT PAYING FOR, WHILE THE TREASURY FAILS TO PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY ON WHERE OUR MONEY WENT, HOW IT IS BEING USED? But we can afford to BAIL OUT AIG, BANK OF AMERICA, GOLDMAN SACHS, so that THEY can they LOAN BACK TO US the money WE were FORCED to GIVE TO THEM, that we can BORROW BACK AT OBSCENE INTEREST RATES, so they can profit further off of these UNJUST PRACTICES?

The massive deception is that the CRUMBS we are being given thru the "health care plan" is supposed to be representative of democracy and representation that we have a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO AS A REPUBLIC.

[sc300nc]

You are assuming it is going to be meaninful and affordable. That is a big assumption.

[OkieMon]

correct...another wellfare program for the greedy health insurance corporations whose profits are killing people everday.....

[blaze]

We already spend more than that. The funding is complicated by the insurance companies themselves. They will continue to capture their profits and high overhead while the US has to find other funding mechanisms to provide health care for all.

If we the people were allowed to reclaim the $400 billion in annual profits that insurance companies make, we would drastically reduce the cost of healthcare in America.

[Spesabsquemetu]

LIVE..........Senate health committee passes version of HEALTH REFORM BILL.......

GOP appear to be unhappy....and saying NO to the Senate Health Committee's BILL.

WHERE IS THE FINANCE COMMITTEE?
WHO ARE THEY WORKING FOR?
WHO ARE THEY REPRESENTING?
WHERE IS THEIR BILL? WHY ARE AMERICANS BEING MADE TO WAIT FOR THEM TO GET AROUND TO DOING THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS, WHEN FAMILIES ARE BEING CRUSHED FROM FINANCIAL RUIN, UNABLE TO PAY FOR THE HEALTHCARE THEIR LOVED ONES NEED?

DOES THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WORK DURING THE SUMMER ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?

[aflyinyoursoup]

No member of congress works on behalf of the PEOPLE!
They work for their owners/handlers, the Corporate Profit Machine....PERIOD

[wdw505]

no they go on vacation...........

[theclosetconservative2]

The headline says it. "Obama Campaign Arm TARGETS Critical Dems and GOP In Health Care Push. Can you say Saul Alinsky boys and girls? http://theclosetconservative.com

[mick7191]

It's about time.

[policyhack]

Watch Interview for 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/

[naluca]

Organize for America is the dark side of Obama: no room for debate within his own party. It is no longer the Democratic Party, it is the Obama Party. Look farther down the rod, America.

[MyNameIsJames]

Let me ask you something - Who is the official leader of the Democratic Party? If you can answer that question then you will see that your Point about the Obama Party is meaningless.

[Mike4Obama]

I think I speak for everyone on this blog site when I say, uhhhhhhhh what?

[escribacat]

Nader is never going to be president. But we can thank him for George Bush.

[LemonMeringue]

You don't think Bush's brother and his buddies would simply have stolen a few more votes, if Nader hadn't been in the picture?

[RS]

Just FYI, rightwing media mogul Rupert Murdoch sure as hell thanked Ralph Nader--Nader's book "The Good Fight" is published by HarperCollins, which is owned by Murdoch.

[Davonne Rushing]

...Huh??

Dude, you fail so hard.

[LemonMeringue]

The President is the leader of his party. Always.

What planet are you living on?

Did you notice how Bush acted like a dictator over his party and everyone he appointed?

It is President Obama's job to act like a leader and he is not doing it enough, in my opinion.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

Who needs republicans to obstruct when you have blue dog conservadems who will be more than happy to do the obstructing when it comes to passng real health care reform

[wdw505]

good glad to hear something is going correctly

[Mongoose king]

Single Payer now
I have worked for major health insurers, lots of fat and they are very well funded. Some of the people posting on this Blog no doubt really work for them.Single Payer now!

[LeeCalif]

Yesterday, the House Democrats unveiled their health care reform bill.

Even if it passes, it is bound to fail.

Why?

Because it keeps the insurance industry in the game.

It will cost a trillion dollars over ten years.

It won't cover tens of millions of Americans.

It won't control costs.

And it's a bailout for the insurance industry.

Only a single payer -- everybody in, nobody out -- national health insurance bill (co-sponsored by 85 members of the House -- most recently by Congressman John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania)) will hit the grand slam -- cover everyone, save money, control costs, and fix a broken health care system.

But what struck me yesterday while watching the Democrats was the depth of their deception.

[wdw505]

no thanks.........i like my health care coverage the way it is.........and not taxed

[Darleen Michael-Baker]

fine keep it. Since hubby retired we are shelling out $300 a month just to keep Blue Cross Blue Shield in titanium parachutes with platinum backpacks. My "health care" includes a $10,000 deductible. So it's basically useless.

Either reregulate the insurance companies the way they were controlled before Ray.gun took office or go single payer. For-profit should not be allowed within the health care field. Period.

[aflyinyoursoup]

It IS taxed in the most insidious way, in the form of astronomical profits for the Health-Care Insurance Industry. Geta clue!

[MadDemocrat]

May 23rd, 2009: "We are out of money" - Barack Hussein Obama

So where then do we get another $1.5 trillion for this enormous spending bill? Tax the rich?

Here is a simple but important lesson on business, so listen up:

Even though taxing the rich won't cover but a portion of this health care fiasco, the effects of taxing the rich is very misunderstood. Rich people are typically business owners that employ people like you. If a new tax is implemented and it threatens the amount of money the business owner is making, the owner simply makes a couple of changes to their business on both the expense side and the income side to compensate. First, reduce the number of hours and benefits paid to employees to save on the expense side. Second, raise prices to account for increased income on the income side. In the end, the "rich" person makes the same amount, but workers are left with smaller paychecks and consumers are left with higher prices. So when you tax the rich, you are simply doing damage to your fellow Americans. Fact.

[kasinca]

Not all of the cost of healthcare is an increase over what we have now. Your argument for the top 1% is stupid. Look at the tax rates of that group down through the years and you will find they paid more in the past and that they were still the top 1%. Get real.

[wdw505]

When my taxes go up i will lay off people to make up the difference plus 25% and give the hours to the remaining EMPs for my inconvenience .....I know many of my peers that will do the same thing.......but Mr. b.o. will create jobs, right?..... In addition I will fight his bad policies with which he threatens the citizenry
i pay about 10% more than industry standard...but not for the reason you think.....it is hard to take a new job and a pay cut......My EMPs in the summer work about 55 hours a week......

no, split the company is most likely what i will do......almost zero tax issues then.....just many very small corporations contracting work from the larger corporation.....funniest thing will be the invoices would only cover the wages, benefits and other costs, building no money within that corporation....

[Tazru]

Another pantload from an imaginary "job creator".

I feel sorry for anyone who would believe someone on a anonymous blog saying that they were an employer.

What a hoot!

[Darleen Michael-Baker]

Ah, yet another DINO trying to give the rest of us the real "facts."

[wdw505]

no just a tax payer tired of paying for the indigent and lazy

[MyNameIsJames]

Hey Mad Democrat -- Let me ask you several questions

What is the top marginal tax rate in this country at the moment?

What was the top marginal tax rate during the Clinton years?

Under whose administration have the United States experienced the most favorable tax rate for Businesses (hint GW Bush) - What was the result in terms of jobs created?

How many MORE Jobs did the Clinton administration create in 8 years with higher taxes?

Who experienced the greatest increase in wages the Clinton administraton with the higher taxes or the Bush administration with the lower taxes?

If you cannot answer these questions then it shows me that that you know NOTHING about economic history in the US.

Furthermore, did you know that the United States used to tax the wealthy at close to 70% throughout most of the greatest peacetime expansion after WW2 to the 1970's

[edwcorey]

And with the cut in taxes for the rich, how did the economy end up? How did foreclosures and bankruptcies trend after Congress made it harder to declare bankruptcy? The rich do not create jobs. The rich are mostly parasites who bask in the sun while collecting dividends and interest for which they are taxed a minimal amount, while those who actually labor for a living pay twice as much as a percentage of their income.

[OkieMon]

obama caved on this campaign promise a long time ago when he said he would sign anything congress came up with on health care......hillary would never have done this to us dems.....

[felisa11]

please PUMA, hillary LOST

[elcojonu]

She's around thought.

[kappa08]

...no "Puma" here, that fought for Obama and now regrets my "choice". Don't know if Hillary would have been better. But at least she had a plan. Can you say the same thing about the "Figurehead"?

[MyNameIsJames]

OkieMon -
This healthcare thing is truly disheartening. No one is sticking to principles in this debate except for th Progressive Caucus w/Black & Hispanic Caucus in alliance- in the House of Representatives.

I am not sure what President Obama is doing, but I don't feel a strong sense of leadership and direction.

[Samalabear]

Here's an article about four Senators who advocate strongly for people regarding health care -- not health insurance:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/07/15-0#comment-1250345

[WoodyCPM]

I want what the rest of the civilized world has. Ultimately, I want universal, single payer health insurance. If this is so bad, then tell me why the citizens of all those countries who have had it for decades aren't clamouring and agitating to adopt the American system?

[conservatist2010-12]

Low GDP growth..high taxes..lower living standard...8% average unemployment..One Question...are you retarded,or just Economically challenged

[MadDemocrat]

Fanned

[elcojonu]

No manufacturing base, buble economy, high debt , 13% unemployment rate ( Calif. ), more folks falling into poverty, etc., etc.,etc.
You guys will never get it . Logic doesn't work on you.
Adapt to what the majority wants or find a place to move to; it's as simple as that.

[kappa08]

Then explain we are ranked 13th in the world in quality of life?

[islandchris]

High taxes = better schools, universal health care. And 8% unemployment looks pretty good right now. You make a persuasive case for going Canadian. Oh - and Canada has run budget SURPLUSES for the last decade.

[edwcorey]

Europeans are healthier, happier, taller and slimmer. They get a month vacation. Who cares about GDP growth? It's a fantasy figure. A chronic, intensive care disease like cancer aids the GDP, whereas a healthy individual doesn't, because no blood money has to change hands. Get an education.