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

[rxvette]

For those of you who think Obama's plan will have a negative effect on the U.S. why don't you give up your current healthcare plan? Maybe you could try and navigate the greedy private insurers to find your own coverage. And hopefully you've stubbed your toe sometime during your lifetime too because the private insurers would view this as a pre-existing condition and take steps to fail to cover any future health related issue you have because of it.

This is what needs to be done to fix health care in the U.S. - http://bit.ly/9QLV8

[jazzman]

Believe me if we could throw our Congressmen and Senators out into the real health care world we would have health care reform with a public option in a minute.

[Samalabear]

Notice how the ad emphasizes health insurance! I don't have health insurance, I lost my health insurance, my health insurance didn't pay everything -- insurance is not health care. What is worrisome is that the adoring Obamabots have been brainwashed into thinking that health insurance is health care.

I am really wondering why the bum's rush on everything. The crappy cap-and-trade bill just wooshed on by, another giveaway to our corporate masters. The costs will destroy people who aren't rich enough to keep up with new green technology -- which is most of us. Stimulus bill a joke.

Then there's the rush towards the crappy bank-friendly credit card bill, the bankruptcy bill that failed, thanks to the banks and Obama's "disappearing" act, after he said he would support it.

For those who think progressives are lunatic left liberals put your thinking caps on. The progressive agenda is about preserving freedoms and making life better for 90% of Americans to pursue their dreams. That's what single-payer does. You can be a struggling dancer, musician, actor pursuing your dreams and not give it up your dream because you need health insurance, You can start a small business and give your full attention to it without worrying about access to health care. And for those of you who think that pursuing a dream is wrong, do me a favor -- Don't ever, ever enjoy a night at the theater, the ballet, the concert hall, or a movie.

Single-payer is independence.

[Locallogic]

99% * .... :D

[JustBNice]

Single Payer will happen when 47 million march on Washington.

Not sooner.

[LetsGetToWork]

Exellent Post. Fanned and faved!

[LisaMarieC]

I agree with you. We are, in the end, going to be made to *buy* insurance, I'm afraid. I live in MA, which requires health insurance. There are many people who are unemployed and cannot afford to pay for state-sponsored, mandatory health insurance. They're in the same boat as before, nothing has changed for them, except that they now must pay another bill. The only option that makes sense is a single-payer national health service.

Health care cannot be a right AND a responsibility at the same time. If it is a right under our law, then the service must be provided by the government. Responsibility, to me, means that we are obligated to buy coverage--like we do auto insurance.

[Trittydi]

This part of the bill needs to be fixed. That's wrong. If we had single-payer it would work out. But not with a public option.
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[wdw505]

while lowering the standard of care for 270 million people that are not indigent and have health care coverage..­.......

[JackDermand]

Great Ad! Everyone must email and call these senators who are on the fence over Public Option! Call and email these clowns asap! I did. And will again. If the Dems blow this, it's over in 2012 and 2014. The Republicans are going to stand in our way and then blame the Dems for not passing anything!! So, lets go for it people! We're gonna own it anyway..So lets do it! Public Healthcare now!!

[kbkw54]

The healthcare bill will cut the cost of everyones insurance by 10%. It will require people without insurance to BUY it. Those who refuse will be fined. The only winners with Obama's plan are the insurance companies. this is outrageous!!

[VPN]

Um NO, the Health Care Bill your talking about is a draft, it NOT the final version, save your RW talking points for the actual bill.

[dillydawg]

Exactly!

[Firbolg]

Are you saying the final version will be better?
Wow, try getting insurance coverage for that bet!

[Firbolg]

And what is for sale is not insurance in the true meaning of the world.
The only thing insured, or should that be assured, in the bill, with no deductible and no chance of rescission, is profits of private insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Patients, doctors, hospitals and taxpayers must all come together to make sure that the healthcare industry prospers and the campaign funds keep flowing for ever and ever. Amen.

[jazzman]

Not if there is a public option.

[sc300nc]

If our taxes weren't going up so drastically and the costs of everything increasing due to Obama's economic policies, we would be better able to afford health care.

[jmpurser]

History and reality prove you're wrong.

[MyNameIsJames]

Is this REALLY true - How much have your taxes gone up Buddy - So far the ONLY thing the Obama administration has done is LOWER taxes for middle-class Americans through the Stimulus Bill.

Please cite How your taxes have gown up? You are fabricating - there is NO other way to call it.

The cost of everything is increasing? What is the inflation rate - buddy? Have the cost of goods gone up during this recession -- usually the cost of consumer items decrease in order to drive sales.

What are you talking about - Gas prices have fallen over the past month.

What are you talking about? Why are you LYING!!!

[VPN]

Sure, you still waiting for them WMD'S to be found?

[MyNameIsJames]

I thought they were in Syria? - That's what Hannity told me.

[LORISNJ]

Due to Obama's economic policies? Really? Where were you when Bush was taking the surplus and turning it into a deficit? Where were you when Bush was giving huge tax breaks to millionaires and little to the working class.

Yes, we might have to tighten our belts for a couple of years while this economic crisis is stabilized but don't think for one minute that you can get away with pinning this on Obama - not while I still have fingers that can type.

Bush and his rubber stamp congress is to blame for the mess we are in right now and if you believe that our deficit is the fault of a president who has only been in office for 6 months then you must think that Obama is a magician extraordinare, cause no normal person could make that happen that quickly.

[LetsGetToWork]

1000% correct. F&F!

[dagdavid]

Are you making over $250,000.0­0 a year? If so, then you can afford your own health care. If not, your taxes are NOT going up.

[conservatist2010-12]

Wow...Publ­ic support for this one is falling rapidly...­.The thought of the government running anything(let alone Health Care) with the lives of Americans at stake ..scares the hell out of me....This will kill Private Insurance.­..The Government does not have to show a profit,and gets unlimited money from tax payers...T­he REAL Winners...­..People who wont work...The REAL losers...E­veryone Else....I predict that the ones who have employer based coverage now..will have their current coverage dropped,and you get"the obama plan"....Y­ou will have to pay an extra $2000 out of your pocket to keep the good Insurance

[antifluff]

The dems healthcare 'reform' takes all healthcare down to a common level. Why is this the standard for dems to bring EVERYONE down? Why don't they help people to pick themselves up? If you want healthcare to be paid for thru taxes, does that mean that only taxpayers will have access to the healthcare? Does 'you get what you pay for' mean anything to those unwilling to work for their own healthcare? I can assure you that the guv will run healthcare the same way it runs everything else: its managers will make tons of money while the service to millions is poor at best. National healthcare is a disasterwaiting to happen.

[StPeteDave]

Can it with the unwilling to work. There are NO jobs. My kid has been looking since May.....no­thing...na­da...not even service jobs. Personally, I'd go VAT and do it right. You either pay up front or you pay later....a­nd I mean YOU. YOU pay for my kids healthcare everytime I have to take her to the ER. So thanks, we appreciate your support.

[antifluff]

So why do you want those that have coverage to have it reduced?

[jmpurser]

Have they kept you locked under the stairs for the last few years or something? We're not getting national health care, there are no standards for national health care in this bill, there's no real health care reform in this bill. We're just shifting how a small percentage of health care is paid for.

[dagdavid]

antifluff, you should change your screen name to "anti-intellectual" or "anti-commonsense"

[lpbj]

Sorry to burst your bubble. But my nephew graduated from UNC with a bachelor of science degree and then last year finished his master's program. Looking nationwide for employment. Cannot find a job. Zero. He is going to do volunteer work for the time being. I have a PhD degree and found out that I will probably be laid off the end of this month (July 2009). So you obviously haven't been there and don't have a clue.

[jazzman]

If the government runs a health care system that doesn't work people won't buy the public option.

[johnnygoodwud]

why is it, if the private sector is so fantastic, that we rank 37th worldside in quality of health care provided, yet #1 in cost per individual. IT"S TIME,,,,,,,,,,time to turn up the heat on those politicians who continue to support/and take huge contributions from the health care industry.

[jmpurser]

We use that lie because that lie works. Until it stops working expect it to be the "Voice Of America".

[NHInsider]

The problem is that by taking single-payer off the table the administration has undercut themselves. The 37% of our "health-care" money that goes to support the insurance bureacracy would more than pay for the currently uninsured. The money that employers would save on workman's comp and liability and the money individuals would save on auto insurance, all of which would be reduced if they didn't have to cover medical costs, would totally reverse the effects of any tax increase. The money state and local taxpayers currently pay for the health insurance for public sector employees would be available for infrastructure and services. And taking the burden of health insurance off of businesses would level the playing field and allow us to compete again with manufacturers and other corporations in other countries, every single one of which operate without that burden.

And most Americans support single-payer, in spite of all the hyped-up PR trying to convince them that it will destroy our beloved system.

Setting up a public option that has to be funded from outside the healthcare economy is not a solution, it's an expansion of the underlying problem that satisfies no one. And it means that when the mid-term elections come around we will still be in the middle of a semi-transition, not on the way to a far better situation.

No wonder they're having trouble getting people on board.

[jmpurser]

Well said. We lost this fight before we started. Obama surrendered and then politely asked the insurance companies how much they'd be willing to pay if he sold us down the river.

Single payer was the answer. We flunked the test. Expect another test soon.

[Hiphopcrates]

May I suggest that California be added to the target list? We also have a Democratic Senator who seems reluctant to support.

[FastMovingCloud]

Go to OFA and suggest that or the DNC website. I don't think HuffPo has any real influence over the ad placements.

[Trittydi]

Very good point.
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[LetsGetToWork]

And proud of it. "I don't care one whit..."

[poco767c]

Can anyone explain to me how not having universal healthcare (like every other developed country) is working for the best interest of American people.. Anyone

[Waltfl]

Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies make Billions, they spend a lot of it on executive salaries, private jets, and dividends for share holders, who invest a big part of the gains overseas. The rest of the money trickles down to us, and with that money we are buying our health care. That's how it works.

[Trittydi]

Insurance companies don't give us money for health care. Their job is to deny us health care and that's what they're doing. Twenty Three Million Americans die every year for lack of proper health care.

My brother is dying. The dealership he worked for closed down. He has no health care. Social Security Disability has turned him down and his lawyer told him it could take two more years to get it. He doesn't qualify for public air for another YEAR.

He'll be dead by the time he gets any help. Is this right? In "the greatest country" on earth?

We know the truth about that claim.
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[StPeteDave]

If kids could see imagine how we could advance in school scores. If addicts could get actual treatment instead of methadone, imagine the drop in violence. It just boggles the mind that beyond the personal stories, that this might not happen. Dems will lose it all if they screw this up. Well, they'll lose me, I guess that's all I can speak to. I have a health care horror story, but I'm tired of repeating it, every time I repeat it, I feel victimized all over again. It's so discouraging.

[VPN]

So the Dem's will lose you, are you expecting the republickers or some third party that cant gain enough support to actually compete with the two main parties to come up with a health care plan they will benefit YOU? Good luck with that.

[Trittydi]

The American economy is crippled by the health care crisis. If we are ever to have a vibrant economy - this has to happen. Without it - America will be economically crippled forever.
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[Trittydi]

I could give you five full-fledged health care horror stories.

We need it now.

Public Option sucks - it should be single payer.

Call your congress-critters.
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[slowhand0728]

Dont mind the advert, or the idea of a group supporting the Prez. What I am curious is does Obama and his Admin control this group? As a campaign group made sense during the election. But isnt this something somewhat new? A group that reports to the President after he has already won?

[FastMovingCloud]

The group does not report to the president. It is made up of people like me that worked for the Obama campaign and feel the need to continue to campaign to keep people's eyes on the goals. It is new but it isn't part of the administration. It's just a new online form of civics in action.

[biabouman41]

Residents of the States mentioned in this piece need to be on the case of these Senators. Wake them up in Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Maine, Ohio, Florida. Don't just wait for them to do the bidding of the Insurance lobby. I am sure the citizens of these States are like the rest of us and we at a rate of 76% support health care reform with a competitive public option. So don't let these Senators get away with it. It is time.

[Trittydi]

Yes - they need to batter their doors down - this message must be heard.
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[Wayne Neuterman]

I noticed a few negative comments about the ads, but they are actually quite good. The majority of Americans are already in favor of health-care reform, so they don’t need to hear overly-long explanations as to why it is necessary. What they do need is a reminder of just how critically urgent it is and just how important it is to put pressure on their legislators. So, these ads say a lot in 30 seconds; they continue to put a human face on the problem; and they are strategically well-distributed.

Come on “moderates”—It’s time to step up!

[Samalabear]

I won't support Congress-care or Senate-care or Obamacare. I'll support real reform with single-payer public option with no string, and those who still want to have private health insurance can have it. I don't know how it works in other countries regarding private insurance, but I believe they have to operate as non-profits.

[AmericanWarrior]

We need healthcare reform... If the dinosaurs don't want it, tough.