Mike Ross Targeted For Health Care Industry Money (VIDEO)

Lawrence Lessig's Change Congress is going after Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) for opposing a public health care option supported by his constituents while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the health care industry.

Not only does the ad urge Ross to vote for a public health care option, it challenges him to support publicly-funded elections so that he'll be less beholden to special interests in the future.

Narrated by Lessig, a Harvard law professor, the ad questions why Ross has fought against a government-run health care plan when a poll shows that 55% of people in his state support it. Ross, the ad notes, has taken $921,670 in campaign contributions from health insurers and the pharmaceutical industry since arriving in Congress.

After showing a clip of Ross lamenting his need to fundraise, the ad concludes, "Congressman, if you're so tired of raising money from special interests who oppose your constituents on issues like health care, then do something. Join the bipartisan bill to replace these corrupt special-interest-funded elections with citizen-funded elections and restore trust to Congress."

In an interview with National Journal in January, Lessig said, "After a while, more and more people begin to be convinced that, 'OK, my important issue is health care, my important issue is global warming. But I begin to see that until we solve this corruption issue, we're not going to get to solve these other issues at all.'"

Change Congress will be raising $15,000 online for an initial buy of 200 ads in Arkansas. Then the next $15,000 will buy 100 ads in DC. Additional money raised after that will go to more ads in Arkansas and DC.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[MighteeAphrodite]

02:32 PM on 09/19/2009

Any elected official who ignores his constituents must be voted out.

Politicians in bed with the insurance industry, satisfying their financial needs at our expense, are fraudulent and must be replaced.

A vote against the public option is a vote against you.

[wonketteRAWKS]

03:12 AM on 09/19/2009

Publicly-funded elections??? Hmmm! Now who was for that before he flip flopped?

[OgreDaddy]

11:05 PM on 09/18/2009

Why does it take a national tragedy for Americans to put aside their personal differences
and work together towards a common goal?

If you receive a W-2 for wages tips and compensation, guess what, you're a common working class
grunt.

Without our combined tax contributions, the Lords and Masters would have nothing and the
very poor would have even less.

WE the W-2ers are footing the bill for everything while the Lords and Masters decide how they
want to play with our hard earned tax dollars.

WE do in fact have the power of the piggy bank, but we allow fear and divisive social
bickering to distract us from a clever and powerful common enemy.

The corrupt deceivers who pretend to be working for The People.

We bust our butts and pay our fair share of taxes and all we ask for is a dry roof over our heads, some clothes, some food, a bit of quality down time, to take care of us when we are sick and educate our children so they don't have to work quite as hard as we had to.

We have proven that we are suckers for a good sales pitch, even if
what they are selling us is a placebo dipped in snake oil.

THE OLD GUARD is going to keep on doing what they've been doing until we wise up
and put a screeching halt to it.

[who38]

11:01 AM on 09/19/2009

Good distinction. And not many people realize that.

[ilse]

08:19 PM on 09/18/2009

It's about time the blue dog democrats are exposed for who they really are. They are bought and paid for by the insurance industry and that is why the blue dogs support insurance industry. I want to see Blanche Lincoln and Mike Ross squirm a lot for being the greedy corrupt dogs that they are.

[who38]

11:02 AM on 09/19/2009

No one should squirm more than Jane Harman, whose aide told me last week that she supported a public option. Liar, liar, pants on fire.

[Senzasord]

07:53 PM on 09/18/2009

The answer is quite simple. Accepting contributions creates a conflict of interest which are improper.

Both the Senate and the house need to institutie rules barring any legislator who accepts over $5,000 from any individual, company, interest group, or industry from any participation in legislation that would affect that contributor. Anyone who breaks these rules will be immediately expelled from his repsective house. They must recuse themselves from committee work, voting, debate, conference committe work, everything! Such a rule change can be done internally without fillibuster or extensive bloviating on the subject.

The lobbyists can offer money so there is no first amendment conflict. The legislators cannot accept because to do so would create a conflict of interest. The special interests get no return for their graft. The legislators can spend thier time doing their jobs such as reading the bills they are supposed to be considering instead of hob nobbing with fat cat donors.

Legislators who come to Washington with the express agenda of growing rich can damn well stay home.

The playing field is level and everyone wins except for those who want to buy a congressman.
American Democracy is no longer for sale.

[MoMick]

10:26 PM on 09/18/2009

Well said, Senzasord! Could not agree with you more.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/18/mike-ross-targeted-for-he_n_290585.html

[MaryanneAZ]

04:14 AM on 09/19/2009

It sounds like you are advocating that Congress undermine the voting electorate and remove people from their office ("immediately expelled from his respective house"). I do not think there is an ability, from a legal perspective, to expell a member of the House or Senate. I think we depend on voters to handle that duty. The limits of Congress to "police" its members is censure, resolution and fines. I'm pretty sure that my understanding is correct on this.

[Senzasord]

01:30 PM on 09/19/2009

You might want to check out Article I section 17 of the Constitution. It provides for expulsion with the concurrence of 2/3 of the membership. I realize this would be difficult to get, but the debate over it would hopefuly expose the graft and corruption to the accused's constituents so that the voting booth remedy would be able to be exercised.

[suzukimom]

06:46 PM on 09/18/2009

What a powerful ad! The people who put this together ought to be doing all of the ads in support of real reform and the public option.

[FrozenNorthObserver]

06:29 PM on 09/18/2009

Ob*a*ma has taken 10 TIMES as much from the same "special interests", good luck getting any plan that does not have the further enrichment of Big Health at it's heart.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=H&cycle=2008&recipdetail=A&mem=Y&sortorder=U

[FrozenNorthObserver]

06:31 PM on 09/18/2009

correction-it's not 10 times as much,,, it's 20 TIMES as much!

[wonketteRAWKS]

03:10 AM on 09/19/2009

Shhhh! That's a secret. We don't mention those things on here!

[who38]

11:03 AM on 09/19/2009

Yes, we do. Obama is a major reason that a single payer system is not being discussed. Watch him become a single term president.

[dfortruth]

04:03 PM on 09/18/2009

Just check out every member of the House and Senate committees that are writing these bills, fact check and see how much money they have taken the insurance companies and big pharm.

President Obama has received over two million dollars from them.

WAKE UP, we must push the DNC, MOVEON.COM., to start calling all of them out.

[FrozenNorthObserver]

06:33 PM on 09/18/2009

B. H. Ob*a*ma-$20mil in 08 from Big Health
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=H&cycle=2008&recipdetail=A&mem=Y&sortorder=U

[MaryanneAZ]

04:22 AM on 09/19/2009

Viewed in relation to the overall contribution amount, that number is absurdly insignificant. The campaign ended with over $30,000,000 in the bank. For some absurd reason, people seem to think that President Obama should be held to an entirely different standard than any other politician, i.e., he should not have accepted any large corporate donations. Both individuals and corporations are constituents and are impacted by the agenda of politicians who win their races. It is simply unreasonable to expect that this one politician should forego corporate contributions and be forced to compete against all of the other politicians who do accept the big dollar bonanzas. Absurd.

[who38]

11:04 AM on 09/19/2009

Doesn't DNC mean Do Not Call?

[rtlr1004]

03:03 PM on 09/18/2009

Mike Ross and Blanche Lincoln are not the only Democrats we must call-out. Those Democrats who do not support the public option must be named, and we MUST replace them with Democrats who are not afraid to vote for the change we must have. These Democrats are as low as the lying Republicans, and we can no longer support individuals like this, even within our own Democratic Party.

[who38]

11:06 AM on 09/19/2009

I received an e-mail indicating that Waxman has not supported a public option to date. That was a surprise. My Congressman, Pants on Fire Harman hasn't either, although her office says that she does.

[Alabama John]

03:03 PM on 09/18/2009

STRIKE -- MEDICAL INDUSTRY

We it know and be it declared from the Atlantic to Pacific, starting October 1 all true and patriotic Americans shall endure the plain taste of a 10% fat diet.

What with 90% of illness being caused by the average American diet 50% fat, our united action will surely bankrupt both the processed food and medical industry. Then watch them come begging for mercy.

About two or three months should do it, then back to rich tasting food here we come.

[who38]

11:12 AM on 09/19/2009

Actually, every person is diffierent. I do not do well eating carbs but can eat protein and fat and still lose weight as they both sate my hunger. But, I agree that there should be a national health program aimed at reducing obesity. There should also be a national study to determine if there is a link between the use of high fructose sweetners and obesity and/or diabetes. As I recall, as a nation, we were not this heavy when our processed foods contained sugar.

[bud812]

02:45 PM on 09/18/2009

We need to start a lobby for the people.If everyone donates $10 dollars we can out bribe any corporation and make them do what a majority of the people want!

[Alabama John]

02:50 PM on 09/18/2009

Do you have a more workable idea? Our multinationals have half the wealth on planet earth

[who38]

11:13 AM on 09/19/2009

Only half?

[windup]

02:38 PM on 09/18/2009

It's great to see an ad that incorporates the solution, not just to health care, but to the corporate takeover of our government. I'd like to see more of that. Who knew there was a bill to reform financing of elections. Especially with the Supreme Court teetering of allowing unlimited corporate money in elections, this is truly needed if we are going to save democracy in this country and force our Congress to serve US, the people. Thanks to KO, always on target.

[Alabama John]

02:28 PM on 09/18/2009

Can capitalism work in a medical industry that has a goal to reduce customers, reduce gross profit, reduce return on investment, reduce employees as soon as possible and measure success based on how fast you can go out of business? But what fool would invest real money in such a venture?

[saveal]

03:53 PM on 09/18/2009

the U.S. taxpayer via BHO.

[Bronxdude]

02:09 PM on 09/18/2009

In an attempt to divide Americans by race, defeat health insurance reform and unite Birthers, Tea Baggers, Tinfoil Hatters, compassionless Christians and other bigoted malcontents – the new republican base, soul-less prostitutes Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia) are ginning up fear, advocating hate inspired civil disobedience, rejecting fact-based discourse and condoning violence as an acceptable change agent. Similar to Klan rallies, idiots like Gingrey are openly encouraging people to bring loaded guns to town hall meetings. The Limbaugh led Republican Party has evolved into an insidious, compassionless and implacable evil force totally committed to social injustice; starting with Reagan, republican ethics have slowly devolved into a seething mass of callous and destructive self-centeredness a notch below child molesters. Reagan demonized Medicare and sought to end reduced-fee lunch for students barely surviving in abject poverty. The notion of quality, affordable health insurance for every American is not complicated, especially when contemplated as a moral rather than a business decision. Health care is a fundamental right, not an expensive privilege decided by class, lineage, race or wealth. With Ted Kennedy gone, the marginalized, downtrodden, exploited and disenfranchised – manipulated like pawns and denied access to the political power necessary to influence constructive change – no longer have a standard-bearer, a voice at the table. Since soul-less republicans have collectively abandoned their moral reasoning, who among the democrats will emerge to save America and replace the “Lion of the Senate.”

[who38]

11:14 AM on 09/19/2009

Grassley needs to go back to Iowa and check out the meth problem. Read "Methland"?

[Bronxdude]

02:08 PM on 09/18/2009

The healthcare insurance monopoly thriving in Georgia represents a textbook example of what happens when competition is ruthlessly eliminated. In Georgia, scheming UnitedHealthcare executives colluded with corrupt republican politicians to eliminate Blue Cross and Blue Shield as a competitor, narrowing the slate of choices for state employees to two – Cigna and UnitedHealthcare. Georgia state employees have no due process patient protection rights, a negotiated constraint that gives UnitedHealthcare and Cigna carte blanche to deny claims and pick who lives and who dies. There is no real choice in Georgia, just monopolistic and morally corrupt Cigna and UnitedHealthcare – the real death panels. In the 12 months following Cigna and UnitedHealthcare hijacking the Georgia employee health benefit plan, premiums have increased by 88%, while worker wages have increased a meager 6%; as a result, when compared to the second quarter of 2008, 2009 profits for UnitedHealthcare increased by a whopping 155%. In Georgia, health insurers like Cigna and UnitedHealthcare deny 1-out-of-every-4 treatment recommendations prescribed by physicians. The public option will force real competition in Georgia and around the Nation and put a stop to the monopolistic stranglehold enjoyed by a scurrilous few.