President Barack Obama's campaign organization released a new national television advertisement on Tuesday morning aimed at amplifying the White House's effort to make doctors and nurses the face of health care reform.
The spot from Organizing for America, entitled "Every Day," features a registered nurse and a doctor from the mid-Atlantic area describing the health care system as "broken" and stressing the need to get legislation through Congress in a timely manner. Details are left largely unaddressed in favor of a general sense of urgency.
The decision to further elevate the testimony of medical professionals is a clear recognition on the part of OFA and the Obama White House that a new pitchman is needed to push health care legislation forward. To date, progressive groups have relied largely on stories of personal health care horror to make the case for the need for reform. On Monday, however, the president appeared at the White House in what aides said was a strategic move to place him side by side with individuals who are regarded as supremely trustworthy on health care matters.
Organizing For America's spot is slated to run on national cable outlets beginning on Wednesday, suggesting that the targets of the ad aren't voters in key districts, but lawmakers and opinion leaders generally. In addition to the ad, OFA will also be putting up online advertisements and helping medical professionals place op-eds and letters to the editor in different media outlets.