Obama Campaign Arm Has Doctor Pitch Health Care Reform In Ad

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.

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Comments

[drricklippin]

03:40 PM on 10/23/2009

When a bill passes I will give a great deal of credit to the progressive print and electronic media for telling the stories and showing the faces of those fellow US citizens who suffered and even died as a result of our very broken immoral US health care system.

I think the progressive media (including Huff Post) made a BIG difference!

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa

[BadgersBite]

07:15 AM on 10/07/2009

Wimpy ad ...

[Indie2008]

11:28 PM on 10/06/2009

Most of those opposed to health care reform are disgruntled McCain voters who would rather listen to right wing radio for health care advice than a doctor.

[cwhiteside88]

06:22 PM on 10/06/2009

On October 1, House Minority Leader John Boehner said in a press availability, "I'm still trying to find the first American to talk to who's in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration... I've not talked to one, and I get to a lot of places and I've not had anyone come up to me -- I know I'm inviting it -- and lobby for the public option."

Well, some of Mr. Boehner's constituents decided to take him up on his offer and rally outside his district office in West Chester, Ohio, delivering over 1,800 signatures of people in his district who support a public option.

Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nunTTyfCr8Y&hd=1 and share.

[Davonne Rushing]

05:29 PM on 10/06/2009

This Ad isn't strong enough! Come on guys, you can do better than that.

[diak0n0s]

07:03 PM on 10/06/2009

I agree.

It should have mentioned that the President handed out White Coats for the doctors to wear before the meeting started.

[Blimpius]

10:23 PM on 10/06/2009

I just read this too. How sad. He may have well have just hired some actors to come in and look like doctors. I'm not a doctor but I play one for Obama.

[ohiomark]

03:30 PM on 10/06/2009

Just because Obama can gather 150 doctors to show up for a photo op at the White House after supplying them with white lab coats to make it "look good", or get a doctor to do a commercial for his horrible health plan, doesn't mean that ALL doctors are in favor of it.

66% of practicing physicians are against a government takeover of health care.

http://www.dakotapolitics.com/blogPost.asp?PostId=20477

My own doctor says he is thinking of retiring if this abortion goes through.

It's all a big scam.

[S Andersen]

03:42 PM on 10/06/2009

Interesting. My doctor supports Single-Payer. Takes all kinds.

[lynettema]

05:08 PM on 10/06/2009

Most other polls show that about 75% of doctors support health care reform - 25% of those support single payer. Stop reading NewsMax and listening to Fox.

[blueken]

02:18 PM on 10/06/2009

I grew up with a father who was a doctor, and he was totally against single payer government funded health care. Today, more and more health care workers, hosptials and clinics are coming out in favor of single payer government funded health care. It is just one more sign of the failure of the private health care insurance industry. Every year doctors are being asked to work for less, while insurance company profits go up. Hospitals are closeing around the country. As the cost of employee health care premiums go up, so do co-pays. Employers and workers alike are being squeezed. All the while profits for the insurance and drug companies are goeing up. Something has to be done.

[Billl]

01:08 PM on 10/06/2009

Providing health care efficiently saves lives and saves money.

Nobody can collect the money to pay for health care as cheaply as the government can through a national sales tax, and nobody can deliver high quality care and medications as cost effectively as the VA.

Everyone shopping in the United States would pay pennies on the dollar supporting public health care, citizens, immigrants, 40 million visiting tourists annually, the rich, poor, everybody contributes, this would be the ultimate risk spreading pool.

All government funded costs could be reduced drastically, while producing better patient outcomes, if distributed only through civilian government hospitals using the proven VA systems.

Everyone choosing public care could have it no restrictions, no insurance, no co pays, free period.
Employers who select public care for their employees would not be required to pay for or have any further involvement with health care.

A National Health Care System could also take over states and local government’s health care systems to assure operating standards and relieve local funding problems while providing total transferability for patients.

Let’s compare this common sense dual system that would allow unlimited choices, ultimate freedom, and always free public care would be available, to the reforms being proposed by Mr. Baucus’s legislation, or anything else being proposed by anyone from the President on down.

Then let’s use simple straight forward legislation to make these changes happen that will give us high quality fiscally responsible health care reform.

[Chilito]

01:07 PM on 10/06/2009

So what was the deal yesterday with the fake lab coats at Obama's Rose Garden yap flap?? This was just about the most amateurish Obama stunt since the fake Greek columns at his coronation at the Dem-Soc convention in Denver.

How stupid does he think people are? This inept "photo op" flopped. Didn't he learn ANYTHING from his abject failure with the IOC last Friday?

Health care insurance reform is a serious matter. We don't need the president orchestrating phony backdrops for his interminable series of wooden speeches.

What a circus.

[truji999]

07:22 PM on 10/06/2009

I suppose the rethugs are doing a better job according to you!

[TJCole]

12:13 PM on 10/06/2009

Yeah but not these Doctors...or any others who favor Single Payer...!

http://www.madashelldoctors.com

Mad as Hell Doctors...and we should be mad as hell too..!

Why doesn't Obama give back the $10 million he took from Big Pharma and the Insurance Companies to begin with..?

[Igor Derysh]

11:52 AM on 10/06/2009

It's about time the White House injected some reason and facts into a healthcare campaign marred by lies.
The Examiner: 6 Biggest Public Option Myths http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-558-Congress-Examiner~y2009m10d6-Public-option-myths

[PhilipTaylor]

11:31 AM on 10/06/2009

A MUST SEE INTERVIEW WITH ANTHONY WEINER On Oct 6, 2009:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/ns/msnbc_tv-morning_meeting

I just saw Dylan Ratigan and Anthony Weiner and the Right-Wing De@th-Panel woman Betsy ? on Morning Meeting and it was AMAZING!

Betsy was arguing she wanted to protect Seniors by NOT letting people who are in their 40's get Medicare until they are 70! Weiner tore her a NEW ONE!

Dylan kept forcing her to answer questions and finally she and Weiner agreed that Competition between Insurers was the Way to go!

[tandrmcdonald]

12:00 PM on 10/06/2009

I saw it too and I'm still bouncing off the walls. It's about time someone came back at the death panel moonies like McCaughey. Ratigan didn't let her get away with her usual dodge and called her on it repeatedly. "Answer the question." . She even tried the victim role yammering something about being brow-beaten. Ratigan threw it right back at her. She only goes where people who swallow her flavor of Kool-aid congregate. Bravo, Dylan.

[jordan327]

12:05 PM on 10/06/2009

Yeah , that was a real classy interview, Ratigan is a !diot.

[jordan327]

12:07 PM on 10/06/2009

Funny considering he was suppose to be the moderator of a discussion between her and wiener. Notice how it looks like somebody yelled in his earpiece to tone it down?

[gmh8899]

11:15 AM on 10/06/2009

I was really glad to see Obama finally is getting doctors involved to support real health care reform. I just donated yesterday to promote Obama's plan for health care reform through ads with real doctors in them. I don't know why they didn't do this sooner, since it's one of the best ways of gaining the public trust. Now, I just wish they would use the words "public option".

[Tyler-Durden]

11:28 AM on 10/06/2009

most doctors prefer single payer system. this would make their admin. duties much easier.

[billhodges]

11:06 AM on 10/06/2009

If this health care bill being developed is so good why is it the Dem leaders refuse to let the people see it before they vote. What are they afraid of?

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Congressional-leaders-fight-against-posting-bills-online-8340658-63557217.html

[WSAY]

11:16 AM on 10/06/2009

Like anyone would read it. Americans are too intellectually lazy to read anything longer than a paragraph. I'm sure most didn't read the above story in full. Why do you think the Republican party still exists? "If you are simple minded and uneducated, scared to death of everything, full of hate and bigotry, or delusional about God, the Republican Party is the party for you."

[Tyler-Durden]

11:30 AM on 10/06/2009

i would read it. just like i read what they've put out already on HR 3200. and i read 676, which is MUCH better for us. that's why they don't want us to have it.

[tandrmcdonald]

12:04 PM on 10/06/2009

Speak for yourself. Your assumptions about Americans say more about your flawed notions of your own superiority than maybe you want people to know. So, how many op-eds and letters to the editor have you written?

[cybexg]

11:18 AM on 10/06/2009

1) it is in a state of flux
2) I had no problems finding out much of its content
3) It will be released long before any final votes.

Next question

[kesmarn]

10:59 AM on 10/06/2009

I am so Impressed with Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC. He just completely mopped the floor with Repub Betsy McCaughey on the issue of health care reform. She was trying to defend Big Insurance and trying to go the snarky-interrupter route, but he was NOT having it. This guy is smart, assertive and has his facts at hand. A huge asset to the pre-reformers and to television in general. The debate got so hot I think they actually suspended the commercials so that it could play out uninterrupted. Ratigan is the man! Hope it's available on HP in re-play...well worth watching.

[jordan327]

11:14 AM on 10/06/2009

Yeah, considering the debate was supposed to be with wiener. He was supposed to be the moderator. Wiener just sat there and let him do his arguing for him. What an Id!ot.

[kesmarn]

11:54 AM on 10/06/2009

Did we see the same debate? I didn't see anyone just sitting on the sidelines.

[rtlr1004]

12:01 PM on 10/06/2009

Wiener tried to rebutt Betsy. Betsy is like Sean Hannity. She thinks if she continues to talk over everyone no one else will have a chance to speak the truth. Ratigan is the moderator, and he did an excellent job of making the arrogant insurance defender, Betsy, shut-up so that Wiener could respond. I say just let the Republicans continue with their mindless chatter. With each day, Americans see who these people truly are and what they are all about. They are greedy, and they are only interested in helping the wealthy get richer. They generate fear to try to scare voters. The produce misinformation in hopes of delaying and defeating reform. Their days are over. We are sick of it and the Republican Greed Machine.