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Campaign ads and videos
From NBC's Mark Murray Creigh Deeds (D) is now airing a tough radio ad in Virginia that seizes on Bob McDonnell's (R) 1989 graduate-student thesis at what is now Regent University.
Here's the script...Female: You startin' to follow this Governor's race in Virginia?
From NBC's Mark Murray
And here is a new ad the National Republican Congressional Committee is running against Democratic Reps. Michael Arcuri (NY) and Zack Space (OH). The ad refers to Obama's and Pelosi's "risky experiment" on health care, arguing that it will include "massive cuts" to Medicare.
From NBC's Mark Murray President Obama's health-care plans, Conservatives for Patient Rights, says it will be running print and TV ads greeting him when he visits Montana tomorrow and Colorado on Saturday.
Here's the print ad . And below is the TV one. They criticize the public/government option to compete against private insurers.
Conservatives for Patient Rights is headed by Rick Scott, who was ousted as the head of Columbia/HCA over fraud charges. As the Washington Post reports, Columbia/HCA eventually pleaded guilty for overcharging state and federal health plans, paying $1.7 BILLION in fines.
From NBC's Mark Murray Politico reports, a strange-bedfellows alliance -- consisting of the American Medical Association, Families USA, the Federation of American Hospitals, PhRMA, and SEIU -- is launching a $12 million advertising blitz supporting President Obama's plans to overhaul the health-care system.
"The group is likely to be the biggest spender in support of health reform. The campaign will serve as a counterweight to the critics at town meetings, which are getting saturation news coverage while Congress is out of town," Politico says. "In a reversal from former President Bill Clinton’s 1993-94 health-care debacle, the group’s campaign is likely to mean that White House supporters keep the upper hand on the airwaves."
Meanwhile, the liberal-leaning group Health Care for America Now is now expanding its TV ad to run in the congressional districts represented by Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire (PA), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), and Rick Boucher (VA). The first two of those three are Blue Dog members. The ad also will run statewide in New Mexico (Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman ) and Delaware (Democratic Sen. Tom Carper ).
Finally, as we mentioned earlier this morning, the National Republican Congressional Committee has a TV ad hitting Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen on health care.
From NBC's Mark Murray Harry Reid ), Colorado (Michael Bennet , Mark Udall ), Arkansas (Blanche Lincoln , Mark Pryor ), and North Dakota (Kent Conrad , Byron Dorgan ).
The crux of the ad's message draws upon the conservative argument that government-run health care will impact decisions about life and death. "Life and death medical decisions should be made by patients and doctors, not politicians and bureaucrats."
From NBC's Mark Murray
"Why do the health insurance companies and Republicans want to kill President Obama’s health insurance reform?" the ad, goes. "Because they like things the way they are now. Ed Hanway, CEO of insurance giant Cigna, makes $12.2 million a year. That’s $5,883 an hour. Ed makes more in one day, than the average worker makes all year long."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The deal that was cut earlier this week between House Energy and Commerce Chairman
Henry Waxman and the Blue Dogs included four of the committee's seven Blue Dogs.
Here's a script of the MoveOn radio ad...
AD SCRIPT
Female VO
Today in [STATE], a patient lost insurance coverage for medical care she needs...
Male VO
Female VO
Male VO
Instead of helping [STATE] families get more affordable, quality health care choices, Congressman [XXXX] sided with the special interests and insurance companies
Female VO
Call XXX-XXX-XXXX and tell him [STATE] families can't afford to wait for real health care reform any longer.
From NBC's Mark Murray President Obama made in his press conference last night: the cost of NOT reforming health care is too high.
"What's the cost of not reforming health care?" the narrator asks in the ad. "Premiums rising faster than your paycheck. Insurance companies dictating more and more medical decisions. Denying you coverage while their profits soar."
It also takes a shot at Republican/conservative critics (with images of Sen. Jim DeMint , RNC Chairman Michael Steele , and even Rush Limbaugh ), saying: "Tell Republicans the cost of doing nothing on health care is just too high."
The ad will run on national and DC cable. A DNC source says the buy size is in the "tens of thousands" -- i.e., a relatively small buy.
The ad's script:What's the cost of not reforming health care?
From NBC's Mark Murray Lamar Alexander (R-TN), as well as Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Mark Souder (R-OH), and Pat Tiberi (R-OH).
Here's the ad hitting Alexander.
From NBC's Mark Murray Max Baucus (D-MT) to unveil his health-care bill, the liberal groups Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America are running a TV ad in Montana the presses the senator to back a public/government option.
The ad comes as the Washington Post reports that health-related companies and their employees "gave Baucus's political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008, when he began holding hearings and making preparations for this year's reform debate."
