Pharma astroturf liar ads on MSNBC

[spooky3]

Last edited Tue Nov 23, 2021, 08:27 PM - Edit history (1)

Anyone else sick of the entitled woman who claims if Congress tries to control med costs, she won’t be able to get her meds? (In fact in most other developed countries, people are MORE likely to be able to get meds, and at much lower costs, than in the US.)

These are also phony, in that the ads are paid for by a Big Pharma backed group that simply doesn’t want any reduction in their huge profits, but are presented as if an ordinary person is just speaking out.

They are covering MSNBC and other stations with these, so you know a big chunk of what you are paying for your scripts is being used against you. I wish the sponsor had to reveal its ties to Big Pharma clearly at each airing.

I’m hoping there is a bit of a backlash, even if many viewers don’t realize who is paying. The actor/ real person they chose has a heavy New York/ New Jersey accent, which many midwesterners find grating (I know, may not be fair but it’s true—I lived there many years). (On edit—turns out there is evidence beyond my anecdote: https://lithub.com/are-new-yorkers-really-as-rude-as-everyone-thinks-they-are/ .)

And her smug, entitled attitude (from the background shown, she isn’t hurting for money, so why is she asking you to pay more for her?) probably annoys a lot of people other than me.

Just tell the damn truth.

[BlueIdaho]

1. She's not a real person she's an actress.

She gets paid to say her lines and act the part. No sense getting mad at “her” get mad at Big Pharma and demand our government negotiate prices the same way Walmart does.

[BradAllison]

2. Saw that one.

They should be honest and try to claim it's better to pay five figures out of pocket for pills.

[malaise]

3. A few of us asked about this

Sickening!

Get thee to the greatest page for visibility

[CousinIT]

4. Yep. Posted about that here. It's easily traced to big pharma. Absolutely astroturf BS.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216044879

[dchill]

5. Remember "Truth in advertising?"

I almost do.

[Deep State Witch]

6. In The DC Area

We get this crap all of the time. This one, and the white teenaged girl who was supposedly adopted and wants SCOTUS to end abortion because she "could have been an abortion." Yeah, honey... you were white and had no disabilities. People were lining up to adopt you. Let's talk about the 100,000 or so kids in foster care or orphanages that weren't so lucky.

[spooky3]

7. I'm in the area too and have seen that appalling ad. UGH! Nt

[JoeOtterbein]

8. I love...

...imitating her voice, when mock complaining about things to my wife!

[Traildogbob]

9. Sickening

As is the back to back to back Medicare Advantage scam Ads with the has beens and their Trump style hand gestating, as they lie their old asses off. Dynomite!!

[ShazzieB]

12. I HATE THOSE SOOOOOOOO MUCH!

The last straw for me was when William Shatner popped up in one of them. I can understand broke ass has-beens (no disrespect meant to any individuals living or dead) needing the money badly enough to do that stuff, but that guy has to be worth millions. How the mighty have fallen.

[Traildogbob]

13. Shatner shocked me

So did Joe Montana. Namath always been a spotlight hog. None of those “need” money to lie to get seniors screwed over. Maybe JJ Dynomite. He has to be a broke ass compared to those others.

[MustLoveBeagles]

10. I don't like the ad for two reasons

1. She's an actress being paid to spout lies.

2. My husband goes into an angry tirade when it airs which is often.

[ShazzieB]

11. I don't know what "astroturf b.s." means, but I've seen those spots on MSNBC.

They always make me rage! The misinformation is SO obvious.

If that woman is an actress as some have said, the director should have told her to try not to come off so smug and entitled. The stuckup way she recites her little speech makes me want to smack her.

[spooky3]

25. Astroturf began by meaning that something is not a genuine "grass roots" effort.

So a big donor PAC might pretend to be an "ordinary citizens" group organized to support or protest something. Since astroturf is fake grass, the term stuck. Since then it has been broadened to include phony PAC efforts in other realms too.

[ShazzieB]

27. That makes perfect sense now that I know the whole story!

Thanks so much for this.

[dflprincess]

14. That ad is running in Minneapols - it's not her accent I find grating

What makes me grind my teeth is the lack of attention paid to people who can't afford their drugs in the U.S. because it isn't on the "formulary".

A friend of mine (also a senior who these ads claim to be so worried about) was just diagnosed with COPD and prescribed a medication. Sadly, the drug is not on her Part D formulary and she can't afford the several hundred dollars it would cost out of pocket each month.

It's too bad no one on our side has the deep pockets needed to run ads telling stories like my friend's. A lot of people, of all ages, could relate to that situation.

[inthewind21]

23. The ads

are running in Nevada as well.

[ancianita]

15. In our house we literally yell "BULLSHIT" and "FUCK YOU!" at the TV every time it comes on.

We get our hate on, but know it's a PAC ad, pure and simple, and probably runs in battleground states.

Corporations demand air time. This is corporate infiltration to get ahead of Democratic messaging for the rest of the 117th Session. Here in Florida they go for this bullshit reality TV ad style; after all, it's a click away from their "Apprentice" and wrestling conditioning.

Nothing personal, just business. If I thought calling MSNBC would make them drop the ads, I would.

[spooky3]

16. That's part of the dilemma--these ads provide $ to Rachel

Chris, Joy, Lawrence, etc., but don’t persuade many of their audiences. We’re happy to take their $ and deliver no support for them.

[ancianita]

18. You admit it's a dilemma for good reason -- they shouldn't take that money. It makes them complicit.

[spooky3]

20. Good luck convincing the CEO to do that. Nt

[ancianita]

21. That's the heart of it.

[radius777]

17. The phony Big Tech 'helps America' ads also anger me.

Big Tech is desperate to avoid regulation, and they're running ads about how 'regulation will kill American jobs' - uhh you guys have been shipping American jobs out (or bringing over H1B cheap labor) for decades now.

Clearly the cable networks will take money from anyone. Even FoxNews runs liberal/anti-Trump ads, so it comes down to who will pay them.

I also get the idea that networks should run ads from all sides, but MSNBC at the very least should force the ads to have big disclaimers, so the audience knows that Big Tech or Big Pharma is running the ad.

[Earth-shine]

19. I've seen the ads. Can't avoid them. Just lies. We need a counter commercial.

How about we show that woman/actress and say "Are you going to take healthcare advice from this idiot?"

[spooky3]

22. LOL! Nt

[oasis]

24. Obviously big-pharma propaganda. That was my first reaction. nt

[Jacson6]

26. Pharma astroturf liar ads on MSNBC

They are covering MSNBC and other stations with these, so you know a big chunk of what you are paying for your scripts is being used against you. I wish the sponsor had to reveal its ties to Big Pharma clearly at each airing.

The broadcasters could require that in their advertisement policy, but they make big revenue from the Pharma industry and don't want to rock the boat.

[dflprincess]

28. I look at it this way,

if they're running the ads during MSNBC's evening shows, they're pretty much wasting their money. I would guess most the viewers know the ads are BS.

[Hekate]

29. Have you seen the one with the "Canadian" mother & daughter whingeing about their medical access

… and earnestly telling Americans “Don’t be like us!”