Obama's Negative Mail: Harry and Louise redux, attack on UHC

[bidenista]

In 1993, health insurance companies famously backed the "Harry & Louise" commercials - to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars - to terrorize people into opposing universal health care. Here's a screenshot (hosted on the Clinton campaign website) of that ad:



Now, it seems that team Obama are putting out mail ads which almost exactly replicate the same fear-mongering message. Check out this scan of an Obama mailer:



Is this a message of "hope" and "change"? Or is it just more of the same fanning of people's fears which we've seen these last eight years? Wouldn't a new, forward-looking politics find a better way to critique Hillary's plans for universal health care? Why is the Obama camp playing the same tune as the insurance megacorps did 15 years ago?

[papau]

1. Obama is not a saint - despite folks trying to sell him as such. - and ad is a con -but expected

[robbedvoter]

2. chilling!

[MethuenProgressive]

3. Is that a real Obama ad?

I can't believe they'd be that stupid - or go that low.

[bidenista]

4. i was pretty amazed too

But it's legit.

[Renew Deal]

5. You failed to mention that this is from Hillary Hub

I agree with Obama on this.

Is he wrong on the issue?

[joshcryer]

9. Yes, he's wrong on the issue, read the Krugman comparison between Hillary and Obama.

And then be amazed by the clarity of Hillary's position here.

[yardwork]

16. This is awful. I can't believe that Obama's campaign did this.

Those "Harry and Louise" ads destroyed our country's chance at healthcare reform. Now, Obama has resurrected them. What is his purpose in doing this? It will not help him get his own plan accepted.

This is one of the most disheartening things I've seen in a while.

[Cameron27]

6. WTF?

He's using the same tactics the RWers used against universal health care in 93, totally digusting.

[Gloria]

7. Got one from each yesterday...since I don't like either, my

fairly objective assessment was that HC's was less frou-frou...all about family-related issues. O's was about hope, ending divisiveness, loss of Democrats in 2000 and a Dec 18 Gallup poll (cited from TPM) showing "electability"...a real mish-mash about how C's "divided America." (one has to wonder if anybody here in Las Cruces knows what TPM is--college kids, maybe, but who else?? 4 pages of stuff, while HC's was one sturdy piece with an authoritatve picture of the White House on half of one side and a checklist of family issues on the back. Las Cruces is a big family town...large, Mexican heritage...

[Metric System]

13. Thanks, that's an interesting analysis.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

8. OMG!!1! IT'S A PICTURE OF A COUPLE AT THE KITCHEN TABLE!1!!ELEVEN!

BTW, Hillary Clinton is NOT proposing universal health care. She's proposing subsidized, mandated private insurance. The mandatory part is supposed to make you think it's universal.

[joshcryer]

10. It has the same effect as universal health care, and paves the way for single payer.

On top of that it makes insurance companies profit. The capitalist solution for the most capitalist country in the world.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

11. No, it has the effect of punishing people for not being able to afford the health insurance

In Massachusetts people are paying the fines rather than buying the insurance.

[ErnestoG]

26. That is a reach worthy of Wilt Chamberlain.

Honestly, some of you people....need some therapy.

[bidenista]

12. kick

[sandnsea]

14. That's what her plan does

Subsidies for tax cuts do not guarantee health care will be affordable. I was saying this months ago and didn't need a slick advertising campaign to understand nobody is going to agree to a mandate if they don't know the cost of what's being mandated. Just Hillary being stupid again, shoving her agenda at us without our participation in the process.

[Thrill]

15. Any chance you post the mailers Hillary sent out in Neveda?

Not likely.

[LVjinx]

17. What mailers?

I'd like to see one, if you'd kindly post it.

[Levgreee]

19. Here's two

one from New Hampshire


One used in New Hampshire and Nevada

[Maven]

18. Wow, that ad is a serious distortion of the truth

[Levgreee]

20. Also, how does that exactly replicate it?

Are you going by the picture? The pictures not the same. Should they have been sitting somewhere else, instead of discussing it at the kitchen table?

I must admit, poor move on the part of the ad designer, they should have noticed the resemblance and avoided it completely. Using a similar picture adds nothing so there is no way in hell they would choose to do so.

[anamandujano]

23. In advertising, if something gives you an impression, you can be

sure that it's the impression that you meant to have.

[Levgreee]

27. Why the hell would they want to give that impression? It only gives negatives, no positives

no-one wants to reminded of the slander attack that attacked Universal Healthcare, Obama supports UC too.

[anamandujano]

28. Did I read a figure of $300 million was spent on the attack on

Hillary's first effort? Anyway, it was very expensive and withering. By making this ad, they are calling up in people's minds all the mockery and failure that she endured for trying to bring us universal health care.

So they are getting quite a big bang for their buck. What they care about is undermining Hillary.

Do you think he could just make an ad explaining how his plan is wonderful and give some idea how he will go about bringing it into reality?

I would ask his followers how it feels to behave like a repuke.

I see a couple of ignores on my page so they don't have to bother responding to me. OK, others will read your malarkey so go ahead and answer but I've had enough of your brand.

[Levgreee]

29. I don't think most Dems blame Hillary for the failure, rather it was the Repub's opposition

In fact, many look at her positively for putting forth that effort.

I truly don't think bringing that up gives any political advantage, and they simply decided to show two people at a dinner table.

And Obama's plan is 95% the same, so an attack on her plan is largely an attack on his. ALL he attacks is the mandate, as he's done in several debates already... mentioning the fines. And, might I add, Hillary never clearly answered how she would carry out the mandate. It is not an attack on universal healthcare.

Furthermore, I think the criticism in the ad sticks to the policies and is not a repuke-type ad on Hillary. Sure, it twists things some, leaves out details, but not as much as Hilary's fliers have(trillion dollar tax hike on the middle class, instead of what it really was, "trillian dollars OVER TEN YEARS, on people with incomes above 95-250k$ incomes), not by a long shot.

[anamandujano]

30. The point is, it failed. These commercials were part of the

onslaught and painted Hillary as a failure. I think a lot of dems probably don't know much more than the right wing talking points on the failure.

There are a million other ways to say what he wanted to say. He chose this way mainly to call up her failed effort, thus insinuating that her new effort is also misguided and will fail.

Cheap. Tawdry. Indefensible. Repukelican.

[ErnestoG]

21. What, because Obama's design team used a photo of a couple looking at their bills? LAUGH!!

Oh you people. You funny, funny people.

[Levgreee]

22. They should have looked at the bills in the living room, instead! nt

[ErnestoG]

24. D'oh!

[Politicub]

35. Just because you're ignorant about branding doesn't mean

squat. Educate yourself. It will make it easier for you to analyze a position.

[Levgreee]

25. Furthermore, TOTALLY missing the point. ALL OBAMA ATTACKS IS THE MANDATE, not universal healthcare

Obama supports every single citizen being able to afford health care and being able to get it if they want it. If they want it, they get it... the government makes sure they can.

People confuse universal health care, and mandated universal health care.

[LVjinx]

31. Maybe

But they could have addressed the point honestly. No one is trying to saddle people with health insurance they can't afford. This is characteristic of something Obama has done over and over again - his attacks aren't aimed just at hurting Hillary in the primary, but damaging her for the general as well.

[wildflowergardener]

32. insurance

I am curious, has anyone given any estimate about how much the mandated health insurance will be? I think that would be an important consideration to me, if I were to have to make a choice on voting for someone who mandates it and one who doesn't. I haven't heard that yet - has it been estimated?

Does anyone know how much it is in Massachusetts since that's one place that does that?

Meg

[Politicub]

33. Stuff like this - co-opting the right's tactics - make me despise the Obama campaign

Any good will that gets built up - and I was feeling pretty good about both Obama and Hillary after Thursday night - gets erased by these kind of tactics that turn EVERYONE off from universal health care. It doesn't serve anyone at the end of the day.

[kurth]

34. Any presidential candidate who swiftboats universal health care is scum in my book