TAKING THE OFFENSIVE…. It’s pretty obvious the Republican base is fired up about defeating health care reform. According to a Salon report, the DNC has a new television ad that signals a new effort to get the Democratic base excited, too.
Yesterday, President Obama spoke at the University of Maryland about the reform campaign, and today, the DNC uses footage from the event in a minute-long spot. The DNC’s Brad Woodhouse told Salon, “It’s meant to primarily signal our most ardent supporters and the base of the Democratic Party that we are with you — and that we need you — to get this done and accomplish the other big things this president has set out to do.”
The ad will reportedly run nationally on cable and in the D.C. area, though, at 60 seconds, it would be an expensive ad buy, and it’s unclear how much money the party plans to invest in the spot.
The launch of the Obama-focused ad aimed at the party base coincides with the launch of “Call ‘Em Out,” a new site devoted to highlighting Republican leaders who stray from the truth on reform. (I’m assuming the name comes from a line in Obama’s recent speech to a joint session of Congress: “If you misrepresent what’s in this plan, we will call you out.”)
The first person to be called out is Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), for his “death panel” validation on MSNBC last week. Mike Allen said the site is “part of a larger, more aggressive approach taken by the White House through the DNC to push back against smears, distortions and misinformation.”
