MOVEON LABELS VULNERABLE REPUBLICANS ‘UNFIT TO LEAD’…. We got our first look today at MoveOn.org’s new ad campaign, which labels key Republican lawmakers as “unfit to lead.”
There are four ads being released this week, this one embedded here features a woman talking about her sister who’ll benefit from the new health care reform law, and taking aim at Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) for having voted against it. There’s also this one, featuring a man who lost his job and insurance, and blasting Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) for fighting against the reform law; this one featuring a woman with diabetes who now has peace of mind for her family, and criticizing Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) for having voted against it; and this one featuring a man making the economic case for reform, and rebuking Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) for fighting against it.
There are a couple of interesting angles to this. The first is appreciating how Dems and their allies will deal with health care in the midterm cycle. These new ads point to an approach predicated on embracing the breakthrough initiative, rather than shying away from it, and pressing Republicans on their opposition to changes that the public likes.
As Greg Sargent explained, “The new MoveOn spot suggests that the constellation of liberal groups allied with the White House will opt for the latter as the best way to turn this fall’s contest into a choice election, rather than just a referendum on the Dem performance. And all signs, for now, are that Beltway Dems agree that their best hope is to fully embrace the reform law and try to shift opinion on it by casting it as crucial to economic recovery, rather than to run away from it.”
Also note, the ad isn’t about giving cover to Dems; it’s about going on the offensive against Republicans who might be vulnerable in November. With so much focus of late on how many seats Democrats might lose in the midterms, it’s also worth keeping in mind that there are still some GOP incumbents who’ll be targeted, too.
