Much can happen between today and the first Tuesday in November 2014. Still, Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post offers a sobering assessment for Obamacare supporters (like U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C.) who are up for re-election next year.
Ending Spending, a conservative outside group dedicated to, well, ending (government)spending, is running an ad in New Hampshire that will be replicated endlessly by Republican candidates and groups in the 2014 midterm election.
The ad, which was produced by GOP media consultant Larry McCarthy, hits all of the high notes. It uses footage of Shaheen using the “if you like your insurance you can keep it” line while noting on screen that President Obama was given the “lie of the year” by PolitiFact for saying the same thing. A narrator points out that 20,000 New Hampshire residents have had their insurance canceled and that the Affordable Care Act offers only a single provider on the state’s individual market. The ad ends with this dagger of a line: “Next November, if you like your Senator, you can keep her. If not, you know what to do.” Oomph. …
… The Ending Spending ad can be replicated in virtually every single state where an endangered Democratic Senator (or House member) is running. Find footage of said member praising Obamacare, followed by noting the “lie of the year” award and then follow it up with how many people in the state/district had their policies canceled because of the ACA.
The potential ubiquity of the ad is matched by its potential power.
