Click here to watch "John McCain's Social Security Disgrace."

Going into this election, John McCain might have considered the senior vote a safe play. After all, the 71-year-old GOP senator falls into that age bracket himself, regularly cashes in his retirement checks and leads Barack Obama among voters 65 and older in recent polls.

But a senior advocacy group is aiming to separate the Arizona lawmaker from those voters in light of comments he made a couple weeks ago calling Social Security a "disgrace.” The comments prompted the Alliance For Retired Americans, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, to launch two TV ads in the battleground state of Pennsylvania that call McCain out for shunning Social Security while reaping the benefits.

Continue reading "Social Security Give And Take" »

Click here to watch "Out Of Touch."

For Planned Parenthood, John McCain's silence speaks volumes. In a new ad (subscription) released Wednesday, the organization re-airs footage of an interview last week in which McCain paused for nearly 10 seconds before responding to a reporter's question on whether it was fair for insurance companies to cover Viagra but not birth control.

The 30-second spot devotes almost a third of its time to McCain's pause, which is followed by his delayed reply: "I don't know enough about it to give you a informed [sic] answer."

Continue reading "McCain's Birth Control Blooper" »

Click here to watch "Will They?"

John McCain and Barack Obama have pledged to reform America's health care system if elected. A new coalition of labor groups, liberal activists and health care organizations called “Health Care For America Now!” is prepared to spend millions over the course of the next year to hold the candidates to their word.

The umbrella group -- which includes the Service Employees International Union; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Americans United for Change; Center for American Progress Action Fund; and MoveOn.org, among many others -- held a news conference in Washington, D.C., and rallies in 52 cities on Tuesday to kick off a campaign designed to make health care reform the top domestic priority for the next administration. The group launched the first of what it says will be several TV ads, as it plans to spend about $25 million on paid advertising between now and the end of the year.

"Will They?" (subscription) features several average-looking Americans asking a Magic 8-Ball if their health care plan will meet their needs. "Will they pay for his inhaler?" a mother asks, sitting next to her son. "Not likely," the ball predicts. An announcer poses the underlying question: "Will health insurance companies ever put your health before their profits?" "Not a chance," the Magic 8-Ball says. The ad declares that "we can’t trust insurance companies to fix the health care mess" and that it is time for Americans to "demand quality, affordable health care" by joining the campaign.

Continue reading "Concentrating And Asking Again" »

Click here to watch "Real Solutions."

Barack Obama and John McCain have had a lot to say during this election about fixing a wobbly economy and an imperfect health care system. AARP is devoting $20 million to holding them accountable for their promises. The organization’s message to the potential commanders in chief: When it comes to health care and financial security, Americans need less talk and more action.

AARP has joined with Business Roundtable, the Service Employees International Union and the National Federation of Independent Business to create the Divided We Fail campaign, dedicated to "engaging the American people, businesses, non-profit organizations, and elected officials in finding bi-partisan solutions to ensure affordable, quality health care and long-term financial security -- for all of us," according to the Web site. As part of the campaign, AARP on Wednesday launched "Real Solutions" and "More Than Talk" (subscription), two TV ads that will run off and on until Labor Day.

Continue reading "A Little Less Conversation" »

Click here to watch "Celebrate."

In response to Medicare legislation that stalled in the Senate (subscription) last week, two major health care organizations -- the American Medical Association and America's Health Insurance Plans -- are running dueling ads through the Fourth of July weekend.

The bill, H.R. 6331, would have blocked a 10.6 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements to doctors. The cuts, which were supposed to go into effect Tuesday, have been put on a temporary hold in order to give Congress another chance at blocking the pay cuts when it returns from recess next week.

The AMA's ad buy, launched Tuesday, includes TV and radio ads appearing in six states. Designed to bolster support for the measure, the ad campaign targets 10 Republican senators (seven facing re-election) who voted against it, including New Hampshire's John Sununu (subscription).

Continue reading "Medicare Fireworks" »

Click here to watch "Hulshof's Viagra Vote."

Who cares about having faith in God, supporting family values, banning partial-birth abortions or other traditionally conservative issues when you've got Viagra to fight about?

That's what the two GOP candidates in the Missouri governor's race think is important as they take jabs at one another's voting records on this atypical, albeit stimulating, election topic. State Treasurer Sarah Steelman and Rep. Kenny Hulshof each claim the other has supported legislation that would use taxpayer money to fund Viagra pills. The quarrel was initially confined to their recent debates. But the Steelman campaign has taken it one step further with the new ad (subscription) it released Tuesday.

"Viagra. That little blue pill used to enhance recreational sex. If you’re on Medicaid or Medicare, the federal government pays for it," an announcer says, while highlighting Hulshof's voting record on the issue. The ad then contrasts the position of current Gov. Matt Blunt, who the ad quotes as opposing a "frivolous use of taxpayer dollars." The announcer concludes, "Congressman Hulshof disagrees. His Washington thinking? Viagra for all, and taxpayers pay for it."

The new ad is Steelman's second attack on Hulshof's voting record. The other one (subscription), released June 11, sticks to a more PG-rated topic, calling him out more generally regarding his "wasteful spending record" in Congress.

Click here to watch "Health Solutions."

While his two Democratic opponents have talked mostly about the struggling economy in their recent paid media, John McCain continues to focus on health care, releasing his second ad on the subject in a week.

"Health Solutions," which debuted across Ohio on Friday, ticks off McCain's health proposals, from allowing importation of prescription drugs to ending "junk lawsuits that tax consumers." Like his previous spot on the subject, "Health Solutions" is heavy on specific policy plans -- a departure from McCain's earlier biographical ads.

The ad opens boldly with the words "President McCain" appearing onscreen with a slow-motion shot of the Arizona senator striding confidently, segueing into an announcer listing McCain's "bold solutions" over a jittery, futuristic-looking background. By playing up his health care plans with phrases like "bold solutions" and "straight talk," the ad injects some energy into what could be a dry laundry list of wonky details.

Continue reading "McCain Tries To Liven Up Health Care Debate" »

Click here to watch "Feeling The Pain."

Just hours after John McCain released an advertisement touting his proposals for improving health care, the Service Employees International Union put out its own spot criticizing his approach. Both ads were timed to coincide with McCain's address on health care today.

The union, which has endorsed Barack Obama, is airing "Feeling The Pain" statewide across Ohio as well as in D.C. In the ad, Ohio health care workers say they doubt McCain will curb rising expenses. "John McCain says he'll lower health care costs, but when it comes to making health care affordable here in Ohio, we'll still be feeling the pain," a succession of women in scrubs remark.

Besides criticizing McCain for, among other things, opposing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, "Feeling The Pain" uses file footage of a campaign rally to link McCain to President Bush. Twice, viewers see a black-and-white clip of Bush hugging McCain and kissing him on the head as an announcer lists the times the presumptive Republican nominee has supported Bush's health care policies.

Continue reading "A Kiss-Off For McCain's Health Care Plan" »

Click here to watch "Health Care Action."

Iowans still recovering from the frenzy of the presidential caucuses might be surprised to turn on their TVs this week and find the race has already returned.

John McCain's campaign today announced it would begin running a 60-second spot in the Hawkeye State focusing on McCain's health care plan. In "Health Care Action," a sedate McCain proposes solutions to help Americans pay for the rising cost of health care, including a $5,000 tax credit for every family. "There's many, many solutions to this problem," he says. "I think we can address them."

The spot complements McCain's focus on health care this week, echoing his campaign's message of the moment just as his last ad on the economy immediately followed a key address on the economy and his series of bio spots appeared during his biographical publicity tour.

Iowa might not be the most obvious place to run a general election ad, but McCain's advisers have said they're not planning to run a traditional presidential campaign. By airing the spot in Iowa's inexpensive TV markets, the Arizona senator could pick up some discounted national media coverage if cable news networks pick up the story. And by targeting voters in a possible swing state, McCain is establishing himself early in what could be an expanded field of purple states, while also making amends for largely skipping the caucuses there.