White House to Spend $20 million to Pitch ObamaCare

Townhall.com ^ | May 23, 2012 | Bob Beauprez

[Kaslin]

Ever since the Democrats passed ObamaCare "so we could find out what's in it," Americans have overwhelmingly said they didn't like the new law. 

Now, the Obama Administration is spending $20 million of taxpayer money on a new public relations campaign to try to sell us, yet again, on this unprecedented intrusion into our lives by legislation that 72% of Americans believe violates the Constitution.

The new public relations campaign "will inform the American people about the many preventative benefits" of ObamaCare according to the White House spin machine.   Porter-Novelli, one of the planet's glitziest consumer marketing firms, has been awarded the $20 million contract to direct a "national multi-media campaign" - the key word there is "campaign."

Americans by a margin of 56:37 currently favor complete repeal of the President's signature piece of legislation, and the animosity against ObamaCare continues to grow according to Rasmussen's regular tracking of public opinion. That presents a significant challenge for a President seeking re-election.   

So under a ruse of informing the public, the White House is using another $20 million of your money for his personal campaign purposes.

The more I hear about ObamaCare, the more I feel sick.  

From Heritage:

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by the group Judicial Watch last year revealed the lengths to which HHS has gone to attempt to sell Obamacare to a skeptical public:

• The Obama HHS launched a campaign to track Internet searches and to use online search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive traffic to a government website promoting Obama’s health care overhaul. Using “pay-per-click” advertising tools, such as Google Adwords, HHS purposely targeted people searching the term “Obamacare,” a word that has been described as “disparaging” by political agents of the president.
• According to a budget summary prepared by Ogilvy, from October 2010 through February 2011, the Obama administration spent $1,435,009 on these online advertisements alone, including advertising campaigns with Google and Yahoo, almost $300,000 per month.
• A number of documents address the need to target the Obamacare propaganda campaign to Hispanics, blacks, and women. For example, according to an email from Chris Beakey, vice president of Ogilvy PR Worldwide, to HHS officials on Dec. 16, 2010, summarizing a conference call, “You want to utilize the bulk of their paid media efforts (which would include expenditures for Radio One and Univision) on media that reaches African Americans and Hispanics. The money will go farther and these audiences continue to be a top priority.”
• A Jan. 18, 2011, email from Ogilvy to HHS New Media Communications Director Julia Eisman notes with respect to a Spanish banner ad campaign, “I realize we really can’t use the blond mom and child for this audience.”

[E. Pluribus Unum]

So under a ruse of informing the public, the White House is using another $20 million of your money for his personal campaign purposes.

It's not going to be enough to defeat him in November.

That's just the first step.

The next step is to prosecute him for crimes committed in office.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

You can pitch Obamacare right into the crapper!...

[ReformationFan]

Only $20 million? Sounds quite reasonable./sarc

[broken_arrow1]

The word NO doesn’t register in the Progressive Lexicon of Karl Marx and/or Sal Alinsky.

[Seizethecarp]

Freudian slip in the article title?

[TexasCajun]

When is the Supreme Court suppose to issue their ruling?

Why the delay?

[Seizethecarp]

Freudian slip in the article title?

I did a double-take!

[Pollster1]

They had to “pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Now that we know what’s in ObamaCare, they have to use propaganda to convince us that what we now know is in the bill will be good for America.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Yeah that’s the ticket, spend more money and more and more and more after all it’s not their money and won’t cost Joe Biden his “beautiful house”. Has this country even gone on a “tax strike” before? You know, where everyone refuses to pay any taxes? After all as we have seen with illegals, if everyone breaks the law it’s OK.

[Venturer]

“will inform the American people about the many preventative benefits”

Not many preventive bennies for people over 75 though.

Oh!! I forgot they will give you the death speech.

[Freestate316]

$20,000,000? That’s the annual cost of Michelle’s vacations. I’m sure that they would have had no objections to President Bush spending $20,000,000 to promote the Iraq War.

[Kaslin]

If I am not mistaken it’s in June, I don’t remember the date though

[BitWielder1]

If Obmacare is so great, why does it need to be "sold" over and over and over again?
I'm one of those who read the whole thing and it's awful.
No slick sales pitch will ever convince me otherwise.

[3rdcoastislander]

Have presidents done this in the past? Use tax payer money to fund their campaigns? I thought they had to use donated funds.

[Johnny_cash]

When is the Supreme Court suppose to issue their ruling?

There is no time line but from my understanding they should have a decision in June.

I'm praying that June gives us at least 2 things.

1) Obama care is unconstitutional in all its form!

2) Scott Walker wins reelection in a land slide!

June could be one of the best months we have had in a long time.

The other will be in November when we fire that Idiot in the white hut!!!

[Copenhagen Smile]

Our tax $$ spend to pitch something unpopular, unfeasable, and unconstitutional!

This is what America is coming to under Obama. What next, will the SCOTUS rule in favor of Obamacare?

Just dandy.

[blueunicorn6]

“Pitch Obamacare”? He throws like a girl.

[maxwellsmart_agent]

It’s that bad that they have to spend 20 million to propagandize us that it is okay. Terrible!

[drypowder]

Every time this administration allocates to spend money one can bet there is someone dipping the funds other than for whom those funds were / are intended. Reasoning: 5 trillion $ run up in spending under the obozo and it's the Chicago way. This dude needs to get locked up and the key tossed. Better yet, he should be charged as an enemy of the state so that portion of the NDAA law he signed will put him away for good with us not having to spend money on a trial for this criminal POS.