Monday, Oct. 5, 2009 | 12:01 a.m.
Ensign Commercial
Health Care for America Now launched this ad Oct. 5 targeting Sen. John Ensign on health care.
WASHINGTON -- Republican Sen. John Ensign is unlikely to vote for the health care reform legislation making its way through Congress, but he is being hit with TV ads this week that target his opposition to a possible public plan option.
The ads begin today and will run for a week in Las Vegas and Reno. They hint at Ensign’s disclosed affair and suggest a link between the senator’s opposition to the health reform bill and the more than $800,000 he has received in health insurance industry campaign contributions.
“Why did John Ensign side with the insurance companies instead of us?” the ad says. “Follow the money.”
Ensign is a member of the Senate Finance Committee that is scheduled to vote on the bill this week.
The $110,000 ad buy comes from Health Care for America Now, an umbrella organization that supports including the public plan option as part of health care reform.
The public plan would be a government-run insurance option that would compete with private insurance plans to cover the uninsured. Opponents call it socialized health care.
The ads are unlikely to sway Ensign, who has strongly opposed the legislation that he calls a government takeover of health care. But they may hit at the Republican Party in Nevada, which has struggled with electoral losses, fallout from Ensign’s affair and organizational problems.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy