Is Right-Wing Mobilization On Health Care Against Targeted House Dems Working?
Conservative groups have been targeting key House Democrats in an ad campaign to stop the health care bill. So how much of it is working — and how much of it is just annoying the offices involved? A key example in the last week has been from a group called the League of American Voters, headed up by Dick Morris. The group has run a set of ads against swing-seat Democrats who voted for the bill. Targeted members have been Mike Arcuri (NY), Chris Carney (PA), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA), Baron Hill (IN), Steve Kagen (WI), Paul Kanjorski (PA), Dan Maffei (NY), Alan Mollohan (WV), Tom Perriello (VA), Nick Rahall (WV), and Mark Schauer (MI). The ad was later changed after Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) complained that the ad claimed he had already voted for an excise tax on health care benefits, which was in the Senate bill and not the House version that he did in fact support. A Democratic leadership aide told TPMDC that the overall campaign against the bill could have a real impact, and criticized th