Big Union Blitzes Battlegrounds With Unusual 13-Minute DVD Attacking McCain Health Care Plan

In an unusual move, one of the largest unions supporting Barack Obama is blitzing some 250,000 senior households in the battleground states with a 13-minute DVD that's solely devoted to attacking John McCain's health care plan in a level of detail that far outdoes your typical direct mail piece.

Here's a first look at the DVD, which has been sent out to the quarter-million households in 18 battleground states by the Service Employees International Union and was sent our way by an SEIU official:

What's interesting about the union's investment in a campaign of this kind is that it's banking on the willingness of voters to sit through a 13-minute policy discussion -- a pretty big gamble in our sound-bite era. It reflects a conviction that the state of our economy has left the election so issue-focused and left voters so hungry for real solutions that they'll willingly muster the attention span required to absorb the DVD's message.

The DVD -- whose existence was previously known about but hadn't reached reporters yet -- offers a very detailed policy critique of McCain's plan. It watches like a documentary, with footage of McCain and lots of interviews with ordinary voters about their health care problems. It also digs deep into the record to accuse McCain of voting against seniors' interests on health care in multiple ways.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/big_union_blitzes_battleground.php

It is more complex than I'd thought, although the key elements are clear --

make health benefits into TAXABLE INCOME

cut 1.3 trillion of the Medicare budget

give a credit (aka rebate) of $2500 indiv. /$5000 family to go directly to an insurance company, toward the purchase of health insurance. That doesn't even pay for half a year of my coverage.


-------------
Not sure if they noted that McShame wants to do all this while preserving the Bush tax cuts for the super rich.

many households would be willing to view a 13 minute video that provides answers.

Not a gamble in my opinion.

Excellent!

I did a post about McCain's health proposal and how dangerous it is!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7394212