‘Harry and Louise’ Ads Set To Re-Emerge in 2008 Campaign
On Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., consumer advocacy and business groups plan to announce a multimillion-dollar national television advertising campaign that will feature "Harry and Louise" and seek to promote health care in the presidential election, the Detroit Free Press reports.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association, Families USA and the National Federation of Independent Business will sponsor the ads, which will air during Sunday morning news programs, as well as on national cable networks and Comedy Central, through the Democratic and Republican national conventions (Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 8/18).
In addition, the ads will appear on the Web site harryandlouisereturn.com (Frates, The Politico, 8/18).
In 1994, health insurers launched an ad campaign that featured "Harry and Louise" to help defeat the health care plan of former President Bill Clinton, but the new campaign will ask the two major presidential candidates to make health care their top domestic priority.
In the latest ads, Louise raises concerns about an individual who has cancer and lacks health insurance, and Harry says that "too many people are falling through the cracks." Louise adds, "Whoever the next president is, health care should be at the top of his agenda, bring everyone to the table and make it happen."
According to the AP/Kansas City Star, the new ad campaign "shows a shifting political landscape for overhauling the nation's health care system," with consumer advocacy and business groups "working together to stress that changes have to be made to deal with rising costs and the growing number of uninsured," but the "coalitions could prove fragile once candidates get beyond their campaign blueprints" (Freking, AP/Kansas City Star, 8/18).