WH using taxpayer money to fund ad for Medicare bill! How to protest.

[madfloridian]

http://www.retiredamericans.org/

This group continues to fight this awful Medicare bill, and I think they are starting to make a difference. I called my Republican congressman about the fact that it would cut cancer drug availability, and he wrote back that he would fight against that.

You can go here to send a letter to your congressmen. If you know people who are looking for a good group to join instead of AARP, direct them here. Many of us locally have been in direct contact with them, and they are building membership rapidly.

Very activist, and very for the people.

[pinto]

1. thanks, I'd forgotten the name............n/t

[hedda_foil]

2. Thanks, madfloridian.

I just got back from there and was about to post this but you beat me to it! This is a great organization.

[Greyskye]

3. Thanks for the link...

That's just obscene!

[madfloridian]

5. The bill is obscene as well.

This group is actively working against it, and trying to keep up with all the new members they have gotten from AARP.

I asked a direct question of Senator Graham's office about the fact that insurance companies can now drop those already covered. His office simply did not know, could not answer the question as to how soon. At least he voted against it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Done and done

great site and sounds like a great organization!

[madfloridian]

6. Yes, they are great.

One of local Dems is working with them to start a branch here on the ground, and another is working to help them start a pharmaceutical type of thing. They are having to grow in a hurry.

I have talked with them on the phone and helped provide input about the bill as best any of us know about it.

We have written letters to the editors about this group as well. The paper would not print their contact stats as I guess it would be considered an ad. But when the letters were printed our phones rang off the hook for days wanting the phone number.

[papau]

7. Moveon email with email link to CBS media sales to protest

We didn't think the hypocrisy at CBS headquarters could get any worse. But it just did.

As you know, CBS refused to run MoveOn Voter Fund's "Child's Pay" ad -- perhaps the most tasteful and uncontroversial advocacy ad in history -- during the Super Bowl. CBS executives claimed they had a blanket policy against all so-called "issue" ads.

Yesterday, we learned that the network plans to broadcast an ad promoting the Bush Medicare prescription drug law. This is part of a $13 million taxpayer-financed TV campaign to take the heat off the White House for pushing through a drug plan that benefits drug companies and insurance companies more than Medicare recipients.

The White House ad features the tagline "Same Medicare. More Benefits." But a report by Consumers Union last month said that most people covered by Medicare will wind up spending more for prescription drugs, as a result of the provisions in the law which favor drug companies. According to the Washington Post, the campaign is intended "to counteract Democratic criticism that changes to the (Medicare) program will harm older Americans."

If that isn't a controversial issue ad, we don't know what is. But since CBS appears to be changing its policy, our Voter Fund has submitted our own Medicare ad which exposes the facts behind this spin campaign to run on CBS. So far, we haven't heard back. Please give CBS a call today to let them know that they need to either pull the White House ads or run ours.

You can reach CBS at:

Phone:
CBS Comment Line
[phone]

Email:
[e-mail]

Web form:
http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml

After you've called or emailed, please help us track the number of calls and emails that are pouring in by going to:
http://www.moveonvoterfund.org/cbs.html?id=2300-3047713-3VNj3QuWiLlel6qANrbm5Q

We're spreading out the calls across a number of relevant CBS numbers, so hopefully you won't get a busy signal. Also, we have no quarrel with CBS News or any CBS journalists, who have actually given fair coverage to CBS Corporate's unfair decision. Please don't call the CBS news desk.

There's another issue involved here that needs to be taken very seriously: if Bush's Medicare ad is intended to function as a campaign ad (and that clearly appears to be the case) then this may constitute a criminal election law violation. In fact, the ad company which made the ad which will air on CBS also works for the Bush/Cheney re-election committee. We've put in a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Health and Human Services to begin the process of establishing the facts in this case.

For now, help us hold CBS accountable by asking them to stop running the Bush Medicare ad -- or to accept ours.