Blue America Just Got An Urgent Message From Blanche Lincoln

Will the Insurance Industry lobbyists' expensive insurance be effective this time?

No, it wasn't a direct message, although she's probably thankful and relieved that we haven't run any more of our TV ads in a few weeks. Our pals at the PCCC polled for ad effectiveness and sent us a heartening message this morning. The TV spots-- all of which were paid for by contributions at the Blue America Campaign For Heath Care Choice page-- were seen by a startling 44% of Arkansas voters, including 47% of Democrats, our target audience. The message from Blanche referred to in the headline was a statement, couched in false Republican talking points about a government take over of health care, that she still won't support a public option." She's the only Democrat who has flatly stated that she would join the Republican filibuster of Employee Free Choice and on Capitol Hill her threat to do the same for Health Care Reform has encouraged Insurance industry lobbyists to demand deadly modifications to the legislation that will make the bill far more expensive and far less effective. Blanche Lincoln is a cancer on the country's hopes and aspirations. She is even more so a cancer on the hopes and aspirations of the working families in her own state.

A brand new poll that was released today, shows that 56% of all Arkansas citizens favor the public option Blanche is working so hard to kill. Among women that figure rises to 62% and among Democrats to a staggering 83%. Even one in 5 Republicans favor the public option! And 49% of Democrats say they would be less likely to vote fro her next year if she joins the Republican filibuster to kill the public option and stop health care reform in its tracks. So... time for some more ads.

Our old pals from Donkey On The Edge, who were responsible for the "David Dreier: Bush Rubber Stamp" campaign ads are creating a new ad campaign right now. We hope to increase the number of Democrats who have seen the health care ads from 47% to over 50%. I hope you'll give us a hand with that. Forcing Blanche Lincoln to commit to an up-or-down vote on health care, regardless of how she plans to vote on the bill itself, is the only way this bill will even get voted on.

Even more so than most of her colleagues, she's steeped in corruption. So far, in this electoral cycle alone the Medical-Industrial Complex has shoveled $427,950 into her re-election campaign, more than to any other member of Congress other than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. That's right, they've given her more than even their full time paid Senate shills like Arlen Specter ($324,410), Richard Burr ($275,032), Chuck Grassley ($248,560), Orrin Hatch ($217,187) or David Diapers Vitter ($141,350). Across her whole shameful career she's taken $1,724,658 in thinly-veiled bribes from this one sector alone-- and these guys aren't even close to being her main source of funding.

Our ads have helped bring down her favorability rating gigantically. That's something she understands. She's gotten her allies to ask us to stop. And we will, as soon as she commits to voting for cloture against the Republican filibuster of health care. Contributions will allow us to blanket Arkansas with our new ads. Even $10 and $20 donations add up, especially in a state like Arkansas where spots on television cost a small fraction of what they cost in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago or Dallas.