Posted on 12/01/2010 8:56:36 AM PST by jazusamo
Complete title: Judicial Watch Obtains Documents from Obama Administration Detailing Actor Andy Griffith’s “Misleading” Medicare Advertisements
Obama Administration Spent $3,184,000 in Taxpayer Dollars on Advertising Program Deemed “Misleading” by Non-Partisan FactCheck.org
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Obama Department of Health and Human Services regarding a series of three Medicare television advertisements featuring actor Andy Griffith, which were deemed misleading by a number of press outlets, including the nonpartisan FactCheck.org. The Obama Administration spent $3,184,000 in taxpayer funds to produce and air the advertisements on national television in September and October of 2010 to educate “Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and family members about forthcoming changes to Medicare as a result of the Affordable Care Act.” According to the documents released to Judicial Watch:
“Mr. Griffith is featured in three Medicare television ads and provided his services to the government at no charge pursuant to a gratuitous services agreement. These three spots, ‘1965,’ ‘Music to My Ears,’ and ‘Cozy Chair,’ are only airing in September and October 2010. The production for the three advertisements cost $404,000; the total amount budgeted for the national media placement is $2.78 million, which breaks down per ad to $754,000 (‘1965’), $1,112,000 (‘Music to My Ears’), and $1,390,000 (‘Cozy Chair’).”
In press statements touting the new Griffith advertising program the Obama White House described its purpose: “The Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] will strengthen the health care system for all Americans, but senior citizens in particular stand to benefit from the new law. And the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is getting a little help delivering the good news from a well-known TV star: Andy Griffith.” However, according to FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, the advertisements intentionally misinform the American people:
“Would the sheriff of Mayberry mislead you about Medicare? Alas, yes. In a new TV spot from the Obama administration, actor Andy Griffith, famous for his 1960s portrayal of the top law enforcement official in the fictional town of Mayberry, N.C., touts benefits of the new health care law. Griffith tells his fellow senior citizens, ‘like always, we’ll have our guaranteed [Medicare] benefits.’ But the truth is that the new [Obamacare] law is guaranteed to result in benefit cuts for one class of Medicare beneficiaries — those in private Medicare Advantage plans.”
The new documents show the public relations firm Porter Novelli produced the advertising campaign. One of these documents lists the Porter Novelli staff involved in producing the advertisements and details that former Obama campaign spokesperson Catherine “Kiki” McLean contributed 21 hours of her time to the project. Porter Novelli’s website notes McLean served as a “senior adviser to the Hillary Clinton for President campaign and appeared as an on-air surrogate for the Obama for America campaign.” She is currently the Senior Partner, Global Head of Public Affairs, and Managing Director for Porter Novelli.
“Taxpayers don’t want their money wasted on propaganda for Obamacare. And it is a scandal that an Obama insider is involved in the contract for these misleading ads,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Taxpayers and Congress should be upset the Obama administration wastes millions of taxpayer dollars on this propaganda campaign at a time when the government desperately needs to tighten its belt. Even Barney Fife would see that these Obamacare ads are bogus.”
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Mayberry 2010, Sheriff Taylor has gone senile.
He's less Sheriff of Mayberry than he is "Lonesome" Rhodes lately.
Andy is a UNC grad stooge, senile old bastard.
Don’t confuse Andy Griffith with Andy Taylor.
They have little in common.
Yeah, that whole Andy Griffith and Opie thing was very disappointing. Andy - too old to make a difference on my boycott list. Ron Howard, that one hurt - not as much as the Mel Gibson rant - but still, it hurt.
Agreed, he went senile when Obama was still a senator, those campaign ads he made for the Won were sickening.
Griffith and Ron Howard have gong flaming lib.
Can you imagine their mentality now in Mayberry then?
Pa: Now Opie, Miss Crump said you were acting up today in class, how come?
Opie: Pa, we’re reading a book about a bunch of gay kids getting bullied. Some of the other kids in the class were laughing because I didn’t know what a banana hammock was.
Pa: Well ope, here let me show you...
Aunt Bea: Andy, don’t you dare drop your drawers in the living room, the ladies bridge club is coming over at any moment now.
There are two ads, one is a PSA, female speaker representing Medicare, instructing us to snitch on each other regarding Medicare fraud.
The second ad sounds similiar to one of those “get out of debt free” scams, but it’s offering big bucks to people who snitch on their neighbor for frauding the government. I’m not sure it isn’t government sponsored.
Talk about rebirth of the USSR!! I don’t know how to get peoples attention...there so many attacks on our freedoms.
” these Obamacare ads are bogus.”
Hey! I had nothin’ to do with these ads!
Exactly!
My wife likes to watch those reruns. After a while I noticed something and pointed it out to her. In nearly every episode Andy's way of dealing with a problem or conflict is to tell a lie. I told her he's a bad influence.
LOL! We know! :)
The whole show was cute but...the characters were FICTIONAL!!!
We knew Sheriff Taylor and Opie...
However, Andy Griffith is NO SHERIFF TAYLOR and certainly litel cute Ron Howard was NO Opie or RICHIE either for that matter.
They were actors which means they are not real. They PLAY someone else for money. Plain and simple.
Andy Griffith never impressed me as himself. So, remember everyone...a show is a show with ACTORS PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE. They are NOT!
And I really HATE IT when I find out that OUR TAX DOLLARS are being used in ads that LIE to us.
HA! My MIL has watched every episode of Mayberry at least ten times and still watches them. If she’s watching one you bettter not get between the TV and her, it’s down right dangerous. :)
I very often used to take time out and watch an “Andy Griffith Show” rerun, whenever I’d happen to encounter one on TV-Land or the local independent station. No longer. After his repellent shilling of Obamacare, I just can’t stomach the sight of him.
I used to really enjoy that show. Heck my Mom loved Matlock. I am glad she is not here to see he is a lib. Another TV show I will not watch anymore. The list grows!
Correct, but sadly many people don’t realize that. The thing that isn’t fictional here is over $3 million of taxpayer money being spent on lying propaganda which Obama is famous for, like in the millions wasted on the stimulus propaganda signs.
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