SALON

Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009 2:45 PM UTC

“If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery?”

MoveOn teams up with a group of actors for a satirical ad in favor of the status quo

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Topics: Healthcare Reform, War Room, MoveOn.org,

The liberal advocacy group MoveOn has teamed up with a group of actors led by Will Ferrell for a surprisingly effective ad — one that actually defends health insurance companies.

Of course, since it’s MoveOn, the ad is actually satirical and they’re mocking the insurance companies as a way of making the case for a public option. It goes a little over the top, and it’s not as funny — and maybe not as persuasive — as it could have been if it didn’t.

Still, it seems like a good move, strategically. In a situation like the healthcare reform debate, where people believe they may have to give up their current coverage, they become more attached to the plans they have now, no matter how they felt about them before. It’s a human nature thing — bird in the hand better than two in the bush, and so on. Reminding people that they really aren’t that happy with the status quo seems like a good way to combat that tendency.

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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On March 21, 2010, the House voted to approve a healthcare bill intended to overhaul the system and guarantee Americans access to health insurance. The vote was 219 to 213. Problem solved? Hardly.

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