NYT: A Watchdog Sees Flaws in Bush's Ads on Medicare

[DeepModem Mom]

A Watchdog Sees Flaws in Bush's Ads on Medicare
By ROBERT PEAR

Published: March 11, 2004


WASHINGTON, March 10 — The General Accounting Office, an investigative arm of Congress, said on Wednesday that advertisements and brochures prepared by the Bush administration to publicize a new Medicare law, although not illegal, misrepresented the prescription drug benefits that would be offered to millions of elderly and disabled people.

The fliers and advertisements do not violate restrictions on the use of federal money for "publicity or propaganda purposes," but they are flawed by "omissions and other weaknesses," said the legal opinion by Anthony H. Gamboa, general counsel of the accounting office.

For example, Mr. Gamboa said, the administration did not point out that beneficiaries might be charged up to $30 for drug discount cards that become available in June. Likewise, he said, the administration incorrectly suggested that the law set a premium of $35 a month for drug coverage, beginning in 2006. That amount, he said, is only an estimate and ignores the penalties that could be imposed on people who delay enrolling.

The administration plans to spend more than $22 million on the advertisements and brochures, which publicize drug benefits, new coverage for preventive health services and new insurance options. Medicare officials said the advertisements and fliers were a way to educate beneficiaries, as the law requires.

Democrats said the advertisements were campaign commercials for President Bush, who has taken credit for delivering drug benefits long promised by lawmakers of both parties....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/11/politics/11MEDI.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Big Brother Loves You.

Medicare is your friend.

Terrorists are out to get you and your family.

BushCo will make your meds cheaply available
by subsidizing them with your tax dollars.

Then you will have nothing to worry about.

Soma uber alles.

[maddezmom]

2. if the taxpayers are going to pay for bush's election propaganda

at the very least you'd think it could be accurate. This kind of crap needs to get more media exposure. Going to fire off a few emails.

[ClintonTyree]

3. I'm SHOCKED!

Shocked I tell you, that the Bush administration would knowingly misrepresent their give away to the pharmacuetical companies. What next? Bush trying to take advantage of 9/11 for his own political gain?

[MaineDem]

4. Like THAT would ever happen

/sarcasm

:evilgrin:

[no_hypocrisy]

5. * is using my money to lie - again. I'm forced to pay taxes and he's

lying to me and to the public that has little or no access to contrary information that may lead to the truth of the matter.

[PATRICK]

6. Flushing another 22 mill

If you can negate the first impression and the persistence of false campaign material it would not only go a long way to leveling the playing field but actually work for us while destroying Bush's credibility.

IF it doesn't work at all it would become necessary for Bush to become even dirtier- and if that is expected that too becomes a backfire possibility.

Nothing left except wag the dog and some economic optimism that works enough to win points. WH credibility is staggering there too with Repubs scared about the implications and backlash against the GOP at large.

Only the media keeps this fiasco from self-imploding but the general sense among the populace is increasingly removing all of Bush's simplistic playing cards.

Even when Nixon was "expected" to be such and such, the hidden stuff and the wag the dog never seeped into the public awareness like today's presumptions. This way fearful beneficiaries of Bush and diehard loyalists will become increasingly dismayed, tactics and arguments increasingly ineffective.

Keep the heat on. Call the bluffs.

[Cooley Hurd]

7. Not only are they using taxpayer's $$$ for...

...what is clearly a Bush campaign ad, but they're being disingenuous in it too???

Yet they cry foul when Kerry calls them crooked. :eyes:

If irony were sea water, they'd drown...

[dbt]

8. "Flawed By Omissions"

What an apt description of the Regime--and every fucking network news broadcast since Gore announced he was running.

It also rather fits the justifications given roughly a year ago for launching the War For Profit In Iraq, no?

The United States of America, July 4, 1776-December 12, 2000: Flawed by omissions. Kinda catchy...

:freak:
dbt

[DeepModem Mom]

9. Adding papau's comments and additional articles...

from a locked dupe thread:

OF course the Usual Bush Media Whores like Washington Post's Ceci Connolly "The Bush administration did not overstep legal boundaries in its $12 million marketing campaign promoting the virtues of a new Medicare prescription drug package." and favorite GOP Wire News Service AP reports that Bush's Medicare ad campaign is legal although "somewhat political," are busy do today's cover-up.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/03/11/medicare_ad_camp... /

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47980-2004Mar10.html

Thanks, papau!
DMM