A truly fascinating clip of video from a hearing today of the Colorado Legislative Health Benefit Exchange Implementation Review Committee. GOP Rep. Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs, who voted against the creation of the exchanges but nonetheless serves on this oversight committee, is apparently very upset about the Got Insurance? ads from a pair of Colorado nonprofits–upset enough, apparently, to plan legislation to "stop" such ads in the future. There's no official relationship between the Connect For Health Colorado insurance exchange and the nonprofit organizations who made those ads, of course, and Sen. Jessie Ulibarri responds to Gardner's comments by noting they are protected by the First Amendment.
That's not convincing to Rep. Gardner, who responds that although he is a "First Amendment purist," one can't "yell fire in a crowded theater," and in the case of commercial advertising, we can "impose some limits." Rep. Gardner apparently believes it's possible to make any promotion of the health insurance exchange, directions to it, or even mention thereof illegal without prior permission.
Gardner reportedly intends to use his "last bill number" (legislators are typically allowed to introduce five bills in a session) to introduce a bill to "stop" the "Brosurance" ads. Now, given some of the ridiculous bills that get introduced every year and go immediately to "kill committee," that's not really surprising. But in our experience, on of the surest ways to give something even wider exposure is to try to ban it.
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when in doubt, if anyone anywhere is doing something you don't like- LEGISLATE! More Government is lways the Answer!
You just don't understand the Republican rules: It doesn't count as oppressive government regulation when it is for a good cause like this.
Where are people seeing this ad? I've only seen it here, but I don't watch much local television. When I do, I use TIVO. I love that feature.
TIVO, you mean that new fangled thing that blinks 12:00 all the time?
The reason probably few on this site have seen the ads anywhere but here is because they are only using the preferred medium of those wild youngsters under 40 — social media — Twister, Flitter or some silly thing like that 😉
Thank you. I'll ask my kids.
The only thing I can do better than my husband tech wise is manage TV recordings. One time I told him, with a bit of feeling, he had just gone into real time for a movie we had paused, and he looked at me like I was deranged. Now he knows.
Really? You may have also seen them on obscure media outlets like USAToday, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, CNN, MSNBC, Conan O’Brien or even Fox News.
Good to know. When initially reported, I thought it was just social media since it was highly targeted, relatively cheap advertising.
They must have upped their ad buy.
Personally, I'm a marketer's worst nightmare. 100% ad-blind. Neither my wife nor I have the patience to sit through ads — print, TV or radio. We fast forward where we can, mute the sound, flip the page or switch channels whenever any ad comes on.
That would be in reported content? Actually, I guess it may also have been on on Stewart and Colbert. Thanks.
My twenty-something kids apparently don't see those outlets, and hadn't seen the ads. They liked them when I forwarded them, though. MSNBC does advertise the Colorado health exchange quite a bit, but the ads are targeted towards us old farts.
Typical GOP reply when they know they have lost…A kid's tantrum, un-befitting a sitting politician….A "First Amendment Purist?" I don't think so…
yelling fire in a crowded theatre…?
That gets a nod at the "false equivalency" fair. Maybe even the blue ribbon.
There's always a lover of the consitution in the crowd – until it's more convenient to ignore it for a higher cause, like thwarting the black guy's insurance reform law.
Because an ad in bad taste is CLEARLY like yelling fire in a crowded theater.
/sarcasm
"First amendment purist" Bob Gardner believes unlimited spending on elections is free speech. Not so much for cheeky commercials. But mostly it demonstrates what he is well known for–being a bully. This is a form of intimitation.
A myopic bully,at that…
Gardner also sponsored the bill restricting display and sales of marijuana magazines. http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/03/colorado-bill-would-force-merchants-to-h
That didn't turn out so well for him.
Ah, yes. Another action of a "first amendment purist"!
Ostatecznie czas na wypoczynek. Zaintrygowany? Zatem wejdź: sylwester. Portal internetowy, który opisujemy traktuje o odpoczynku oraz prezentuje propozycję, jakiej jeszcze przenigdy nie widziałeś.