Oregon

This new health reform video produced by Colorado's Independence Institute (disclosure: my employer) is a great example of combining original research with short, viewer-friendly animation to convey a clear message about the dangers of greater government intervention in our health care.

It tells the story of Oregon's experience with Medicaid rationing, specifically how organized special interest groups were able to use their lobbying power to give higher priority to providing coverage for more politically correct treatments (eg, substance-abuse, birth control, weight loss) while treatments for others got lower priority or no coverage at all.

This video is a sequel to a similar animated piece on Obama Care that highlighted the dangers of health insurance mandates, using the Massachusetts story and a bus hitting

We need to keep framing the story with honest arguments based in real-world policy examples that are easily accessible to everyday voters. Yes, I'm biased, but this is excellent work from a state-level think tank -- I'd like to see more emulating this strategy.

Best practices from Oregon. -Patrick

Rick Dancer, the Republican nominee for Oregon Secretary of State, has been chronicling his campaign travels across the state via web videos on his campaign site. As a down ballot race for an office most people have no clue about what they do, Dancer is using his web videos to tell people about Oregon, give them exposure to who he is, and weave in campaign issues.

Dancer is also playing to his strengths: He's a former, longtime news anchor/reporter from Eugene.

His opponent is a longtime Democratic politician, State Sen. Kate Brown, who is the Senate Majority Leader. As a blue state, most pundits and insiders think she has it locked up after winning a four-way Democratic primary. She seems to think this as well: she seems to be coasting, her website hasn't been updated since the Primary and Dancer has outraised her significantly since then. 

Check out the pair on Gordon Smith.  His campaign’s new spot directly links him to Barack Obama in what is easily the most ballsy ad by a Senate incumbent so far this cycle.  The ad fits neatly into the excellent air campaign Smith has been running and what’s likely to be a wider trend among blue state Republicans of associating themselves with Obama or his message.  Colorado GOP Senate nominee Bob Schaffer also joined in on the fun this week by parroting Obama’s visuals and logo.