Meet Harry and Louise's friend, Shona Holmes

Just when it was beginning to look like passing Healthcare Reform was inevitable this time around, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that two organizations are already running ads to derail the President’s plan. Of course, unless you’re traveling to places like Montana, Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Indiana, Alaska, Nebraska or Washington, D.C., you probably won’t see them. That’s because organizations like Americans for Prosperity Foundation (who brought us the April 15th Taxpayer Tea Party) and Conservatives for Patients’ Rights are spending, respectively, $1.7 million and $20 million on ad campaigns that will run in “battleground states” where their lawmakers are considered “influential” in the healthcare debate, and, of course, in the Beltway.

Since California didn’t make the cut, we’ve brought them to you here. The first features a Canadian, Shona Holmes, who says she would have died had she not had access to the U.S. healthcare system (the Mayo Clinic). She closes the 30-second spot with: “Government healthcare isn’t the answer, and it sure isn’t free. My advice to Americans: as patients, it’s your care. Don’t give up your rights.” It’s powerful, and gets five stars from its youtube viewers. For the benefit of those living in the other 32 states, FOX News interviewed the Toronto-based brain cancer survivor in a pretty compelling five-minute news segment. As the anchor says, the fear – particularly with the Public Health Plan – is that “Government healthcare for some will turn into government healthcare for all.”

So here’s the ad, and here’s the FOX News segment.

The first 30-second ad from Conservatives for Patients’ Rights features its Chairman, Rick Scott. Yes, the Rick Scott of Columbia Hospital fame. While not as personally compelling as Shona Holmes, Rick is putting $5 million of his own money into his quest to stop the Obama Health Reform Plan, along with $15 million in OPM. Here’s his spot (it only rates 2.5 stars), but this Sunday, his full 30-minute version, warning that the Obama plan will be a Socialized solution, akin to those found in Britain and Canada, will air in D.C. Oh, and the agency behind it is CRC Public Relations, the masterminds of – you guessed it – Harry and Louise.