Healthcare Overhaul 2009
Summary:
Betsy McCaughey, former Lieutenant Governor of New York State, presented a powerful argument against the proposed White House healthcare reform plan that was coming up for vote in July 2009, which she said was based on the European “medical scarcity” model. DDC was hired to make her challenge heard by legislators and the public in the few short weeks remaining before the vote. The campaign hinged on the truth that “the devil’s in the details.” Dr. McCaughey, a patient advocate and founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, had studied the proposed bills more thoroughly than anyone on either side of the aisle, and was prepared to expose what she felt were very real risks to the American public, especially to seniors.
Strategy:
DDC leveraged McCaughey’s incisive OpEds in the Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator, Bloomberg, and New York Post to book her on top radio talk and network and cable TV shows including CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight and American Morning, Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends, Hannity and Glenn Beck, as well as a spirited spar-fest with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show.
Results:
As the major opponent to Hillary Clinton’s health plan in the 1990s, McCaughey was known to pack a formidable punch. A Ph.D. in U.S. constitutional history, McCaughey’s in-depth arguments provided a healthy counter-balance in the national healthcare debate. Her efforts helped prevent a hasty rush to vote before all the details were exposed and properly examined, ensuring the American people got the plan they thought they were getting.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart segment featuring Betsy McCaughey is at www.thedailyshow.com
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon – Thurs 11p / 10c
