Like a scam artist who tries to make himself "judgment proof" by turning over all his assets to his wife, Americans for Prosperity has figured out a way to avoid getting fact-checked: don't offer any facts. Their latest ad, attacking Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, is an extraordinary exercise in nihilism. It features Jerry, a trucking company owner who would rather film TV ads than take time to learn about his health insurance situation:
We got a letter telling us that we were gonna be—you know, our current policy was gonna be cancelled. Even though I've seen reports where our insurance commissioner's granted another two-year extension, we've yet to receive anything telling us that we're gonna be extended.
It's like living in a haze. You don't know whether you're gonna have insurance, or whether you're gonna be able to afford your insurance. It was taken away from us. Or it was given back to us. Or it was taken ... we don't know what it's been now!
That's just brilliant. AFP
got body slammed for their last Obamacare horror story ad in Arkansas, after reporters pointed out that no plans had been cancelled, thanks to a waiver issued by the state's Insurance Department that grandfathered in existing policies until
2017.
So how does AFP respond? By finding a guy who, in spite of his exposure to the facts, insists he's still confused about his situation. You can't fact-check confusion! And there probably are plenty of Arkansans out there who are facing genuine uncertainty and don't have access to good information, so this ad may be effective in reaching such people.
But of course, a key reason why lots of folks are unsure of their health insurance options is the misinformation peddled by the likes of Americans for Prosperity. Sow confusion, then complain about the confusion. It's a plan worthy of an evil genius. And considering the Koch brothers are spending another $540,000 on this ad, they must be convinced that it's working.