Ad War Heats Up As 100th Day Approaches

April 27, 2009 10:44 AM

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports:

With President Obama’s 100th day coming Wednesday, the TV airwaves are getting crowded from both sides of the political divide.

On Tuesday, a group called Conservatives for Patients’ Rights is launching a television ad campaign warning that the Democrats’ healthcare plan will strip Americans of the power to choose their own doctors. 

“It’s the first step in government control of your healthcare choices,” the ad says of a provision in the stimulus bill it claims will create a “national board of bureaucrats.”

The 60-second ad quotes British and Canadian doctors rejecting a healthcare approach that expands the federal government’s reach. A spokesman said the 60-second ad, which will debut on national cable stations, will be on the air for a month, funded by about $1 million.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is going up with its own, much smaller campaign marking the first 100 days.

The DNC ad -- also clocking in at 60 seconds -- uses the president’s own voice, as well as news clips, to tout accomplishments under the Obama administration. 

“Every child should be getting the kind of health care that they need,” the president says in the ad. “Now is the time to act boldly and wisely -- to not only revive this economy but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jump-start job creation, restart lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down.”

A DNC spokesman said the ad will run Tuesday and Wednesday on national cable stations and in the Washington, D.C., market, with an ad buy in the “five figures.”