A lot of Americans get bankrupted with medical bills these
days, even if they have health insurance coverage. This was one of the problems
“Obamacare” was created to try to fix. But most of us know that apparently over
half of the country is opposed to “Obamacare”, so I would suggest that the
Democrats need to do something to convince people this healthcare law will help
them. The fact is, as far as I’m aware, “Obamacare” has had the unintended
effect of raising health insurance premiums significantly for most people, but what if this
cost increase would make it so nobody would go bankrupt from medical costs
anymore regardless of circumstance? That would be good, right?
So, how do you communicate the idea that medical bills could
destroy your life? Well, I’d say to do it with a super villain. After all, what
are the highest grossing movies these days? Why, they’re superhero movies,
aren’t they (for the most part)? So then we all know without a doubt that
Americans respond well to good vs. evil scenarios, and especially with things
hyperbolic and exaggerated. Well, when regular people do this, they’re called
to task for it, but if it’s a comic book scenario, I think people would give it
a break, especially if it’s entertaining and pithy. And so a comic book-style villain
might be a good way of doing it.
So here’s my suggestion for the Democrats to help sell
“Obamacare”: Create an ad with a super villain called “Medical Bill”, who comes
and steals everyone’s life savings for medical costs. Medical Bill would be a
sort of Western-themed villain with a black hat and mustache like that “you
must pay the rent” villain we all know, wearing a thick golden stethoscope with
a huge diamond-encrusted dollar sign medallion at the end of it, and a big
white lab coat with money bulging from the pockets, and he’d have vacuum
cleaner hoses for arms, and he’d kick in people’s doors and suck up all their
valuables, break into their safety deposit bank vaults and suck up all their
wealth, etc. And Medical Bill could ride a big elephant (to represent
Republicans who oppose this law: although I’d say that’s a cheap shot myself,
even though I thought of it) instead of a horse. Or how about a hot rod
ambulance, so he looks like that Big Daddy Roth drawing of the monster bulging
out of a hot rod car? (He could also have one of those laughing gas tanks with
an anesthesia mask, and he could inhale the gas and laugh while he’s robbing
everyone, like Frank Booth in Blue Velvet.)
In any case, I think this would be a good manner in which to
communicate the idea that “Obamacare” will help prevent families with health
emergencies from going broke due to medical issues, at least from an
advertising standpoint. Whether or not it’s an accurate account of what
“Obamacare” will do is another matter (I hope it’s accurate, however); but
that’s not the concern of political ads: they’re merely propaganda designed to
trick people into, um, I mean, convince people to vote for a specific candidate
or party. Right?
(I don’t know what
has made me so cynical about politics. Please forgive me.)
