The Heritage Foundation intended to use the August recess to create momentum for their anti-Obamacare message, but that didn’t go especially well. The Heritage Foundation hoped to convince congressional Republican leaders to shut down the government over the health care law, but that didn’t go well, either. The Heritage Foundation has tried to persuade the public to support defunding the federal health care system, but that too has been a bust.
So what’s next? Apparently, Heritage’s marketing geniuses believe the answer is in Times Square.
Brightly lit Times Square displays singing the praises of “Mamma Mia!” and “Wicked” find themselves with an unusual new companion this week, as the Heritage Foundation unveiled a billboard blasting Obamacare on 42nd Street.
The 90-foot-high, 67-foot-long billboard reads, “WARNING: Obamacare may be hazardous to your health,” and encourages viewers to support defunding the health-care law.
It’s not clear who, exactly, is supposed to be persuaded by the billboard. New York City tends to be a pretty progressive city, so I suppose Heritage intends to target tourists?
For that matter, as a substantive matter, I’ll be eager to hear how Heritage came to the conclusion that expanding access to affordable health care will be “hazardous” to Americans’ health.
And finally, let’s also not forget the most inconvenient detail of all: the Affordable Care Act is built on a reform blueprint written by — you guessed it — the Heritage Foundation, back when it was more of a think tank and less of a right-wing activist group.
Other than these pesky details, though, I’m sure Heritage’s conservative donors will see this extremely expensive billboard placement as money well spent, right?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."