This Hillary Clinton campaign advertisement revolves around her numerous health cars plans and her commitment to universal healthcare. She wants to show that she has consistently stood by the health care and she will be the only candidate that will continue to do so. She wants to remind voters of her universal health care plan. It also mentions her support for health care for Ground Zero workers, National Guard members, and Reservists. The ad is shot in black and white with just the words “Universal Healthcare” in red and blue on a homemade sign from a rally. There is no mention of political parties or other people who would benefit from universal healthcare. The time period that she spent working on health care is not specifically mentioned and it does not mention that her first attempt to pass this plan failed.
This ad ran in both New Hampshire and Iowa. This ad was approved by Hillary Clinton and paid for by “Hillary Clinton for President.” This commercial is also available online at hillaryclinton.com and YouTube.
Each claim that is made in this ad can be substantiate. The six million children that Clinton claims to have helped get health insurance is a result of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) started in 1997. It was initially sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy in partnership with Clinton while she was First Lady. By 2006, 6.9 million children were covered by SCHIP.(1) Clinton has also sponsored bills (S. 120 and S. 210)(2) to establish a grant program for those still suffering health effects from the September 11, 2001 attacks. In December 2001 Clinton worked to establish the World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program run by Mt. Sinai. It was a $12 million program that monitored and tracked the health of 9/11 workers. She then worked to get a $90 million extension on the plan to include more workers and then got an additional $125 million for long-term medical and mental health monitoring and treatment in addition to workers and compensation benefits.(3) Hillaryclinton.com also states that during Clinton’s time as a senator, she worked to get legislation passed to support those serving on the National Guard and Reservists.
The color of this ad is particularly interesting because it is not widely used in political ads. This advertisement is shot in black and white with only a homemade poster saying “Universal Healthcare” colored in blue and red. The black and white represents the seriousness of the subject and the importance Clinton puts on this issue. The colors symbolize the American way. It makes it seem as if Universal Healthcare is an American right and something that should bring hope to people. Putting those words in color and patriotic colors is a strong reminder that this is Clinton’s primary concern going into this election. The colored sign was also symbolic because a constituent was holding it. The most powerful image for Senator Clinton is that she is always standing. This coincides with the voice over which uses a form of the word “stand” to describe Clinton’s consistency when supporting health care for a variety of publics. Not only do the visuals and claims match, her positioning makes her seem powerful and strong. It demonstrates that she will not waver from the political stances she has aligned herself with throughout her years in Washington. The ad ends with “So now that almost every candidate is standing up for health care for all, which one do you think will never back down?” There is no one candidate that is directly attacked by name. Instead, she compares herself to the gamut and claims that she will stand above all on this issue. This is a subtle attack ad that places Clinton ahead of the rest. No political party was mentioned, and it extends past Democratic Party lines. It implies that she is the only candidate that truly stands out for this cause. There are also images of Hillary being proactive. There is a picture of her with a mask on at Ground Zero, hugging a soldier, and also a shot from behind of her standing giving a speech, presumably about health care. Each of these images invokes feelings of human compassion. It shows that she did not sit in Washington and try to get things done; she went out and saw the problems firsthand. It shows that she is one of the “people.” Along with these images, there are also still pictures of a child, Ground Zero workers, and a man walking down a hospital hall on crutches, presumably a National Guard or Reservist. All of these visual aspects coincide with the words being said. The three groups mentioned in this commercial are emotionally charged and were most likely chosen because they are part of important American values.
There was no response from the Clinton camp about this reporting. Knowing all of this, it can best be assumed that Clinton puts health care above other issues that get brought to the Senate. Since she has been in Washington, Clinton has worked to improve healthcare for all, including trying to instate universal healthcare.
On Good Morning America, when asked about how this healthcare effort would be better than the last time, Clinton responded, “I believe we’re in a better position today to do that than we were in ’93 and ’94….It’s one of the reasons I’m running for president.”(4) Clinton consistently votes for health care reform and has been working for universal healthcare for 14 years.
Looking at the Utilitarian theory, this advertisement demonstrates that Hillary Clinton actually does want the greatest good for the greatest number of people. A universal healthcare plan works to help those who cannot afford insurance to receive the healthcare that they need. She also is working to not allow insurance companies to raise premiums for people who are already sick. While critics will say that this plan is too expensive, will force healthy people to pay for the sick, as well as for illegal immigrants’ children. In reality though, there is a large amount of people who will benefit from this program. She is loyal to the good of the people. It is important for Clinton to keep the American people at the forefront of this campaign and by making healthcare her primary issue she accomplishes this.
Using the TARES test, one can see that this is an ethical ad. For truthfulness, even with the omissions, a reasonable person could understand the claims. The only visual that is a little questionable is the man walking down the hospital hall on crutches. Even with this visual though, the claims made are not deceptive, and an autonomous person would assume that this person was in the military. With Authenticity, this ad is needed during times of an election because this is one way that people receive their information regarding candidates. Advertisements are one avenue for people to get information that they need to make the decisions that will guide their voting behavior. Therefore, this ad is sincere and important. Respect for the viewer is also apparent. Hillary Clinton takes full responsibility for the claims in the ad and each claim can be substantiated. It can be assumed that viewers would not have to have extensive knowledge of her voting record or politics involved to understand the advertisement. The equity test holds true. The fact that this ad is about a socially responsible topic and encourages a discussion about the issue, it would pass the Social Responsibility test. It allows people to not only see what Clinton is doing for the social good, but it also allows them to take the information and make their own decisions. Therefore, this ad is ethical and should run."
Sources cited:
1. US Department of Health and Human Services. 2006 CMS Statistics. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CapMarketUpdates/Downloads/2006CMSstat.pdf.
2. Bills and Resolutions. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery.
3. 9/11 Health Effects. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/911. 4. Glover, M. (2007). Clinton Touts Universal Health Care Plan. The Washington Post, Retrieved October 31, 2007 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR200703...
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