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Exclusive: DCCC Launches Digital Ads Against Costello and Meehan

repealexemption_insta_costelloThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is launching a new digital ad campaign against Congressmen Ryan Costello (R-Chester) and Pat Meehan (R-Delaware) over amendment introduced late last night by New Jersey Congressman Tom MacArthur (R-Morris).  

The amendment revives the Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  According to the DCCC, the amendment will allow states to opt out of requirement in the ACA that insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions.  The DCCC also says the amendment would allow member of congress and their staff to maintain the pre-existing condition protections even if their state opts out.  

repealexemption_insta_meehan“As proof of the repeal bill’s devastating impact, Representative Costello and Meehan are exempting themselves from the punishment they are willing to inflict on their constituents. This digital ad campaign will educate voters in targeted districts about this morally bankrupt Congressional Carveout,” DCCC Spokesman Evan Lukaske said in a statement.  

The ads will run on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Ad campaigns like this are not often used to move the needle of support on an issue, but rather help fire up the base and get them engaged, and to generate media coverage.  

Costello’s campaign hit back at the DCCC, pointing to his record and going on the offensive against the Democrats.  

“Congressman Costello is focused on working hard for his constituents.  If Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies want to waste money by spreading lies about the congressman’s record, that is their prerogative. After all isn’t wasting money and lying what DC liberals do best,” Costello campaign senior advisor Vince Galko said in an email.  

Costello and Meehan are two of four Republicans targeted by the DCCC for 2018.  Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) and Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) are the other two.  

PoliticsPA reached out to Meehan’s campaign for comment.

Update: The National Republican Congressional Committee responded to the ads.

“It’s shocking that Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies would claim to have any credibility left as they sit in Washington watching Obamacare collapse around them. Democrats are desperate to deflect attention away from their failed record – which has caused premiums to skyrocket, restricted choices for consumers, and suffocated small businesses with higher taxes and more regulations,” NRCC Regional Press Secretary Chris Martin said in an email.

7 Responses

  1. Latest, 28 April: See the updates in today’s PoliticsPA.com, in which both Costello and Meehan voice their disapproval of the MacArthur Amendment.

    This latest DCCC attack on the two for purportedly supporting MacArthur’s amendment is thus shown to be what it is: one more attempt by the shrinking Democratic party to support its narrative by weaving false accusations out of wholecloth and slime.

  2. @cpod. No issue with what MacArthur said. The issue is what Costello and Meehan didn’t say.

    Read my comment again–this was about the DCCC using MacArthur’s amendment to smear Costello and Meehan. It’s an old dodge, of course: guilt by association.

  3. Actually Seneca, that ad is substantiated. Congress put in an amendment in their replacement for the ACA; The AHCA MacArthur amendment exempts congressional staff from the loss of benefits this amendment promotes.

    If your state waives protections for maternity care …

  4. Seneca, that is substantiated. The
    GOP added an amendment onto their very cruel healthcare bill:

    The AHCA MacArthur amendment exempts congressional staff from the loss of benefits this amendment promotes.

    If your state waives protections for maternity care …

  5. They’ll have to be better than this. Mssrs. Costello and Meehan can simply ask “Please substantiate your claims” and the DCCC will have nothing. But it won’t get to that. The claim is to support the Democratic Party narrative. It needs neither honesty nor accuracy, just partisanship. And the attention of the media.

    Thanks to Paul Engelkiemier for calling it: “Ad campaigns like this are not often used to move the needle of support on an issue, but rather help fire up the base and get them engaged, and to generate media coverage.”

    It has certainly generated media coverage, at least in PoliticsPA.com, and negative at that. But that is no concern to the Democrats. Negative media coverage for them often is less effective than a man with a broken shovel trying to clean the Augean stables.

  6. Typical myopic talking points repeated ad nauseam. How about the same health care that Federal and Pennsylvania State elected reps. provide for themselves? Or no health for everyone? LOL

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