MoveOn.Org...Is Funny?

Healthcare coverage and the hastle of forms
Healthcare coverage and the hastle of forms

The funny business of winning the hearts and minds of America.

MoveOn.org is not known for its sense of humor. But in its quest to promote the President's Health Care Plan, they've gone funny. Very funny. And very big.

No less than Will Ferrell and Thomas Lennon ("Reno 911") have teamed up with other stars, including Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), to make a tongue-in-cheek PSA in support of insurance company executives.

It launched today on Ferrell's Funny or DieWeb site.

"Something terrible is happening," Hamm begins the "Protect Insurance Companies PSA". "Health insurance executives are getting a bad rap," Ferrell chimes in. "People are saying a lot of mean things about health insurance companies and their executives," says an emotional Lennon, "and it's gotta stop."

Whether you think this is funny may depend on how you feel about the President's healthcare plan. The video reinforces the image of Hollywood's elite being liberal and anti-corporate, railing against the very companies which buy ad time on their shows to keep them employed. But if you support the plan and know people who are on the fence, this may be a potent weapon. At least it's generating buzz. Ferrell ends up, as always, with the best lines, like this one about how reform will deny insurance company CEOs their shot at the American Dream, with "a mini zoo in your backyard for exotic animals like a white tiger and pigmy horses."

By the way, for those of you following the saga of my mother, who wrote the White House about the President's desk and instead ended up on their email list for health care reform, she got another email from David Axelrod asking her to watch this video summing up health care in four minutes.

"Wonder why he thinks I want to watch this video about the President's health care program when I see the Obama plan every time I turn on my TV," mom wryly replied.

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