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Politics

Would Obama Kiss Justin Bieber to Promote Healthcare.gov?

Nick Gillespie | 3.30.2014 9:24 AM

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Saturday Night Live parodied the lengths to which President Barack Obama has gone to sell his signature health care program, whose enrollment deadline is kinda/sorta this Monday. Cue Kim Khardashian, Harry Styles, and Justin Bieber.

Watch as hilarity—or is it simply reality?—ensues.

Meanwhile, presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett is in Hollywood trying to get creative types to put the wonders of mandatory insurance into their sitcoms, movies, and dramas:

"That's the cool thing," a host said to the presidential advisor. "You've been reaching out to people that are, you know, outside of the norm of what the president might work with. Who else are you working with? Like celebrities, personalities, things like that?"

"You name it," said Jarrett. "That's part of why I'm in L.A. I'm meeting with writers of various TV shows and movies to try to get it into the scripts." When Jarrett says "it into the scripts," she's referring to getting references to Obamacare, the president's signature legislation, into the scripts of TV shows and movies.

More here.

Anyone else remember the (righteous!) outrage over the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) getting involved in pushing drug-war messaging in TV and movies?

Update: "Obama Earns Money For U.S. By Appearing In Japanese Television Commercial"

Hat Tip: Yair Rosenberg's Twitter feed.

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Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

PoliticsNanny StateWar on DrugsCultureCivil LibertiesPolicyObamacareBarack ObamaDrugsHealth Care
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  1. Suthenboy   11 years ago

    "Would Obama Kiss Justin Bieber to Promote Healthcare.gov?"

    I would pay good money not to see that.

    Jarrett really has no idea what she is saying, does she? My guess is that neither do the people she is meeting with. Government co-opting the entertainment industry for propaganda purposes is one reason I rarely watch television.

  2. General Butt Naked   11 years ago

    Would Obama Kiss Justin Bieber to Promote Healthcare.gov?

    No. That would require him actually doing something that doesn't cost taxpayers.

    What he'll do instead is spend countless millions on radio and teevee ads with fresh faced, earnest youngsters rappin' about how really cool and totes necessary health insurance is.

    At work we either listen to the alternative rock or classic rock station and there's a obamacare ad on at least twice per break. The ads are so hamfisted and obvious that they may as well tack some reefer scare scare stories on the ends. One has sammy hagar mumbling through his bro-fat some bullshit about how important it is for us rockers to get adequate insurance. Yup. Totally not making that up.

    We're doomed.

    1. pan fried wylie   11 years ago

      rappin' about how really cool and totes necessary health insurance is

      And how they're FINALLY able to pay money for a good that was already available for sale.

      I'm so glad magic johnson and other basketball players who have never had to worry about affording insurance premiums can get in on the action of lying to consumers.

      I hope johnson gets AIDS. errr, I mean, cancer.

  3. RishJoMo   11 years ago

    Obama like most US politicians is for sale to the highest bidder.

    http://www.GotzAnon.tk

  4. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    He can kiss my ass.

    1. Aloysious   11 years ago

      Justin Bieber or Obama? Either way... nope. Do. Not. Want (to see).

  5. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    One has sammy hagar mumbling through his bro-fat some bullshit about how important it is for us rockers to get adequate insurance.

    "If you can't drive 55, you'd better have good insurance. When the cop tazes you repeatedly and beats you into a coma on the side of the road, you're gonna need it."

    1. SusanM   11 years ago

      I feel no guilt blaming him for "When It's Love" now.

  6. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    "Anecdotally, we hear health costs are going down." -some asshole on Meet the Press.

    Well, then. What are we worrying about?

    "I heard a guy say he went to the doctor and did not have to file bankruptcy. QED, motherfuckers."

  7. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    OH, NOES! Teh KOCHTOPUS is wrecking democracy!

    Again.

    Still.

    1. Scarecrow Repair   11 years ago

      Do you by any chance also read TheTruthAboutGuns?

  8. Sevo   11 years ago

    No. He'd make Sebilius do it.

  9. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    Do you by any chance also read TheTruthAboutGuns?

    Not on a regular basis.

  10. Hydra   11 years ago

    You do realize that this SNL skit is intended to help Obama's drive for signups, right? And that Obama is portrayed as a reasonable guy who's surrounded by clueless and overenthusiastic helpers? And that it's sprinkled with his propaganda about how important the health care law is for the American people?

    Way to help the powers that be by posting it here, fellas.

    1. dantheserene   11 years ago

      Somehow I don't think anyone here is going to be swayed by the skit, though they will certainly laugh at it.

  11. Byte Me   11 years ago

    "That's part of why I'm in L.A. I'm meeting with writers of various TV shows and movies to try to get it into the scripts."

    Yea, because we need MOAR statist propaganda in our entertainment.

    1. Red Rocks Rockin   11 years ago

      I like how there's this presumption on Jarrett's part that they weren't going to do so anyway.

  12. crazydaisy   11 years ago

    Oh geez. This is frightening las vegas care center

  13. bethle nike free quin   10 years ago

    Justin Bieber was a clever singer but nowadays he has changed a lot . Cue Kim Khardashian, Harry Styles and Justin Bieber attended health care program

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