Watchdog group names Sen. Chuck Grassley as third 'Insurance Puppet'

Online advertising campaign in Iowa and Washington, D.C. asks if health insurers are pulling the strings

Public Campaign Action Fund, a national campaign finance watchdog group, named Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) its third "Insurance Puppet" in an online advertising campaign targeting Iowa and Washington, D.C.

"Sen. Grassley has done all he can to derail passage of meaningful health care reform this year," said David Donnelly, Public Campaign Action Fund's national campaigns director. "The nearly half a million dollars he's received in campaign cash from health insurance interests and his close family ties to the industry certainly help explain his opposition to reform."

The campaign finance watchdog group has released an "Insurance Puppet" each day at InsurancePuppets.com since Tuesday this week in an effort to educate the public about the impact of the health insurance industry's campaign contributions on the health care debate. The industry has donated $17.7 million in campaign contributions to the Senators taking part in the current debate, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The online campaign uses both context words and search terms to deliver flash and text advertising to web users in the home state of each Senator and in Washington, D.C. One additional Senator will be named an "Insurance Puppet" on Friday. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were named the first two "Insurance Puppets."

"The millions in campaign contributions made by the health insurance industry to influence Congress is a prime example of why we need to transform the way campaigns are financed in this country," said Donnelly. "Congress must change the pay-to-play system and pass the Fair Elections Now Act."

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the Fair Elections Now Act in order to reduce the pressures of fundraising on federal candidates. It provides qualified candidates the option to run for office with a mixture of small donations and public funds.