Bill Moyers

“Cancer sells.” It’s not a maxim in general use among the Mad Men (and women) in advertising today. But where political TV spots are made — at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue — it’s been a regular if somewhat surprising touchstone in campaign ads this election cycle. Why? Health care is a top election issue, political ads aim to impact emotions, and — as Brian Rank, a Twin Cities oncologist, puts it — “cancer is an emotional microcosm of health care in the United States.” The ads range from hard-hitting to soft focus, some citing specific, individual cases while others take a broad-brush approach. Seven videos and more, after the jump.

Kevin Phillips, the former Nixon hand turned Wall Street/GOP critic, appeared on Bill Moyers Journal last Friday. It’s the best thing I’ve seen on television about the financial debacle unfolding this week–just as Phillips’ most recent book, Bad Money, is the best introduction to the perils of America’s financialized economy.

One of the worst kept secrets at this weekend’s National Conference for Media Reform at the Minneapolis Convention Center is that Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show sent a crew to record the “real nuts” who are advocating for changes in the media — “the furthest left people in the face of America,” according to O’Reilly. [...]