Public Campaign Action Fund names Sen. Joe Lieberman its second 'Insurance Puppet'

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

Public Campaign Action Fund, a national campaign finance watchdog group, named Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) its second "Insurance Puppet" in an online advertising campaign targeting Connecticut and Washington, D.C.

"Senator Lieberman has received $448,066 in campaign contributions from the health insurance industry during his time in Washington," said David Donnelly, Public Campaign Action Fund's national campaigns director. "With so much money from the industry filling his campaign coffers, it's not surprising that Lieberman has spent the last year parroting any and all insurance industry talking points he could find."

The campaign finance watchdog group will release an "Insurance Puppet" each day at InsurancePuppets.com for the rest of the 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 will use 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. Additional Senators will be named "Insurance Puppets" on Thursday and Friday. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was named the first "Insurance Puppet" on Tuesday.

"The current debate over health care legislation is a prime example of the influence of money in our political process," said Donnelly. "It's time to dramatically alter the way campaigns are financed in this country by passing 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.