Family Research Council to launch anti-health bill ads targeted at centrist sens.

The socially conservative Family Research Council (FRC) will air television ads in states home to centrist senators decrying the cost of healthcare reform legislation.

The 30-second spot features a grandfather and grandson. The little boy asks his grandfather "will your surgery cost a lot of money?" The grandfather replies, "Yes, but it's free. The government is taking care of it." The boy responds, "Daddy says nothing is for free. Who is paying for it?" His grandpa explains that his grandson will pay for it - and says "You're late for work."

"Government run health care will leave our children to pay for over $1 trillion of additional debt," continues the narrator as the child leaves the house to begin his work day. "They better grow up quickly," concludes the narrator.

The ad debuted in Washington, D.C. today and will appear in Louisiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Maine. A group of key centrist senators hail from those states:

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Specter is considered a moderate, but has indicated support for a strong public health insurance option. On Tuesday, Landrieu said that the Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill was the best of the five different healthcare bills in Congress, but today echoed Republican criticisms of the public option. 

The Finance proposal is the only bill that does not include a public option. Sens. Collins and Snowe are also being courted by Democratic leaders for their support on a final bill. Snowe helped vote the Finance proposal out of committee, but has appeared cold toward the public option. 

The House in in the process of merging its three bills and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is leading the merger process in the Senate alongside White House aides. The other Senate proposal, which passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, contains a public option favored by liberals.

The ad: