Healthcare reform advocates get a boost from 'West Wing's' first couple in new ad

Now stumping for healthcare reform: two actors readers might instantly recognize as the stars of the Washington drama "West Wing" --President Jed Bartlett and first lady Abbey Bartlett.

In the advertisement, sponsored by Health Care for America Now, Martin Sheen and Stockard Channing (albeit not in character) ask voters to call their congressmen and urge them to support Democrats' healthcare bill, which is scheduled to come to a vote Saturday.

"Now we can finally fix healthcare once and for all," Sheen says, describing the plan's promise for reform.

"And you can make it happen. Take action today," adds Channing.

Politics aside, there's an interesting pop culture parallel here: Bartlett in the show supports some variation of a single-payer healthcare system, but he ultimately decides to shelve the idea once he reaches office. (Viewers learn this because a presidential candidate borrows heavily from an old speech he never delivered on his proposal for reform.)