AFL-CIO aims at centrist Dems over 'Cadillac tax'

The AFL-CIO's new TV ad is set to take aim at centrist Democrats over the Senate healthcare bill's taxes on insurance plans.

The ad, which pushes the Senate to remove the so-called "Cadillac tax" on high-value insurance policies, will begin running Monday in Delaware, Indiana, and Virginia.

Those states are home to centrist Democratic Senators Tom Carper (Del.), Evan Bayh (Ind.), Jim Webb (Va.), and Mark Warner (Va.), whose votes on the taxes in this bill are subject to pressure from the labor group and other organizations with a stake in the healthcare fight.

The $1.5 million ad buy, which encourages senators to pass health reform but without the Cadillac tax, will last two weeks.

The ad comes as the Senate begins its second week of debate on the healthcare bill after a series of amendments were offered seeking to bolster or strike aspects of the Democratic-crafted legislation.

The ad also comes as the AFL-CIO prepares to fly 175 local workers and labor officials from across the U.S. to push lawmakers to pass a bill but without the tax on worker benefits. It is the largest effort of that type in the healthcare debate.

---