October 29, 2013 08:32 AM UTC

Gardner To "Confront" Sebelius With Colorado Nonprofit's Ads

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• by: Colorado Pols

FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports:

Gardner talked FOX31 Denver on Monday about his plans to question [Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen] Sebelius Wednesday when she answers questions from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“It’s time for Kathleen Sebeilus to be transparent with the American people about her leadership and about the failings of Obamacare,” Gardner said. “People are months away from being fined for not buying a product that they literally cannot buy.”

…Gardner also plans to ask Sebelius about an edgy marketing campaign taking place in Colorado urging young people to sign up for health insurance.

One of the marketing ploys targets “bros” and shows a trio of college-aged young men doing a keg stand under the text: “Got Insurance?”

“Keg stands are crazy,” says that ad, urging young people to buy ‘Brosurance’. “Not having health insurance is crazier.” Gardner doesn’t think the campaign is very funny.

“I’m going to hold up a poster of the ‘Brosurance’ ad with the young people doing the keg stand and ask if she approves of these sorts of ads,” Gardner said. [Pols emphasis]

The "Brosurance" ad Rep. Cory Gardner is referring to was indeed launched last week in Colorado, but neither HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, nor anyone in government for that matter, had anything to do with it. The "Got Insurance" campaign was a production of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a liberal-leaning health care group that's been around a lot longer than Barack Obama has been President. 

We can't help but contrast that much-discussed "Brosurance" ad (above right), about which we've heard opinions both pro and con in the last week, against another recent and privately-funded campaign from a conservative Koch brothers-linked group called Generation Opportunity. If Gardner thinks that Secretary Sebelius should answer for some random ad campaign from a Colorado nonprofit organization, we think Gardner should tell C-SPAN what he thinks of "Creepy Uncle Sam" popping up between that poor young co-ed's legs with a speculum.

But honestly, folks, this is probably the least relevant news item related to "Obamacare" in recent weeks that Gardner could pester a Cabinet-level official about. There are a host of legitimate issues regarding the troubled rollout of the health insurance exchange website(s), but if this is an indicator the legitimacy of the Republican "inquiry" into the system's breakdowns, Gardner and friends aren't going to be much actual help solving them.

But it could be pretty entertaining by C-SPAN standards! We'll update as the story develops.