Political ads return to Maine with a vengeance

Post-partisanship is dead already. A broad coalition of liberal and progressive groups is slamming Republicans in the US House of Representatives for failing to support the economic recovery package proposed by President Obama. (The plan itself is already under fire for a lot of problems, such as failing to protect reproductive health for the poor, its $1-trillion-plus actual cost, and pork.)

And they're stepping up pressure on Republicans in the US Senate - including Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in Maine and Judd Gregg in New Hampshire - with a campaign of negative push advertising on TV and radio stations in Maine and New Hampshire, as well as around the country.

Brad Woodhouse of Americans United for Change says he things they can sway both Snowe and Collins, in particular - both of them voted for versions of the bill in their respective Senate committees, though Collins later told the Washington Post she had doubts about the plan (her comment is the final quote in this article; the link is to the second page of two).

The TV ads are already running. Here's the one targeting Snowe and Collins:

And here's the one going after Gregg:

The radio ads, which may begin airing as soon as tomorrow, are based around asking Republican senators, "Are you with Limbaugh or are you with the Obama plan?" That's a referral to shock-radio yammerer Rush Limbaugh's claim that he wanted President Obama's efforts to fail. MoveOn.org executive director Eli Pariser - a Mainer - joined the partisan chorus, calling Republicans who voted against the Obama plan the "extreme Limbaugh wing" of the country.

The coalition includes the Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, Democracy Corps, and US Action.