Thus far, more than $51 million has been spent on television ads since President Barack Obama was elected last fall, he said. And interest groups of all stripes are promising major campaigns through the August recess.

America’s Health Insurance Plans is sinking millions of dollars into a recess advertising blitz defending itself, as Democrats and the White House turn the industry’s practices into a rallying call for reform.

“That type of rhetoric is not productive,” said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for AHIP. “We have proposed many of the insurance market reforms and consumer protections that people are talking about.”

Zirkelbach said the insurance industry will remain at the negotiating table, but it’s clear it resents the turn in the political dialogue.

“The American people are looking to Washington for solutions — not the same old divisive political rhetoric that has happened in the past,” he added.

The action is so hot that The Nielsen Co. recently announced the first-ever CLIO Healthcare Awards, a special category of the renowned advertising and design competition aimed at capturing the best of this year’s advocacy ads.

According to Tracey, whose nonpartisan organization tracks political spending, the last policy ad war to match the intensity of this year’s action was, well, health care reform, circa 1993.

This year’s action is on track to top that because of the prolonged period during which the issue will be on the political scene and the different ways the major players have positioned themselves, he said.

For instance, in the last health care fight, industry stakeholders came out squarely against reform and sank millions of dollars into ads to kill it.

This year, many big players are trying to avoid getting tagged as the group that killed reform. So their ads — at least for now — are generally supportive of the reform effort but hazy on their positions on the exact language of the House and Senate proposals.

Here’s a breakdown provided by Tracey:

Of the ads that have aired, $17.3 million have been in favor of Obama’s reform plans. About $8 million has been spent on commercials opposing it.

The lion’s share of the industry advertising — $22.5 million — is pro-reform but neutral on the details. PhRMA, the trade association of pharmaceutical makers, has spent the most, at $17 million.

The final $3.5 million in advocacy has been spent by diabetes, autism and other specialized health interests that also are urging reform without getting specific about the legislation.

About the only group that has staked out a hard position is the soda makers, who, like their industry brethren, embrace reform but reject the idea of paying for it with a tax on their products, Tracey said.

Republicans are vowing to change the tone during the August congressional break.

On Monday, House Republicans released a new Web video that mocks the White House goals, arguing that the president’s plan would put government bureaucrats in charge of health care.

The video takes clips from Obama’s public appearances in which he speculates about the best care for patients and transposes them with a soap opera actor repeating the phrase: “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) described the video as “lighthearted” but added that “it underscores a serious point that congressional Democrats are going to hear throughout August as they travel outside Washington.”

The Republicans will be hearing plenty, too.

The pro-reform group Americans United for Change released a new television commercial Monday, accusing Republicans of trying to protect the insurance industry — and its hefty profits — from change.

“Why do insurance companies and Republicans want to kill health insurance reform? Because they like things the way they are now,” an announcer says.

The vast majority of the ads are targeted at potential swing votes in Congress.

For instance, Maine, home to moderate Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, is a hot spot. And conservative Democratic Sens. Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas are also getting attention.

Chuck Spohn, general manager of the local Fox station in Little Rock, Ark., said that summer in an off-year election cycle is usually “pretty dormant.” But he said issue ads began at a moderate pace in April and picked up through July.

“Any time any sector is active in a down economy, it’s a welcome activity,” he added.

Mark Rose, senior vice president station manager at KATV, the local ABC affiliate in Little Rock, agreed.

“July was definitely not a typical month for issue ads,” Rose said. “We had seven different placements. For our little state and our little station, that’s a lot of activity.”

In addition to health care, KATV picked up ads focusing on legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize.

It remains to be seen how effective the air war will be. Many television viewers are tuned out in the height of the summer as they head for the beaches or mountains for vacations.

The commercials today are largely placed around local station news shows, which are generally intended to reach the party activists, who are also expected to show up at town hall meetings to express their views.

As they get closer to Labor Day, however, Tracey says the ads “will be a lot more effective because it will be easier to build an audience.”

Of course, lightning can strike.

The infamous “Harry and Louise” ads that are credited with killing President Bill Clinton’s health care reform effort more than a decade ago were released in July.