Does this prove that the ENTIRE Democratic party has sold out to healthcare lobbyists?
Posted on November 30th, 2009 by admin
It’s interesting how "blue dogs" are getting somewhat negative attention for their connections with the insurance industry and BIG PHARMA when the Obama White House already made a private deal to protect BIG PHARMA’s profits in exchange for their support.
What do you think??
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/3299874
During the first half of the year, as the Obama administration and moderate and liberal factions within the Democratic Party wrangled over the timing, shape and cost of health care reform efforts, the party’s fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition pulled in $1.1 million in campaign contributions, according to watchdog organizations.
More than half the amount came from the pharmaceutical, health care provider and insurance industries — and successfully delayed voting on overhaul proposals until the fall.
The amount outstrips contributions to other congressional political action committees during the same period, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity , a nonprofit watchdog organization.
"The business community realizes that (the Blue Dogs) are the linchpin and will become much more so as time goes on," former Mississippi congressman turned lobbyist Mike Parker told the organization’s researchers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhYzOni6tbw&feature=player_embedded
Air America segment in which Obama is labeled "a charming liar" for selling out to BIG PHARMA by making backroom deals with lobbyists. (Which broke MULTIPLE campaign promises……lobbyists, transparency, corruption etc.)
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/08/19/the-baucus-caucus-phrma-insurance-hospitals-and-rahm/
" Sources familiar with the lobbyist meeting described it as collegial, but they said Baucus’ aides made clear that any public opposition to the proposed financing of a reform package would be at their clients’ peril. The staffers’ message to K Street was clear: Tell your clients to let the process work and don’t torpedo it with advertisements, press releases and Web sites.
The goal of keeping stakeholders at the table was threefold:
1. Keep them from advertising against the White House plan
2. Keep them from torpedoing vulnerable Democrats in 2010 so there isn’t a repeat of 1994
3. Keep their money out of GOP coffers
You can see the fingerprints in the deals that they made: the $150 million PhRMA was spending on ads for health care reform, the $2.5 million they spent helping vulnerable freshmen, and the total fury that Boehner has unleashed on PhRMA and other stakeholders for making deals with the White House.
People make a mistake when they think the battle for health care reform is about ideology, because it’s not. It’s about who controls K Street and the cash that flows from it, which could fund a 2010 GOP resurgenece — or not.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/13/internal-memo-confirms-bi_n_258285.html
A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.
The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090813/pl_politico/26076
The new group, funded largely by the pharmaceutical industry, is called Americans for Stable Quality Care. It includes some odd bedfellows: the American Medical Association, FamiliesUSA, the Federation of American Hospitals, PhRMA and SEIU, the service employees’ union.
The decision of labor and progressive groups to join with industry groups could draw new heat about the president’s package from the left.
The ads began airing at about 11 a.m. ET Thursday.
The group is likely to be the biggest spender in support of health reform. The campaign will serve as a counterweight to the critics at town meetings, which are getting saturation news coverage while Congress is out of town.
In a reversal from former President Bill Clinton’s 1993-94 health care debacle, the group’s campaign is likely to mean that White House supporters keep the upper hand on the airwaves.
PhRMA’s participation is key, because the group has promised to kick in as much as $150 million for advertising and grass-roots activity to help pass the president’s plan.
Another man, who sold health plans, rebuked him from going after insurance giants, but Obama accused the firms of exploiting gravely ill Americans.
That is way too many facts to get an honest liberal answer but good luck to you.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Obama only wants MONEY ; his motto is "Screw America"
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November 30th, 2009 at 10:24 am
That is way too many facts to get an honest liberal answer but good luck to you.
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November 30th, 2009 at 10:31 am
hahahaha id explain it but seems like your on the right track
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November 30th, 2009 at 11:14 am
This just shows how McCain screwed up the Ethics reform when he redid it. There is no way these people should be able to legally collect any thing near that amount from any group like that. McCain the liberal republican. He needs to move to the democrats side and stay their.
The average person would have no chance of being able to follow that but he left the door open for all the lobbyist to get there foot in the door. Its time for some change. All these incumbents need to be voted out in the next two election.
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November 30th, 2009 at 11:50 am
YES THEY CAN! I mean YES THEY DID. Look the health care guys bribed them all with over half a billion* in 2008!
The whole thing is a joke. You know how each side has a bone to pick with Bush and kennedy. They end up being heroes.
Since they got together and did the medicare Prescription Drug Program we know that the ten year projected costs are a shame and 4-5 times more. the drug companies ‘rigged" and price fixed the drugs, most had a 30% increase in cost and the to make more money the drug people flooded the market with 3rd world drugs.
It may be exciting to pay $4 for a drug from a country with very little quality control.
So you have done a great job on digging into this. If it is done then the taxpayer will be attacked, Medicare, already over budget will get "sunk’ and most doctors will opt out of th program, thus leaving less doctors and long lines.
By the way did President Obama read the bill. doesn’t he know it does take effect till 2013? What about the people that need to be saved now?
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*oopensecrets.org
AlbertsAmerica.wordpress.com
dickmorris.com
census.gov
November 30th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Damn!
I’d heard bits an pieces but you’ve laid it out very well. Thanks for the info.
It’s hard to find words. If this doesn’t wake some of these folks on the left up then they really are lost sheep.
Come on people…….Think
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