Why we won't get real healthcare reform until we reform our campaign funding system

Sickening Amounts of Healthcare Lobbying | Center for Media and Democracy

Source: Washington Post, July 6, 2009

The healthcare industry is waging a "record-breaking influence campaign," spending "more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying," reports the Washington Post. "The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million" spent in just three months. Among the lobbyists are many former Congressional staffers and even former members of Congress, including Dick Armey and Richard Gephardt. The impact is illustrated by a recent meeting in the office of Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, which "included two former Baucus chiefs of staff: David Castagnetti, whose clients include PhRMA and America's Health Insurance Plans, and Jeffrey A. Forbes, who represents PhRMA, Amgen, Genentech, Merck and others." The Post "identified more than 350 former government aides, each representing an average of four firms or trade groups." PhRMA leads "the pack in spending and employs 49 former government staff members among its 136 lobbyists." Many of the major lobbyists "remain opposed to the public-insurance option" supported by the Obama administration. PhRMA's head, former Congressman Billy Tauzin, finds the Congress-drug industry revolving door "pretty normal." He asked, "Is it a distortion of baseball to hire coaches who have played baseball?"

Which candidates are in the pockets of the lobbyists?

(Courtesy of Open Secrets)

2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Contributions from Selected Industries
Lobbyists

Hillary Clinton (D)	$567,950
John McCain (R)	$340,365
Christopher J. Dodd (D)	$233,875
Mitt Romney (R)	$229,475
Rudolph W. Giuliani (R)	$212,100
Bill Richardson (D)	$134,950
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D)	$114,460
Fred Thompson (R)	$90,000
Barack Obama (D)	$76,859
Duncan Hunter (R)	$30,900
John Edwards (D)	$18,900
Sam Brownback (R)	$17,225
Mike Huckabee (R)	$6,964
Tom Tancredo (R)	$250

And which ones will work for the prescription drug industry?

Pharmaceuticals/Health Products

Hillary Clinton (D)	$269,436
Barack Obama (D)	$261,784
Mitt Romney (R)	$260,535
Rudolph W. Giuliani (R)	$138,850
Christopher J. Dodd (D)	$84,400
John McCain (R)	$69,300
Bill Richardson (D)	$28,950
Fred Thompson (R)	$26,900
Ron Paul (R)	$20,568
John Edwards (D)	$15,000
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D)	$13,425
Sam Brownback (R)	$12,750
Dennis J. Kucinich (D)	$5,100
Duncan Hunter (R)	$4,050
Tom Tancredo (R)	$3,250
Mike Gravel (D)	$2,208
Mike Huckabee (R)	$500

Of course, the really big money comes from the lawyers:
Lawyers/Law Firms

Hillary Clinton (D)	$9,596,748
John Edwards (D)	$8,161,150
Barack Obama (D)	$7,940,424
Rudolph W. Giuliani (R)	$3,203,396
John McCain (R)	$2,214,820
Mitt Romney (R)	$2,143,975
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D)	$2,031,848
Bill Richardson (D)	$1,546,715
Christopher J. Dodd (D)	$1,097,750
Fred Thompson (R)	$709,364
Ron Paul (R)	$82,609
Sam Brownback (R)	$72,759
Mike Huckabee (R)	$68,506
Duncan Hunter (R)	$26,300
Dennis J. Kucinich (D)	$19,051
Tom Tancredo (R)	$8,950
Mike Gravel (D)	$2,000

Cut out the middleman! Elect a lobbyist for president!

Lobbyists now run our government. Why not just eliminate the middle man and put a lobbyist in the oval office? Especially one that will support anything for a buck, including abortion rights.














Lobbyist, Washington "outsider"
and "Chick Magnet" Fred Thompson