David Brooks: Why Lobbyists Are Prevailing In Health Care Fight

The New York Times :

The Clintoncare collapse and the ensuing decade in the wilderness drove home the costs of failure. This has produced a Vince Lombardi attitude toward winning. There are limits, of course, but leaders in Congress and in the administration seem open to nearly any idea so long as it will lead to passing legislation. On health care, the administration would like a strong public plan, but it is evidently open to a weak one. It is on record against taxing health benefits, but it is clearly willing to tax them. It will do what it takes to pass a bill.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[harriscrl3]

Lobbyist are winning because the LEFT is a JOKE.

Folks like Rachel Maddow will use their show to fight for Gay Rights as a connection for the people of Iran but they WILL NOT use their show to fight for Public Option in Healthcare.

THe people of Iran is more important than Americans who are dying from lack of affordable healthcare.

I was THRILLED that they did a two hour during her show on Michael Jackson last night. It was way more interesting than listening to her complain and whine about EVYERTHING BUT HEALTHCARE.

[research]

And Why do they give the conservatives all the limelight and the podium? Poor Kucinich lost his brother, why don't we hear from him? Or Dean who is working hard to get the public option into heal insurance. Stop spending so much time on the conservatives, give all the liberal more time, let's see what the sane people are thinking. The liberal, the dems are deeply split between the DLC corporatist running things now, and the Kucinich and Dean type true peoples democrats.

Let's let those two side debate.

[1differentdrummer]

Still, I have problems with David. I just can't take him seriously because he so often goes off into right field.

[vandegrasse]

I think it's reached the point where we need to call for a Constitutional Amendment that outright forbidsan anyone who served in Congress from going into business. They've got a generous pension. Things are getting bad when the people cannot count on the government to regulate itself against business.

[Brianfox]

ahem - Interesting - David Wrote:

"But the new approach comes with its own shortcomings. To understand them, we have to distinguish between two types of pragmatism. There is legislative pragmatism — writing bills that can pass. Then there is policy pragmatism — creating programs that work. These two pragmatisms are in tension, and in their current frame of mind, Democrats often put the former before the latter."

This is a true analysis of the scenario on ground... but there is something David is missing... he has not tackled the follow-up question? Why is it like this?

Steve Largent - once said "Sometimes Congress likes to milk an issue". This is particularly true w/ the Republicans in congress and senate. - David, should ask the Republicans to come-up w/ solutions, instead of saying just NO!, NO!! and NO!! to everything... Apparently the Democrats in the name of bipartisan has been watering down these bills to get Republican support - who in turn refuses to vote for the bill they watered down - This is the Rush Limbaugh Failure strategy for the Republican Party: Argue hard to water down any bill, to the point that it will be ineffective in the course of time and then refuse to vote for it, so that when it finally fails you can easily blame Obama and the Democrats - This is very pathetic

[BBackSoon]

That is a very true comment.

[Martampa]

Because the politicians are bought and paid for by lobbyists.

[careforall]

Mr. President,
Why you refuse to put cap on the attorneys' fee?
How much did they contribute to your campaign?
http://abajournal.com/news/trial_lawyers_shift_from_edwards_to_obama/

[1differentdrummer]

What???

[Happylib]

Why Lobbyists always prevail in Washington by HappyLib

Politicians are whores. The end.

[Martampa]

Why would you insult whores? At least they work for their money. Politicians are lower on the food chain than the ho's.

[careforall]

Yes! No cap on lawyers' fee!!!

http://abajournal.com/news/trial_lawyers_shift_from_edwards_to_obama/

We knew we can count on you and Joe..

American Trial Lawyers Association...the new AMA

[edva]

America, Inc.

[edva]

With its deservedly low ratings among the American people, Congress should not be the "decider"!

[chriss0114]

Why Lobbyists Are Prevailing In Health Care Fight

$$$$$$$$$$­$$$$$$$$$$­$$$$$$$$$$­$

[Gidster]

To the tune of $1.5 Billion over the past decade.....

[robbep]

The dems get 60 votes and now Joe ( the snake) Lieberman comes out of his hole and has doubts about the public option. When the Joe didnt believe they cld get a filibuster proof senate he supported health care reform bcz he knew the repubs were going to blk it. Now they have the votes and cnt blame repubs for doing nothing and all of the sudden Joe has reservations despite saying he was for universal coverage in the past. Reminds me of the story of the turtle who despite his reservations carried a snake across the road, the snake swore he wldnt bite him and the turtle reluctantly agreed to assist the snake, sure enough half way across the road the snake bit him and the turtle before he was about to die asked the snake why, the snake replied I am a snake that is what I do. Joe has a lot in common with that snake.

[quiviran]

Joe is desperately grasping for relevance.

[ElkoJohn]

The Lobbyists ALWAYS Win. . .
and they will on Health Care Reform
just wait & see
VOTE 3RD PARTY, NOW & FOREVER

[Gidster]

Then the lobbyists will swarm them as well.
It's not the party, it is the attitude about finance reform.
The SCOTUS will hear a case that involves an activist group, Citizens United v. FEC.
The group that put together a 90 min negative ad against Hillary, is arguing that limits on corporate donations are un Constitutional.

Scalia, has often said the 1990 decision, Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which upheld limits on corporate spending in candidate elections, should be repealed.

So you know how the 5 activist neo con judges will vote, and any limits to legalized bribes will be erased!

[miles120]

The notion of American exceptionalism has always been interesting to me: we tend to cling to it as a birthright, even though it often leads to really bad decisions and wasted resources. Health care reform is a good example: there are a number of advanced industrial countries in the world that have increased health care outcomes while substantially lowering costs as a percentage of GDP. Are we talking about any of them? No. Are we examining best practices to incorporate at least some of their principles? No. Instead, we're giving the proverbial pen and paper to the very industries that have gotten us into this mess. Our solution will be uniquely American, but it will surely not be anywhere near the best available.

Many politicians talk about business-savvy as a desired job skill, but none of them are displaying it when it comes to finding solutions. One hundred and thirty years after Mark Twain's Senator Dilworthy, we still have the same U.S. Senate.

[lily of the valley]

"The notion of American exceptiona­lism"...go­od phrase.
And it is merely a notion.

I agree that what is exceptional is the number of bad decisions and wasted resources.

"If we were starting from scratch" says the President. Does he believe that the rest of the industrialized world started their programs from scratch? They did not.

The US Congress wants to re-invent the wheel by refusing to see any benefit in a reference to a circle.
They refuse to acknowledge that there is an International Standard for Health Care that works. Their bank accounts are more important than the lives of those they were elected to serve. ID.10.TS

[Waltfl]

I don't see Obama creating a dominant Congress. When it comes to legislation, Congress is dominant by nature. That's our Constitution. His approach right now seems to be to find common ground. Bush's approach was 'my way or the highway". I am pretty sure Obama will put more weight behind it, if he sees that health care reform isn't going anywhere. In the end the pressure has to come from the people, not from the White House. That is what Obama is trying to do, get public support. The President isn't appointing Senators, we elect them. 36 Senate seats are on the ballots in 16 months, and "centrists (=corporatists) will shift, if they know they won't get elected. If health care reform tanks it is not because of Obama, it is because the American people should have sent out a more powerful message.

[Roxanna]

I believe numerous Americans, plus doctors and nurses have been sending out the message of single payer health care...
But that does not make the evening news of main stream media...
Just look at campaign contributions from health care lobbyist and the lying going on to the public. Health care along with defense spending, along with banks are bankrupting the nation. We have corporate interest dictating everything in congress.

Private profits for health will never win..because we presently have over 60 percent of people uninsured... What does it take... 100 percent?

[Waltfl]

True, but I don't see broad public support right now. Numerous Americans and some doctors bitching don't carry enough weight. The movement lacks steam, everybody is for it, but nobody is willing to fight, nobody organizes something right now. Obama tries to put his campaign machine to work, to push health care reform.

In 2003 every other car sported a "Support our Troops" sticker. I haven't seen one public health care support sticker on any vehicle, other than my truck.

I wish I knew what I could do to organize something, other than faxes&emails to my Congressmen/women. If we don't send out a bold signal, Senators will bet on short voter memory, vote corporate, and throw the American people under the bus.

[socalgal38]

I have a question why can't it be put to a vote by the American people, in California they vote for different projects. If they did this it would take the decisions out of the hands of congress and the insurance lobbists and give us the chance to promote the single payer plan in our own neighborhoods. Than we would have worked for a historic cause in this country to leave our children and grandchildren instead of unsurmountable debt that we have now.