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

[rxvette]

K Street would be shut down entirely if it were up to me and all the lobbyist would have to go dig ditches to put food on the table for their families.

Prohibiting lobbying is actually one of the points in the recent article I wrote on reforming healthcare - http://rxvette.blogspot.com/2009/06/biggest-key-to-health-care-reform-in-us.html

[naschkatze]

Brooks made me laugh with his second point: the Democrats are AFRAID to take on the corporations. They are in the pockets of the corporations just like the Republicans. It used to be that the Democrats got their funding from the numbers, aka people, mostly through unions, and I thought we were going to restore that under Obama and a new Democratic Party, but not so.

[knerd]

Campaign.

Finance.

Reform.

[naschkatze]

Revolution, preferably velvet.

[noneIn2008]

Of course they prevail, they write the bills that no one reads. It is just not the special interests that you think. The gold standard for all lobbyists is the Federal Reserve. Create a controlling bank, run by the banks, with the facade of the government. We can do the same with health, energy, etc. You just say they are bad, while you work to hand over the controls to them and the people walk away none the wiser. Want to see the path, read about Jekyll Island and the formation of the Fed.

[paulalex]

Dream on.

[motodude]

Lobbyists are prevailing in Washington because? A) Corrupt politicians are more interested in money than their constituents.

[JiminNC]

b) See "A"

[roudy]

What a disaster Congress has made of the health care reform issue.

[nunzia]

Oh puh-leeze.
Lobbyists prevail ONLY because the pols need campaign money.
It has nothing at all to do with policy, philosophy or point of view.


Change the campaign system and you'll get a democracy back again.

[Kassandra]

Ok. tell us how? Congress would have to vote on it. You think THIS Congress is gonna give away it's bonuses?? HA!

[naschkatze]

It's the same with term limits. We would need a constitutional amendment for that, and where does a constitutional amendment start but in the Congress. They are never going to vote themselves out of work. Catch-22.

[politicaljunkie41910]

If the Dems blow this opportunity to provide a public option for healthcare and thereby a MEANINGFUL health care policy, I assure you I won't vote for any Dem again anytime soon. I was willing to share the burden of the financial bailout, in order to preserve the nation's economy. I was willing to pay more taxes in order to provide affordable health care for everyone. I was willing to pay more taxes to ensure this nation would be energy independent and no longer held hostage to foreign oil cartels, and oil company execs. But I'll be damned if I will contribute to the campaigns of any more Dems and have only the cost of the financial bailout to show for it.

At least with the Rethugs, I am assured of what I'm getting. As Grover Norquist has said, "They intend to reduce government to the size that they can drown in a bathtub." If the Dems don't intend to represent their constituents, than I won't continue to vote them into office. I'll just adopt the GOPs motto, "every man for himself" and call it a day.

[lisakaz2]

The funny thing is that other non-healthcare corporations can and do suffer because of this healthcare nightmare. Why are they allowing this to continue?

[horsedoc]

Why are the Democrats running scared! We elected them in a landslide, gave them the majority and they are squandering it away!!

FIX health care NOW! It is broke and breaking the backs of the majority of Americans! One serious illness and you will be bankrupt!

[Mugzi]

They cannot see the forest for the trees...go figure!

[truegreen]

Brooks is right. Lobbyist are somewhat prevailing in the health care debate, because the President and the democrats are not showing any leadership.

[Mugzi]

There is an interesting article here on HP on the "strategy" - congress should decide the health care reform, not the pres. While the article did give an analysis on why it should work, will it? This is more a disjointed group of Dems going is different directions, like a team of horses trying to pull a cart going all different directions and not getting anywhere.

[naschkatze]

Except that they are in the lobbyists' pockets, not afraid of them as Brooks suggests.

[Luvial]

Obama refuses to let patients be represented in the debate. Obama=Bush

[JiminNC]

Obama controls congress now? Wow.

[olmossy]

This is a good article . Brooks tells it like it is. " Our " Democrats are afraid of the Business Lobby.
If Congress does it it will pass but be weak and meaningless. If the President does it it won't be passe.
He's telling you in so many words. The Business Lobby runs " your" government.
I think thats why the President wants Congress to come up with the plan. "A Plan" will pass, but it will be meaningless. Thats what everybody in Washington DC wants.

18,000 die from no healthcare each year.
45Million uninsured
We over pay Billions each year to cover the uninsured.( that the Ins Co. doesn't want)
The Health Insurance Industry Defrauds the American People Billions each year.
TO BAD DC doesn't want it.

[digitalprophet]

+1

It's so frustrating being an American citizen :/

[helonias]

HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITS IN 2007:
1. UnitedHealth Group — $ 4.654 BILLION. UnitedHealth Group owns Oxford, PacifiCare, IBA, AmeriChoice, Evercare, Ovations, MAMSI and Ingenix, a healthcare data company
2. WellPoint — $ 3.345 BILLION. Wellpoint owns BLUES across the US, including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Healthy Alliance, and many others
3. Aetna Inc. — $ 1.831 BILLION
4. CIGNA Corp — $ 1.115 BILLION
5. Humana Inc. — $ 834 million
6. Coventry Health Care — $626 million. Coventry owns Altius, Carelink, Group Health Plan, HealthAmerica, OmniCare, WellPath, others

[Dynamohum]

I love it, you are always such a corncucopia of facts and statistics!! Thanks. It is obvious we won't get a Public Plan.

[Truthahn]

Democrats aren't afraid of the Business Lobby. They view it as a cow to be milked. Money is the milk.

[olmossy]

Only if you look at the lobby as a cow that will kill you if you stop taking the milk. and replace you with a mlker that WILL take the milk.

[Lorianne]

Wal-Mart Supports Health Plan That Will Destroy Small Businesses
http://www.businessinsider.com/wal-mart-supports-health-plan-that-will-destroy-small-businesses-2009-6

[Kassandra]

Yeah, so does the SEIU and The Center for American Progress! I'm flabbergasted...not by Walmart, but these others? Et tu?
Get ready to be screwed again. We elected a president who won't go to bat for us...for some reason.

[socalgal38]

You got that right, maybe the reason is 18.8 billion paid the insurance lobbiests. Check out opensecrets.org if you don't believe me.