Senate Finance Committee Member Tom Carper Publicly Defends Secret PhRMA Deal

FIreDogLake:

In a stunning moment during the Senate Finance Committee markup Sen. Tom Carper defended a secret deal that the White House, Baucus, and PhRMA had reached. The White House has long denied the deal. Carper publicly acknowledges that part of the deal was that PhRMA would run millions of dollars worth of campaign ads in support of health care reform.

According to Carper the "golden rule" in Congress is that secret back room deals in exchange for advertising buys must be honored. Carper's statement below,

Read the whole story: FIreDogLake

Comments

[RightOn5]

10:02 AM on 09/24/2009

Anything "The Won" does is OK. Even Goddafi and Castro say "Obama should be President for life". In preparation we have indoctrination:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aqMTD5UFmU

[Tuckerndfw]

04:43 AM on 09/24/2009

The US has only one major party, the Corporate Party. It has two wings (Dem & Repub), but only one constituency, global corporations & their affiliates.

The Corporate Party offers a "liberal wing" (yeah, right) to prevent people from supporting a genuine second party that would challenge their grip on US policies heavily tilted towards global corporations & their affiliates.

At the end of the day, what Congress will enact and the president approve will be heavily tilted towards global corporations. These irrelevant debates & discussions are intended to amuse the masses (a dog & pony show) while they divvy up the proceeds amongst their various sponsors.

The only argument is over whose global corporation is going to benefit the most. That takes some serious discussion when you're attempting a multi-trillion dollar scam.

This is the biggest scam in world history, without exception. It surpasses Cowboy George's scams by multiples.

[Soulsurfer]

08:54 AM on 09/24/2009

You're right, but surprised you were able to get it through the "moderators". It's sad to see, but once O got in, they read him the rules, which don't allow for a free society or fair laws.

[Marcospinelli]

04:03 AM on 09/24/2009

We need affordable quality medical care, and we have the equivalent of the m0b/Black Hand/M@fI@ (Big Insurance) standing between us and healthcare providers. Private insurance adds nothing to the healthcare delivery system; it just takes a cut. Up to 33%.

When government does the job of administration, it does it for 3%.

In the USA of just a couple of decades ago, the DoJ would be prosecuting the private insurance industry and dismantling them. Instead, we now have Republicans, a DLC-controlled Democratic Party and the president all protecting the private insurance industry, while Americans are in crisis, going bankrupt and dying.

We know how to solve this problem, and it doesn't take years, and it doesn't take "innovation" -- It takes lowering the age for Medicare. Even then it wouldn't put the private insurance industry out of business. There would still be private insurance, for things like private hospital rooms and cosmetic surgery. But there would be medical care for everyone, across the entire country.

[Tuckerndfw]

04:45 AM on 09/24/2009

I have an unprovable theory that the mafia took over the gov't in the 1930's or '40's. i can't prove it but it sure appears like the gov't is run more like the mob than a representative gov't operating on behalf of or for the benefit of "we, the people."

[Marcospinelli]

04:30 PM on 09/24/2009

We certainly have unsavory people and practices doing business within our government, sanctioned by our elected leaders.

The CIA partnered with the M@fi@ in the 1950s and '60s on Cuba and Castro.

According to 27-year CIA veteran Ray McGovern, we have a CIA within the CIA (something I've been asserting for many years): http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7408

[Marcospinelli]

03:52 AM on 09/24/2009

Obama, in his own words:

"Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public, no more secrecy.....No more secrecy.....":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQbQTrm_pSA

Transparency Will Be Touchstone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72g7qmeP1dE

"Clintons did health care the wrong way, behind closed doors":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvyharXBI0Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU0m6Rxm9vU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtIKgGHYPQ

"On transparency", "About inviting the people back into their government again", and "Part of the job of the next American president is making Americans believe that our government is working for them, because right now they don't feel like it's working for them. They feel like it's working for special interests and it's working for corporations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K97hvOOdy_I

"We need a president who sees the government not as a tool to enrich well connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as a defender of fairness and opportunity for every single American. That's what this country's been about and that's the kind of president I intend to be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEMxfme7OQI

"The American people are the answer":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2cvru2TH-s

Obama's Transparency Problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IODbwOhZYEM

[nogimmicks]

01:46 AM on 09/24/2009

Carper's motto: "Carpe Aurum". I hope he gets carpal tunnel syndrome and then tries to sign up for a private insurance. Pathetic crooks, pathetic system of government.

[ReedYoung]

12:47 AM on 09/24/2009

Very eloquent, and if corporations were people it would be relevant, too. But they aren't people, Senator Crapper, they're just legal fictions established for financial convenience. Their well-being is not to be even considered in matters of state. Government exists to serve the People only.

[PhilipTaylor]

12:44 AM on 09/24/2009

Senator Carper Health Care Campaign Funding: $900,000 +/-

#2 Insurance $467,944
#9 Pharmaceut icals/Heal th Products $207,614
#10 Health Professionals $193,466
#8 Lobbyists $231,824

Finance/Wall Street/Banking Funding: $1,600,000 +/-

#3 Commercial Banks $456,712
#4 Securities & Investment $372,617
#5 Finance/Credit Companies $332,982
#6 Real Estate $327,953
#18 Misc Finance $107,114

#1 Lawyers/Law Firms $736,716

Carper is the point man on the backroom deal to try to derail the public option.

LETS HOPE THE PEOPLE AT HOME ARE LISTENING TO THIS G@RBAGE!

[PhilipTaylor]

12:46 AM on 09/24/2009

Stunning Moment in Senate Finance Hearing Carper defended secret deal!

White House denies the PhRMA deal was MADE! There is NOT CONTRACT BABY!

White House+Baucus Deal by Unethically formed Panel of SIX is invalid!

Carper states PhRMA agreed to run $Millions in campaign ads for Health reform!

Carper’s “golden rule” is secret back room deals must be honored! Like PhRMA honored in Draining America and Americans over the last decade!

Senator Nelson wants to increase the $80 Billion to $160 Billion from PhRMA.

Carper opposes “amendment by Sens. Nelson and Rockefeller=Waxman”

Waxman closed Medicare D doughnut hole with Pharma giving overcharging rebates!

Pharma overcharged on dual eligible Medicare/Medicaid recipients

Halvorson+Shuler authored letter to Waxman signed by 70 Democrats=ask fora rewrite

PhRMA approved $80Billion Price reductions June 19 &June 30 = Reports ads running

There is NO LEGAL CONTRACT CARPER!

Carper’s $207,000 Talking POINT! Campaign Funds from Pharma to Carper!

Lets hope Carpers Constituents are Listening too this and remember this come his reelection campaign!

[ChelseaC]

12:11 AM on 09/24/2009

Stunning is right-- Good grief!
Read "THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DRUG COMPANIES" By Dr. Marcia Angell--it will make your blood
boil.
I am sick and tired of politicians who are involved with Big Pharma and the insurance cabal.
This is NOT THE CHANGE I VOTED FOR.

[Tiggy]

11:56 PM on 09/23/2009

I would like to say that I am numb with disbelief and simply can't fathom the thought that these backroom deals are part of the "change" we voted for. But alas, it is truly the norm. It is no longer a question of if these things happen but rather where and when. It is a shame when we have to ferret out such information because we have no trust or faith in our government. As the people suffer more and more indignities at the hands of our government anger will manifest itself and change will follow. We are not a people who will be bound and shackled for long.

[wonketteRAWKS]

09:33 PM on 09/23/2009

The opportunity of complete trust in this administration has been lost.

Wake up people!

[aintnogod]

07:50 PM on 09/23/2009

Wait a minute! We're worried about being good friends to the CEOs who bribe rival drug companies not to produce generic drugs? These pharma CEOs ought to be charged with RICO-like price fixing rather than being at the government's bargaining table. Boy... too many years of Republican non-leadership and regulation have completely corrupted normal values, haven't they?

[moongal6]

02:18 AM on 09/24/2009

That is correct. The R's gave the drug companies Medicare D, and the insurance companies Medicare Advantage in their partisan Medicare Reform Act of 2003.
Both these programs cost 1.2 trillion unfunded dollars. We will still be paying for these for years to come. The R's Medicare Reform Act was passed in the middle of the night in Nov. 2003.
At least the D's do seem to be more transparent, as awful as that feels.
Donut holes anyone?

[IGGHY]

07:39 PM on 09/23/2009

They said roughly the same thing about Wall St bonuses in January. The administration initially said there was no back room deal. We can't honr what they denied.

[outnow]

07:07 PM on 09/23/2009

So the non-existent deal must be enforced as a matter of honor between gentlemen.

Obama said that the discussions on medical insurance reform would be on C-Span and no back room deals. Now Carper is saying that the "administration" cut the back room deal - is that Rahm or his brother or Obama? The question is who in the administration cut the non-existent deal.

[iplaw]

07:33 PM on 09/23/2009

Obama is starting to remind me of Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back when Lando says "Man, this deal is getting worse all the time."

[wonketteRAWKS]

12:18 AM on 09/24/2009

You know where the buck stops?

[bayside]

06:51 PM on 09/23/2009

So tired of pigs at the trough............at our expense.

[iplaw]

06:35 PM on 09/23/2009

We elected these clowns?

[aintnogod]

07:51 PM on 09/23/2009

I don't think you did. Did you?