Senators Call for Health Care Delay, Receive Big Campaign Contributions

Six senators called for a seventy day hold on voting on health care reform legislation today, according to the Huffington Post. The senators involved include three Democrats, Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu and Ron Wyden, two Republicans, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and one Independent, Joe Lieberman. Each these senators has raised at least $1 million from the health and insurance sectors combined over the course of their respective careers. What could seventy days do for their campaign coffers?

(Some of these senators are not in cycle right now and are not raising much money right now, but, hypothetically, this is the money they could be raising considering the amounts they have raised over the course of their career.)

Sen. Susan Collins raised $1,559,446 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of her career. Her first day in office was January 7, 1997. In total, she has served 4,574 days as a United States Senator. This calculates out to her raising $341 every day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $23,870.

Sen. Mary Landrieu raised $1,676,353 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of her career. Her first day in office was January 7, 1997. In total, she has served 4,574 days as a United States Senator. This calculates out to her raising $366.50 every day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $25,655.

Sen. Joe Lieberman raised $3,593,771 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of his career. His first day in office, as a senator, was January 3, 1989. In total, he has served 7,136 days as a United States Senator. This works out to him raising $504 a day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $35,280.

Sen. Ben Nelson raised $2,257,165 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of his career. His first day in office, as a senator, was January 3, 2001. In total, he has served 3,118 days as a United States Senator. This works out to him raising $724 a day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $50,680.

Sen. Olympia Snowe raised $1,147,630 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of her career. Her first day in office was January 4, 1995. In total, she has served 5,309 days as a United States Senator. This calculates out to her raising $216 every day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $15,120.

Sen. Ron Wyden raised $1,414,911 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of his career. His first day in office, as a senator, was February 6, 1996. In total, he has served 4,911 days as a United States Senator. This works out to $288 every day from the health and insurance sectors. Seventy more days would yield $20,160.

Factor in lobbying into these seventy days and the amount of spending around this bill could skyrocket. If we go by the numbers presented by the Washington Post, that the health sector is spending $1.4 million a day on lobbying, then we'll find another seventy days would allow the industry to spend another $98 million.

Cross-posted at the Sunlight Foundation blog. th

Comments

[dawnec1957]

Can't go...DO THIS THAN


Tie (or Tape) a Blue Ribbon On Your Trees, Mailbox, Door, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~
A couple of weeks ago, Rick Ford in Florida proposed that supporters of single payer start wearing a blue bandana as an armband to rallies. In Washington DC on June 25, all the single payer people that came with HealthJustice wore blue armbands. We put blue armbands on hundreds more of the people there. We used strips of blue cloth, but even better, we used blue painters' masking tape. It's just the right color, it's cheap and it goes anywhere without leaving a mark when removed.

Go to the local hardware store today. Buy a roll of blue painters' masking tape. Tape a few turns around every tree, maibox or lamppost in your neighborhood. And when people ask, tell them it symbolizes the demand for REAL health reform. It means single payer Medicare For All. Without REAL health reform, we will all have the 'HealthCare Blues."

[dawnec1957]

Go to DC on July 30 to Celebrate Medicare's Birthday
~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~~~­~~~~~~~~
HealthCareNow and its allies in the Leadership Conference for Guranteed Health Care are rallying in Upper Senate Park at 1 pm on July 30 to celebrate Medicare's birthday. The most popular social program of the 20th century is turning 44.

Seniors love Medicare. Why can't we all have the guaranteed health care that seniors have? Why do we have to wait until age 65 to get health care that is publicly financed and privately delivered? Why should insurance companies get to fleece us when we are young and healthy then dump us on the taxpayer when we are older and less healthy?

If these are questions you want to ask Congress, then join your friends and neighbors in Washington on July 30 at Upper Senate Park.

[dawnec1957]

GREAT NEWS!! Ready for this ....I just receive this email to my home email....OVER 205 thousand people have responded to the SINGLE PAYER FAX request that it shut down the servers...here is the email itself!

Dear All,

Here is a case of irony. After shutting down fax machines all over Capitol Hill, HealthJustice became a victim of our own success. You responded so massively to the latest action request that you shut down OUR server for a while. We went overlimit on the CPU allotment because of your remarkably rapid response.

Yesterday I sent this message: We have an urgent action today, Monday, July 20. Rep. Anthony Wiener will move to amend the TriCommittee Bill to essentially replace it with HR 676. Obviously this is a huge step and a BIG PUSH is needed urgently.



So many people clicked in such a short time, that some of you were unable to get through. The IT genius behind HealthJustice, Ken, is working now to fix the problem, but it may mean an expensive upgrade in our service to keep this rate up.

In any case, you should know that we have now sent over 205 thousand faxes supporting single payer Medicare For All to Congress. So don't stop now. keep up the pressure.

.

[judesuper]

The "gang of six", needs 70 more days? For what, to make more money off the insurance companies? Sound to me like bought and paid for prostitutes!

Come one huffpost folks, let's remember these names and do all in our power to ensure that they never get re-elected for anything again!

[dawnec1957]

the main stream media can play "THE LOOP" of Rev Wright, but they cant play a loop of these bought Congress and Senate members?

The News died when Walter was forced to retire...and now he is dead. IT looks like the corporate pimps continue to floursih at OUR EXPENSE

[robinhood1]

I am surprised to see Ron Wyden on this list. He has always held himself out to be Mr. Clean, Mr. Good Government. I guess that's the way laws are passed, or not. It is amazing that the republic has lasted for over 200 years.

[karen1p]

If this Democracy will survive.....money needs to get out of Politics.

Term limits need to be set on Senators and Congressman.

Two things that will bring HOPE to Washington.

[KrugnacTheMagnificent]

Dems only need 51 votes in the Senate to pass this bill.

If they allow 4 Dems and 2 Repubs to delay reform, they do so willingly.

Don't allow this "gang of six" distraction to obscure the true problem, which is the "gang of sixty".

[gfs5541]

STHU!

[Drdemocrat]

Dems only need 50 votes (Biden can be the 51st vote).

[jadeba]

http://bennelson.senate.gov/
Probably posted here already - from another thread. I wrote each of them (could not write Wyden, he's blocked emails from all but Oregon residents). Cut and pasted the paragraph pertaining to the senator. Asked, for example, of Sen. L if these were the 3,593,771 reasons he was trying to delay health care reform and deny us the chance to choose between a public option and for profit insurance? Wow, he's got more "reasons" than even Ben Nelson - who would have thought that possible.

http://landrieu.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

http://wyden.senate.gov/

http://lieberman.senate.gov/

http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorSnowe.Email

http://collins.senate.gov/public/

[WarriorLemming]

Probably wouldn't hurt to send a snail mail to each one you have listed, jadeba, which I'm preparing to do. It's too easy for them to delete emails happened to me with (then) Sen Clinton for one of the animal welfare group email campaigns I was involved in. The email showed up as having arrived but never being opened and was deleted how they knew that I'm not sure but feel better sending an actually letter now.

I'm getting sick and tired of these Democrats that side with and play into the hands of Repugs that's how we ended up in Iraq. Think, if Democrats had had a spine back then instead of counting votes there would be 4328 Americans alive that sadly are gone forever from their families. Let's get rid of these Democrats that think like Repugs once and for all. Write a letter!

[Donald Gaines]

You should try this link to reach him or any of them

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/officials/congress

[lilbro]

This is a perfect opportunity to get these senators names out in public in every forum so the American people can see who these politicians really work for

[tangerinesong]

They're not going to do that lilbro:

They are going to paint this canvas as always...looking out for the American people....BS! The sad part about this is that 75 percent of the voting public will.....believe em!

[knowhelpnow]

Not this time, people are real upset with these blue dog Democrats. the people want a single payer plan and they are sick of the corporations running this country.

[jimfl]

Haven't these crooks stolen enough?

[bgfsh]

The current proposals are not adequate. If a delay makes real health care / insurance reform a possibility - great. Let's hold everyone's feet to the fire to draft better proposals. Nothing wrong with slowing it down - especially if we could end up with better solutions.

[mendelcrosses]

You slow it down and it'd be dead.

They are scared now because its really hard to
1)Say NO to Obama right now given his popularity
2)Public awareness is very high and engagement very active making it difficult for Senators to vote against the public while they are all paying attention.

Delaying on the other hand,may be Obama's popularity wont drop but the public might just get fed up and stop paying attention,then it will become sort of a close door vote as no one will be watching. In which case it is now easier for the senators to vote against public interest.

All these senators asking for a delay were there during Bill Clintons terms,so they have already had to deal with healthcare implying the have more than enough information with regards to healthcare reform to make a decision this very minute.

I mean Al Franken who has only just become a senator is ready to vote ,how come they arent?

[LiberalDemIda]

Reform delayed is reform denied. They had all the time in the world, ever since 1993. It's 2009. How much more time do they need?!?

This is nothing more than stalling tactics, waiting for the bid for their vote to rise. Good thing President Obama is upping the ante and exposing them for what they really are: corporatists.

[knowhelpnow]

No delay, delay is a death sentence for reform.

[Roxanna]

It is difficult to believe in these hard times, that a few senators care more about their personal ambitions and holding of power, over the welfare of a nation whose health is eroding. How unpatriotic is that?

[lilbro]

So what else is new....and the scary thing is the American people let them.

[biabouman41]

Remember also that Connecticut and Nevada are big insurance States and have been big beneficiaries of our suffering. They want us to wait, but for what. We have been waiting 60 years. They say it's about fiscal responsibility, well, where were they when Bush was giving away the Treasury to the wealthy, why did they not use delaying tactics then?
CBO figures make no sense to me: The US currently spends $2.5T on health care, which is 100% higher than the average industrial country (with worse outcome) so if we just bring our system in line with the average through health care reform we should be paying $1.25T. Bush's tax cut for the wealthy will soon expire providing $0.7T plus premiums from current employers and employees even at a reduced savings, plus will mostly pay for those reforms.
The only issue here is Insurance companies and the Senators who lobby for them will be poorer.
ENOUGH. LET US PUSH ON.

[karela]

Traitors! If they get away with it, they'll kill health care. Again. How do we fight this. Delaying it a week or two is one thing. Delaying it seventy days is another. Seventy days could turn into seventy years. The lobbyists just got a big present from the Democrats in Congress----if you can call them that.

[luckynewman13]

as Krugman states (and I'll paraphrase), these names: three Democrats, Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu and Ron Wyden, two Republicans, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and one Independent, Joe Lieberman. Should be forever branded into our minds as representative of monetary interests over the lives of citizens. They have no constituents to speak of, just as long as they make $20,000 a day so they can hold onto their precious power. This is treason, plain and simple.