SIX LOBBYISTS for every law maker.
That is every law maker in congress.
When you are influenced this is what you get.
Let's talk about Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). He has been a proponet for keeping the dialogue open about health care reform. President Obama gave him a shout out for working it through at his NH town hall. He does a bait and switch and we saw the above happen. Why?
Influence. He has taken a large amount of lobbyist money from the health care industries. He did exactly what his Democratic opponent Bob Krause said he would. From the Rachel Maddow Show, Krause specifically said that Grassley wanted an EXCUSE to pull away from the negotiations. He did not want to own it, though he is a moderate republican and has been working for it. Krause also said that Grassley has taken huge amounts of money from the insurance industry and if he wants to keep it he will disavow his association with this health care bill. Well lookey here, this is what Grassley is saying NOW:
"I'm not walking away from the table; I'm being pushed away from the table," Grassley said in Afton, Iowa, warning that Democrats might go it alone on health care.
Grassley's Iowa road show shows just why Democrats feared this August recess.
While, I agree about the need of having a cohesive health care bill, where all Democrats are on the same page, with ONE BILL, Obama White House nor the Democrats should be surprised at Grassley. Grassley is up for his seat in 2010, he has to do what is best for GRASSLEY to remain in the distinguished senate, that is lie if he must.
We are seeing the money being played out here and the communication message of the Democrats muddied up. I give the GOP, lobbyists and health insurance companies credit because they are doing a damn good job. So, good that we have lobbyists running around the hill and in all 50 states after these politicians, now even as I type.
If there is any doubt that President Barack Obama’s plan to overhaul U.S. health care is the hottest topic in Congress, just ask the 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue.
That’s six lobbyists for each of the 535 members of the House and Senate, according to Senate records, and three times the number of people registered to lobby on defense. More than 1,500 organizations have health-care lobbyists, and about three more are signing up each day. Every one of the 10 biggest lobbying firms by revenue is involved in an effort that could affect 17 percent of the U.S. economy.
These groups spent $263.4 million on lobbying during the first six months of 2009, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group, more than any other industry. They spent $241.4 million during the same period of 2008. Drugmakers alone spent $134.5 million, 64 percent more than the next biggest-spenders, oil and gas companies.
You read that? $263.4M for the last six months. The pressure is on. But what needs to happen is we, the people, not only show up at these town hall meetings but to continue to call, email and FAX these congress critters. Doing it ONE TIME is not enough, it should be DAILY.
We know what is going on here, these influx of "upset people" are organized by the lobbyist groups, pushed and pumped by talk radio. The woman from Rep. Steve Kagen's town hall who was supposedly, "just a concerned mom" was exposed as a GOP operative. We have now found out that Katy Abram, who said on Hardball with Lawrence O'Donnell, that she was just in town visiting family for a vacation and ended up at a town hall meeting is a liar. She had been organizing for the 9/12 group, the Glenn Beck group.
This is why the fire must be put on congress. The Democrats must grow a steel spine and pass this legislation. Why? Because if our health care system was so great, why are we having in the hundreds of thousands show up in the Los Angeles area for FREE HEALTH CARE.
The King Rushs, Glenn Becks, Katy Abrams, GOPers, insurance lobbyists, etc., don't care about the thousands of folks that showed up in an urban area for free health care nor do they care about the thousands of people that show up every year at the Wise, VA for free health care.
Forget these orchestrated incidents at these town hall meetings. The total responsibility should be on the congress. You need to contact them EVERY SINGLE DAY. Their feet need to be held to the fire because they are crafting the bill and they must VOTE.
We are witnessing the most outrageous excuse for greed in this country at the hands of the insurance lobbyists. And we all should be saying, together, NOT THIS TIME.
Fax, call and email your congress critter, EVERYDAY until this bill is passed.
If we don't, yes there will be hell to pay for the Democratic side, but more importantly we will lose the many who came through for President Obama and the Democrats in 2008.
Remember, what is the Republican health care plan? They were in charge in congress for years, yet they have never done anything with health care with the exception of taking their lobbyists money. The Republican plan, RIGHT NOW is to do everything in their power to DEFEAT this bill. Remember, they are the minority so in a nut shell, fuck 'em. The ones we need to target are the Democrats, as we see the GOP operatives are ALREADY DOING THAT.
Lastly, President Obama. A recap of what I wrote yesterday:
Please, for God's sake, stop trying to talk to a party that never have and never will give a rat's ass about health care reform. That bait and switch from Grassley, yesterday, should be the HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. Move on without the Republicans. If they don't get it, fine. That is on them. But please, Obama White House stop making a mockery of yourselves because in the end, these Republicans don't give a shit. These Republicans have no moral courage or leadership to do the right thing. The right thing is to denounce all this rhetoric at these town hall meetings; instead they are mum and have nothing to say.
The obstructions do not want health care reform or health insurance reform. They want business as usual; they are with the status quo and their lobbyists cronies. It is time to cut them at the knees and get on with it.
BI-PARTISIANSHIP IS A MYTH, DEMOCRATS, OBAMA WHITE HOUSE. GET ON WITH IT.
Call your congress critter EVERYDAY until this health care legislation is passed.
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