Health reform's 'gang of 6' reaps political cash

[Kadie]

Health reform's 'gang of 6' reaps political cash
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, September 20, 2009

The bipartisan "gang of six" senators who helped craft the health care reform bill going before a key Senate committee Tuesday represent less than 3 percent of the U.S. population - but they hold a lot of power at a crucial policy-shaping moment in Congress.

That's why, analysts say, health care industry lobbyists have showered them with more campaign cash on average than other senators this year, in an attempt to influence the outcome.

Three Republican and three Democratic senators in the group, all of them members of the Senate Finance Committee, received an average of $74,600 from health industry lobbyists, according to The Chronicle's analysis of records through June.

That is about 25 percent more than the average of $59,632 in such donations that the gang's other Senate colleagues raked in from lobbyists for the pharmaceutical, hospital, insurance and nursing home industries, according to the analysis, which was based on records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit watchdog group.

"Money buys access," said Henry Brady, a professor of public policy and dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.

snip...
Grassley, Baucus at top

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Finance Committee who is seen as key to influencing other conservatives, received the most this year - $223,600. Committee chair Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., was second with $141,000.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/MNA519NGGU.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1#ixzz0RfDGOoUM

[FormerDittoHead]

1. Could someone tell me how this ISN'T a "conflict of interest"?

If I was in a legal case and it turned out that, to use an expression, 'my representative' was taking money / receiving some benefit from the other party in the case (and let's speak frankly here, what's the POINT of ANY reform but to somehow limit the benefits that insurance companies make?) from my legal opponent...

ANYWAY, I understand the whole point of political speech, freedom of speech and lobbying, but if 'conflict of interest' was ever applicable, it would seem THIS is IT...

[notesdev]

2. It's worse than that

it's open bribery, they and the ones giving them money should be in jail.

Just because they all do it doesn't mean it's OK.

[Kadie]

4. Yep.

Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa - $223,600

Max Baucus, D-Mont. - $141,000

Kent Conrad, D-N.D. - $51,000

Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. - $18,000

Olympia Snowe, R-Maine - $9,000

Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. - $5,000



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/MNA519NGGU.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1#ixzz0RfT4i3kg

[Ed76638]

3. Bipartisanship = Corporatism