RS Exclusive: Obama received $20 million from the healthcare industry

[garybeck]

this might explain a few things....

Obama received $20 million from healthcare industry in 2008 campaign

While some sunlight has been shed on the hefty sums shoveled into congressional campaign coffers in an effort to influence the Democrats' massive healthcare bill, little attention has been focused on the far larger sums received by President Barack Obama while he was a candidate in 2008.

A new figure, based on an exclusive analysis created for Raw Story by the Center for Responsive Politics, shows that President Obama received a staggering $20,175,303 from the healthcare industry during the 2008 election cycle, nearly three times the amount of his presidential rival John McCain. McCain took in $7,758,289, the Center found.

The new figure, obtained by Raw Story through an independent custom research request performed by the Center for Responsive Politics -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics -- is the most comprehensive breakdown yet available of healthcare industry contributions to Obama during the 2008 election cycle.

Currently, the Center's website shows that Obama received $19,462,986 from the health sector, which includes health professionals ($11.7m), health services/HMOs ($1.4m), hospitals/nursing homes ($3.3m) and pharmaceuticals/health products ($2.1m). Miscellaneous health donations (from which Obama received $860,411) are also factored into the current total health sector numbers but are not accessible on the site.

the rest of the raw story...
http://rawstory.com/2010/01/obama-received-20-million-healthcare-industry-money-2008/

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. Now that's some serious change ... you can believe in.

[cali]

2. how many of the health professionals who donated to him supported

single payer and real health care reform?

[garybeck]

5. how many of them supported what he was actually running on - NO mandates, public option, etc.?

unfortunately the stats don't show that.

[derby378]

3. The shit has just hit the fan

I thought Obama was only taking campaign donations from the grassroots. How the hell did this slip past everyone?!?

[KittyWampus]

7. Hello? this is about job industries people who donated work for. Here I'll break it down for you

since you can't seem to get past the thread title. Oh, and please note that the vast, overwhelming majority of money came from health care professionals (doctors, nurses)-

Obama received $19,462,986 from the health sector:

health professionals ($11.7m)
health services/HMOs ($1.4m)
hospitals/nursing homes ($3.3m)
pharmaceuticals/health products ($2.1m)
Miscellaneous health donations (from which Obama received $860,411)

[TheWraith]

10. Bingo: these are contributions from PEOPLE, not organizations.

The ~$1400 I gave Obama would be flagged as a contribution from the publishing industry under this system.

[derby378]

12. Not entirely true...

From the website:

All health professionals are included in this category: various physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, chiropractors, pharmacists, nurses, nutritionists and anyone else providing health care services—as well as their professional associations. (Chiropractors, dentists and nurses are subsets of this industry and are profiled in greater detail within this section.)

Only four other industries, along with retirees, spent more than health professionals on political campaigns during the 2008 election cycle. Key players within the industry include the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. All three seek to increase health professionals’ compensation under Medicare and expand access to health care for people in underserved areas. The AMA is the industry’s largest trade group, and focuses on reforming the medical liability system, as well as resisting government-run health care. In 2009, President Barack Obama pitched his plan for a public insurance option to an AMA convention, an indication of the group’s power within the health care community.

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/background.php?cycle=2010&ind=H01

The AMA has been working against actual health insurance reform for a long, long time.

[laughingliberal]

28. Yes. Not all health care professionals are equal

The AMA is like the Chamber of Commerce style doctors. The American Nurses' Association tends to be more the ivory tower of nursing. But we see those who are more in the trenches like PNHP and California Nurses' Association opposed to the current health care reform bill.

[Nikki Stone1]

75. Not to mention Heath insurance employees who were "encouraged" to donate

.

[derby378]

91. Bingo! (n/t)

[liberalpragmatist]

9. These are totals from individual contributions

Click the links - they're totalling contributions of $200 up from individuals - doctors, nurses, nursing home employees, hospital administrators, etc.

[WeDidIt]

79. Dude, this is an aggregate of individual donations

When you donate, you have to tell them your employer.

This is an aggregation of that data.

Sheesh!

[KittyWampus]

4. the vast, overwhelming majority of that money came from health care professionals NOT insurance

company employees.

[liberalpragmatist]

6. So, in other words, he got more contributions from individuals who work in health care

Currently, the Center's website shows that Obama received $19,462,986 from the health sector, which includes health professionals ($11.7m), health services/HMOs ($1.4m), hospitals/nursing homes ($3.3m) and pharmaceuticals/health products ($2.1m). Miscellaneous health donations (from which Obama received $860,411) are also factored into the current total health sector numbers but are not accessible on the site.

Health insurance industry contributions, however, are not included within the Center's current health sector totals. Rather, contributions from the health insurance industry are contained within the site's finance and insurance sector. Seeking a more complete total, the Center culled health and accident insurance donations from this sector (for which Obama received $712,317) and combined them with his existing health sector total ($19,462,986) to arrive at his healthcare industry total ($20,175,303).

So, in other words, he received 3x as much as McCain from people who work in health care - individual contributions from doctors, nurses, scientists, hospital administrators, etc.

For example, select "hospitals/nursing homes" and you find that Democrats overall get 3x as many contributions as Republicans and that these calculations are based on:

METHODOLOGY: The totals on these charts are calculated from PAC contributions and contributions from individuals giving more than $200, as reported to the Federal Election Commission. Individual contributions are generally categorized based on the donor's occupation/employer, although individuals may be classified instead as ideological donors if they've given more than $200 to an ideological PAC.

[KittyWampus]

8. but that doesn't make a thread title that feeds into the Left's ever-ready circular firing squad

[SidDithers]

19. +1...nt

Sid

[laughingliberal]

31. As I just noted above it would be important to know which doctors, nurses, etc...

Many groups of health care professionals are much more on the side of the Chamber of Commerce that they are on the side of reforming this for-profit heath care boondoggle of a system we have here. Some probably came from people who supported the platform he ran on and wish they had their money back.

[MineralMan]

11. Nice, distorted title for this story,

which is about INDIVIDUAL donations, not industry donations.

Do you really hate President Obama that much, that you would do such a thing.

We Distort; You Deride

Isn't that the slogan of Fox News?

I'm sorry, but I'm really, really tired of DUers who distort stories to maintain their constant Obama-bashing.

Do you not realize that most of us are capable of reading past your headline?

Perhaps the first name on your screen name is misspelled?

[KittyWampus]

13. In OP'ers defense, he just used Rawstory's title. But you are correct about many DU'ers not

reading past thread title.

I am guilty of that myself sometimes.

[upi402]

27. $7 million OK with you? and the $13 million remainder is

mostly hogs at the trough as well. Anyone enabling the health care abuse being perpetrated on the American citizenry is a POS. You claim these are INDIVIDUAL donations as if soccer moms and construction hands are health care PROFESSIONALS.

meh, who's the propagandist distorting things? You point the finger of blame, but fail to see the 3 pointing right back at you.

Obama is FAIL for America and all his betrayal has not prevented the corporate media and Republicans from behaving as the enemies that they are. Now you worry that the very citizens Obama has betrayed are seeing things for what they are?


wake up

[liberalpragmatist]

29. So a nurse can't donate to Obama?

Because she's a "hog at the trough"?

[upi402]

45. $20 from a nurse vs, $1,500 from an exec?

Execs get heard, nurses get ignored. Nurses I know hate what has happened and think Obama has betrayed them.

I get regular emails from CNA, California Nurses Assoc. who I support

Here I see their feelings of being let down;
"The nation’s largest union and professional organization of registered nurses today called on House members to hold the line in opposing a tax on workers’ healthcare benefits, and called for other changes in the final healthcare legislation to expand affordability and crack down on insurance industry abuses"

Obama supports taxing those of us that gave up raises to get our families coverage. The term Professionals doesn't mean only nurses.

[LoZoccolo]

50. "mostly hogs at the trough"; document or retract. n/t

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Read the whole story....

Of the $20 million from the "healthcare industry" which includes donations from individuals who work in healthcare (like me), only $700,000 was from the healthcare insurance industry.

$700,000.

He raised more than $150 million in the course of his campaign.

That means that less than one-half of one percent of his total contributions came from the insurance industry.

Fail.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

17. He raised a hell of a lot more than $150M over the course of the campaign.

http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do?cand_id=P80003338&searchType=&searchSQLType=&searchKeyword=

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

34. Thanks -- I did a quick Google search

and found a report from October that used the $150m figure.

The point being that the amount Obama raised from the health insurance industry was in infinitesimally small portion of his overall fundraising.

[Number23]

74. Thanks for that. So that means that out of $660 million in donations, only $700K

came from the health lobby. Puts things in perspective, which is seriously needed here.

[DevonRex]

37. Thanks for reporting the facts. OP didn't even read the article, obviously. nt

[rateyes]

88. You're correct. The donations came from people...

people whom he is now screwing over in favor of those who gave the paltry $700,000.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

15. First of all, Obama outraised McCain 2:1 overall.

So factor that in before you start doing comparative analysis of the health care figures.

Even if the above figures were in some way useful (which they aren't because they count all private donations from individuals employed in the health care industry as "health care industry money") it still amounts to only a whopping... 2.7% of Obama's overall funding.

[jbnow]

16. Explain a few things? People in helping professions supporting a Dem?

My doctor is among them.
Heck I could have been if I had marked something related as my profession.

What's the story? We know he raised a huge lot of money. People he raised it from mostly had jobs and they have to be in something. Health care workers tend to support Democrats.
This isn't not grass roots. We who make up grass roots have jobs.

He did sticj to the no lobbyist money thing very strictly. I know of several people who were registered as lobbyists just because as a part of their job they sometimes lobby congress. Their money always came back with a nice letter. Since buying from the store counted as contributions even if they bought hats or shirts they got their money back but didn't have to return the merchandise. We could start a rumor that he was bribing the lobbyists with Obama hats. That's a better rumor than this for causing trouble.

Now the money he got from the finance sector, that's scary

[MineralMan]

42. Last time I saw my doctor, he said that he supported

single payer healthcare. I didn't ask, but I imagine he was one of Obama's contributors.

[ixion]

18. wow... look at the DLC spinners twirling around on this one

it's laughable to watch them try and rationalize this. :rofl:

[Individualist]

21. spinning like tops, as always

:thumbsup:

[berni_mccoy]

24. What's sad is seeing desperate hate

like yours.

[KittyWampus]

32. Just out of curiosity, am I a "DLC Spinner" for pointing out this refers to individuals donating

and the vast majority of money referred to in the article came from individual doctors and nurses?

[laughingliberal]

33. Yes, stock up on Dramamine. nt

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

39. Care to address the substance of the criticisms of the OP instead of just name calling? n/t

[MineralMan]

44. That's OK, the anti-Obama DUers are spinning, too, and

even faster.

[NoodleyAppendage]

48. Don't you realize that some are tasked to DU to "shape the message" amongst the grassroots?

DU is replete with DLC-loving operatives and message plants.

J

[Starbucks Anarchist]

56. No, we just know how to read.

Individual health professionals do not equal health-insurance companies.

[dionysus]

59. too bad you can't see the OP is full of FAIL...

:rofl: indeed.

[WeDidIt]

80. So what's the big deal here?

Seriously. What's the big deal?

My brother works for a bank. He donated to Obama. His donation is rolled up into the aggregate numnber coming from the banking sector.

I have a sister-in-law who works in the billing department of a hospital. Her donation to Obama got rolled up into this number.

These are aggregated industry numbers, not corporate donations.

So the one who comes off as an idiot is you.

[Don Caballero]

20. OMG! So what!!

All people running for government positions get money from all kinds of industries. So sick of the Obama hatred round these parts.

[tekisui]

61. How is linking to a an article on campaign donations hatred?

Seriously, WTF?

[dionysus]

65. because it's got someone downthread calling it treason.

n/t

[berni_mccoy]

22. Not this shit again

How many times is this going to be reposted and debunked here?

[Hello_Kitty]

23. Rawfaildoglake!1! eom

[Name removed]

25. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SidDithers]

26. And Rawstory grows more irrelevant with each passing day...

resorting to sensationalism to drive hits to their joke of a website.

And the addle-brained lap it up as gospel.

Sid

[MineralMan]

43. Rawstory frequently uses misleading headlines for their

stories. It's a strategy remarkably like that of Worldnet Daily. A guy has to wonder...

[LoZoccolo]

51. A long time ago they used to put up a headline, mark it "developing", and make you wait.

Meanwhile people would be F5ing over and over while waiting. One wonders if they could generate extra advertising revenue that way.

[MineralMan]

52. Yes. They count on the majority to read only the headline

and ignore the body copy. As we see here so often, they are apparently correct.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

30. More than half came from individuals.

The story makes it look like health-insurance companies donated all of it.

[DevonRex]

35. So you're saying doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nurses aids can't donate to Dems?

:eyes:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. Interesting contributions while running for Senate via OpenSecrets.org

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2006&cid=N00009638&type=C
Broken down by Total Individuals PACs
Lawyers/Law Firms $2,925,409 $2,824,807 $100,602
Securities & Investment $1,460,493 $1,398,993 $61,500
Retired $1,140,006 $1,140,006 $0
Real Estate $736,810 $707,160 $29,650
Business Services $616,255 $605,255 $11,000
Education $603,335 $602,335 $1,000
Misc Finance $484,098 $481,098 $3,000
TV/Movies/Music $400,033 $376,033 $24,000
Health Professionals $395,713 $335,713 $60,000
Commercial Banks $328,038 $279,888 $48,150
Printing & Publishing $251,843 $247,343 $4,500
Non-Profit Institutions $243,120 $243,120 $0
Insurance $197,382 $143,832 $53,550
Misc Business $181,391 $179,391 $2,000
Computers/Internet $169,083 $160,583 $8,500
Retail Sales $164,950 $151,450 $13,500
Civil Servants/Public Officials $158,557 $158,557 $0
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $152,175 $140,925 $11,250
Democratic/Liberal $149,043 $133,393 $15,650
Lobbyists $143,550 $142,050 $1,500

[KittyWampus]

38. Education $603,335. Why not highlight that one?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

41. Oh yes, I forgot about Charter Schools, sorry... but interesting no comment on what

I highlighted.....

[KittyWampus]

46. Oh, you have the breakdown of which educators were in charter schools vs. public?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

47. No breakdown, but he has been an advocate for Charter Schools since he was in the State Senate...and

still no comment on what I highlighted.....

[defendandprotect]

82. Obama is, btw, pushing CHARTER SCHOOLS...... disgusting -- !!!

[berni_mccoy]

54. So Obama received a total of 55k from Insurance PACs? That's less than 0.01 percent of contributions

Wow. You really got something there.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

60. He also received close to $1.5 million from investment firms, $328,000 from banking,

and about $152,000 from hospitals and nursing homes.

As to the health professionals, if you recall, when he was back in Illinois, he was for single payer.......

[berni_mccoy]

62. Not from firms, from individual donors. From Investment PACs he received 68k. Again

less than 0.01 percent.

[dionysus]

63. i dig your sig pic... ain't it the truth...

[berni_mccoy]

64. Got it from JeffR.

[defendandprotect]

86. From "individuals" who just happen to be connected to investment firms--!!!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

87. Did you ever hear of bundled contributions?

[jotsy]

40. My question would be at what point in the campaign, because that would make a difference in how

I see it. I would contend Obama would never have seen dime one from the big buck band wagon, had it not been for the progressive groundswell that swept him into the spotlight in the first place. Seeing the writing on the wall, corporate entities swooped in with lots of cash at the last minute so as to take credit for the political win.
If these donations predate his apparent climb however, I'd see it differently, and likely not favorably.

I voted for this man and long for a sense of what I thought I voted for. It's a nasty job at the nastiest of times so I've tried to be patient; heck, even a wink to the camera at the state of the union might see the return of a spark to a hope I try hard to hold on to.

[LoZoccolo]

49. This articles uses the classic Nader trick of confusing employee and employer contributions.

This is a shameful and unethical tactic used to generated and perpetuate shit statements.

[MineralMan]

53. Bingo! And, yet, the Obama haters run with it, as they run with

anything that meets their goals.

[Bobbie Jo]

55. How Faux Newsish.

nt

[defendandprotect]

83. What nonsense . . . how many individuals even at DU give more than $200???

Total to these candidates: $132,302,697 (Dems 53.7% and Repubs 46.2%)

Finance/Insur/RealEst
Obama, Barack $39,480,169
McCain, John $28,930,292
Clinton, Hillary $19,249,595
Romney, Mitt $13,710,157
Giuliani, Rudy $13,411,959
Dodd, Chris $5,480,286
Richardson, Bill $2,916,752
Edwards, John $2,125,162
Thompson, Fred $1,943,704
Biden, Joe $1,504,861
Huckabee, Mike $1,320,265
Paul, Ron $1,249,206



The public gave Obama something close to a billion -- presumably he came to a billion
or finally topped it even after election --

The public has NO leverage on Obama -- corporations do --

How many of these "individuals" met in the White House with Obama to discuss pharmaceutical
prices?

NONE -- but the pharmaceutical industry paid their way in -- and there will be NO
"negotiation" of drug prices --

[LoZoccolo]

89. I suggest you find out before you make an accusation like that.

As a matter of fact there are sites which will tell you who donated in your neighborhood and what-not. You and this alleged news site are just speculating based on your own prejudices.

[defendandprotect]

90. I think the "prejudice" is on the other foot -- 1% of our population is elite . . .

Yes . . . my son as a individual once gave $2,000 to Howard Dean --

but most citizens -- unaffiliated with Wall Street, Big Pharma, Monopoly corporations,

Health Care Industry -- do not give large amounts.

Additionally -- the public -- individual citizens -- have NO LEVERAGE OVER OBAMA...

Corporations obviously do --

From checks floating around on the floor of Congress to buy votes during the Bush era

to Pharma invited to the White House for private deal making with Obama --

[snooper2]

93. I gave $700...you can add that to the Telecomunications Industry Pool

Now that I and a bunch of my co-workers donated we can shape regulation at the FCC just like we want it for our specific markets. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fascisthunter]

58. Well, there Ya Go!

[Bluebear]

66. DLC's are spinning faster than a figure skater on this!

[defendandprotect]

68. Right . . . the story goes that our politicians aren't taking corporate money . . .

they must be getting it thru osmosis!!

[MadBadger]

67. Well that is a really simplistic view of things.

Lumping everybody in the healthcare industry together that is. That really isnt fair to the doctors and nurses who are put right on par with the health care and drug companies.

[defendandprotect]

69. Take the doctors and nurses out -- and ALL you have is corporate bribery . . .

The doctors and nurses who are pushing for single payer/Medicare for All aren't

the problem --

"for profit" corporate health care and their $$ is the problem --

[MadBadger]

70. So then because 5 million dollars, or less than 1% of his total money raised came from industry...

That equals corporate bribery? What kind of bribe is that?

[DevonRex]

71. Hey, don't talk him down. The meltdown is just too delicious to watch.

[defendandprotect]

77. Corporatism/fascism is now "meaningless" . . . let's get some real figures on all of this --

too much game playing going on here by those who want to ....

eh . . . salvage Obama's reputation?

Unfortunately, HRC's take from the health care industry was even higher!

[SpartanDem]

72. Faux News would be proud of this reporting

[dionysus]

73. well, if they were accurate and put in "doctors and nurses who work for" right before

"the health care industry" the article would have a whole different meaning, now wouldn't it?
:hi:

[amborin]

76. great OP! and, Obama's #2 donor was Goldman Sachs:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7448992

[defendandprotect]

78. Health Care Industry and Wall Street . . . and we expect to have leverage over Obama??

[Odin2005]

81. We need PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS.

[defendandprotect]

84. +1000% -- Supreme Court will side with corporations buying government ...

[defendandprotect]

85. Also, keep in mind 80% of the money raised goes to MSM for ads . . .

so corporate press isn't about to let anything work against this pay load!!!

[earth mom]

92. WTF-Only 40 recs?! Yep, the denial is out of control!

:puke: