I’ve always been curious about the ethics of campaign finance. If a judge takes $ from a person or company with interest in case before that judge, it’s unethical. If a US corporation or one of its employees gives money to a foreign government official (in charge of licenses/permits/etc), it’s illegal. But US corporations and their employees give millions to members of Congress and it’s business as usual. WTF?

And of course there’s the little gig Hadassah Lieberman had as a lobbyist for the health care industry…

I can’t think of too many people who would be able to waltz into a job after being away at least a decade — at least not without some really specific attributes a firm couldn’t get from another candidate for employment with a more recent resume.

How does one put “spouse of a spineless senator” on a resume anyhow?

That does not seem like so much money. Instead of raising money to buy ads, maybe we should be buying these guys.

Yes…a function of free speech, according to George Will. Pretty sick line of reasoning, if you ask me.

Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, Joe Lieberman: Bought and paid for by big insurance companies.

You know, they aren’t so much “Blue Dog Democrats” as Blue Cross Democrats.

No wonder Lincoln took such pains to point out she’ll continue to block health care for the public. For sale, $112,500; one Arkansas ex-senator to be; has a lilt to it, doesn’t it.

So are you actually suggesting that monies received from a particular industry could in some way influence a voting decision? That can’t possibly be true. These are, after all, public servants.

“…they aren’t so much “Blue Dog Democrats” as Blue Cross Democrats whores…”

Fixed it.

We need to do a Volta – on our attitude towards Blanche, because:

“This thing has been pretty watered down. Right now, it’s about as watered down as it could be and still be a real bill. For example, there’s really no insurance reform in this bill, already,” Dean said on MSNBC.

He added that the Senate bill is “decent” and the House bill is “better.” But, he said, insurance companies can still charge double for those with pre-existing conditions under the House bill.

“There’s not a lot left to this bill. The public option is about it,” Dean said.
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/dean-theres-no-real-insurance-reform-in-health-care-bills.php?ref=fpb

So,here’s counting on Blanche, Landrieu, Lieberman and Bernie – to kill this offal.

First, Jane’s excellent post, The Future of the Public Option, is spot on. She’s right to argue that she staked out the best possible position for Firedoglake very early on. And she’s right to argue that “a public option … is now a bright line.”

I was particularly impressed by two other assertions:

We’ve been … targeting Harry Reid and making it difficult for him to unload the public option without risking his own political future.

And:

And we’re not done, not by a long shot. We’ve been working diligently behind the scenes on things that nobody knows about yet, in anticipation of what is to come.

In an effort to argue that Firedoglake should be going after Blanche Lincoln, I was going to point out Nate Silver’s most recent post, Advice To Blanche Lincoln: Speak Softly, But Carry Firm Position on Health Care Reform, in which he analyzes Blanche Lincoln’s position and offers some advice that I think won’t help her very much at all, his four-step program being far too little and way too late to save her (click here to see my comment to Nate).

I was going to argue that, of the four Jane highlights in this post, we should try to do some of the heavy lifting for Reid by focusing on the one who’s most vulnerable – Lincoln – and even start laying the groundwork to support a primary challenger against her.

But I’m starting to see that Jane’s got a whole lot more up her sleeve that’s so much better than anything I was pushing for since Saturday night, since Blanche Lincoln announced on the Senate floor that she will block an up-or-down vote for any bill that includes a public option.

Looking forward to following your lead on this one, Jane!

Such cheap sell-outs!

Until we remove the influence of corporate dollars on our political system,we are pretty much fucked

Somehow the wages of sin always manage to receive a cost of living lying adjustment.

That was my thought as I drove in this morning.

Seriously, how much can it cost? Just have the DNC or Warren Buffet or whoever fill her coffers so she can finally be free of her corporate masters and the other 300Million of us can MOVE ON FROM HERE.

I am 100% sick of a few self-important Senators and their Corporations dictating what all the rest of us get to do. It’s undemocratic and I’m sure the Founders would be outraged. And, the Senate as a whole ought to be very, very careful with this stuff overall. They are looking very self satisfied, ineffective, and obstructionist these days while America burns in a Depression.

What’s Lincoln’s background, in terms of personal background and political sponsors? Clinton?

She doesn’t really seem to be a big time player on her own, at least not at this point.

Liberman, Nelson, and Landrieu are much easier to place.

” I’m sure the Founders would be outraged.”

I agree , there is no way they could have envisioned how the system would evolve ,but I’m sure they would not have approved by any means.

Instead of a tyrant king we have tyrant corporatism

Jane, I’m amazed how much time, effort, and aggravation you’ve endured for this cause, especially given your personal health issues. I am truly grateful for your effort.

What do you think about talk today over at TPM that the watered down public option that remains in the House and Senate bills is not worth fighting for? I personally hope any PO will be a slippery slope to expanded government subsidy of health care. I’d like to hear your opinion.

I’m new to commenting here…been reading here for years…but that has to be one of the best ideas I have heard yet SaltinWound! Why hasn’t anyone else noticed this great idea (yet)?
Certainly, that much money has been raised ten times over in regards to fighting for what has ended up being this crappy ‘insurance reform’.

Kudos for thinking outside the box!

Welcome to the Lake. Jump right in.

Lincoln is mostly identified with AG issues (she pro-subsidy) and is regarded as somewhat wonky on things she’s involved in. In the internet bios I saw she didn’t seem to be closely identified with any other politico and seems to have won on the basis of personal qualities and a little good luck when an incumbent got in hot water.

She looks like an Eisenhower Republican, which may be why she’s buddies with Olympia Snowe.

All in all she looks like a fairly tough opponent. Her ratings are not so good, but a lot of the negative is probably Republican crazies.

Thanks!
Just signed the petition to try to give HR some balls!
Can I write ‘balls’ here?

There is a direct relationship between accepting money and doing the bidding of the donor, denials notwhithstanding. Of that there is little doubt. Our republic has been transformed into a Bribeocracy and we all accept this without a whimper.

Eisenhower Republican?? Interesting. Seems like that’s who’s pushing the “Democratic” agenda these days.

Look I much prefer Eisenhower Republics to teabagger “conservatives” (or however they are identifying themselves today), but I find it unacceptable that progressives continue to be pushed around & ignored by the same old conservatives, who are now (possibly always) being bought by the corporations.

Agree with SaltinWound: how much would it take to buy this Senator, to get her to do the right thing (eg, what her constituents want and need)? And how do we go about it? Seems like progressives can usually raise enough money when we need to.

I’m in!

Please detail any plan that exists to bring down Wal-Mart’s whore. She is one of the most corrupt and vile senators currently stalking the halls of Congress. My checkbook awaits.

Taking away Landrieu’s buffet privileges would be punishment enough for her.

Right. What’s really shocking to me is that they go out so cheap. As the saying goes.

Just your everyday, run of the mill BRIBE! No news here folks, just move along…just your everyday senator hurrying to the bank to make a deposit…

Lincoln will have a primary opponent next year. If that does not take her out the general will so she is certainly history and her base will tell her that should she ask. Landrieu is in denial this is her last term too so she just as well stop playing the game. Her dad is likely spinning in his grave. Lieberman is a blow hard asshole. The republicans who elected him last time will have a real republican next time and he need not attempt to put on the democratic robe because doubt the majority of dems in CT want to see his ugly mug. He knows that and is just punching his insurance contributors ticket. As for Nelson, he just needs to move on over to the GOP…ahh thats right none of these assholes will do that because of seniority the Democratic caucus enables them.

The CBO scoring of the Senate’s Health Care Bill comes in at $849 Billion over a 10 yr. period that reduces the deficit by over $130 Billion and is paid for.In honor of Veteran’s Day. According to a study released by the Harvard Medical School, 2,266 veterans under the age of 65 died last year as a result of not having health insurance. Researchers emphasize that “that figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001.”It’s time for American Women to Stand-up/Speak-up for your full medical rights. Stop the rabid right-wing from restricting American womens medical choices. Call Congress and demand the “stupak-pitts amendment” be stripped from Health Care Reform. Also, demand that liebermann be stripped of his chairmanship of HSC and kicked out of the Caucus.Criminally corrupt politicians are the reason the U.S. is ranked near the bottom of every catagory when ranked next to other modern, industrialized nations. Time for publically funded elections. lieberman $12.6M, mcconnell $7.8M, baucus $7.7M, cornyn $6.7M, kyl $5.6M, grassley $5.4M, ensign $5.2M, conrad $5.1M, cantor $4.9M, nelson $4.9M, burr $4.8M, boehner $4.4M, hatch $4.4M, lincoln $4.1M, vitter $3.9M, carper $3.6M were paid by the Medical Industrial Complex to kill Health Care Reform. (Source: OpenSecrets.org, Aug. 09)Follow the Money: LinkCall Congress and demand, Single-Payer Health Care for All!(Toll Free # House and Senate)1-866-338-1015 _____ 1-866-220-0044 1-866-311-3405Sign Single-Payer, Public Option and Health Care as a Civil Rights Petitions: Link Link Link kucinichpetition Don’t let the Medical Industrial Complex steal your Health Care from you and your family by donating huge sums of money to Crooked Politicians in order to maintain the Status Quo. Keep up the good fight.SEMPER FI!

The Insurance Companies already knew they had LIEberman in the bag. No sense giving the turkey more bribe money if he is already bought from prior contribs.

I think these contributions are only a scratch on the surface – most of these people live HIGH on the hog, and stuff like the $inecure for holy joe’s wife is surely just part of all kind$ of little grea$e-the-wheel4-of-life accomadation$.

They’re bought and paid for, that is for sure – but I’m sure it is a LOT more.

rmm.