Lobbyists Attack Reform Without Disclosing Work For Health Insurance Companies
Lobbyists Attack Reform Without Disclosing Work For Health Insurance Companies
In an op-ed today in the Washington Times, Frank Donatelli smeared efforts to pass portions of health reform through reconciliation as an “arcane backroom procedure,” while referring to the legislation with the pejorative label “Obamacare.” Donatelli, who is a regular opinion writer for the Times, is also a frequent political pundit on CNN. In giving Donatelli a free platform to attack health reform, neither media outlet has disclosed that Donatelli is the director of public affairs for McGuireWoods Consulting (an affiliate of the law firm McGuireWoods LLP), a major lobbying firm that is currently representing Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Donatelli, whose firm has already received three separate payments of $54,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield to lobby Congress and the administration, is also associated with various right-wing groups organizing to defeat reform:
– Donatelli is a member of Citizens for the Republic, a group organizing tea party protests against health reform.
– Donatelli’s McGuireWoods is a client of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, an infamous GOP public relations firm with a history of working for health insurers like CIGNA and Aetna. Shirley & Banister is currently managing Let Freedom Right, a right-wing group preparing to run anti-health reform videos.
– Donatelli is the chairman of the Republican recruitment group GOPAC. At a GOPAC conference earlier this month, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) declared that President Obama’s health reform plans should “be put out of business.” Other speakers lined up to similarly malign reform.
But Donatelli is not the only opponent of reform mobilizing opposition without disclosing ties to the health insurance industry.
The American Conservative Union is a right-wing “grassroots” organization that is currently mobilizing anti-reform activities around Congressional town halls. The group boasts that attendees at Democratic town halls were reading questions from “talking points off a guide produced by the American Conservative Union,” and recently the group distributed a letter that said health reform would “pull the plug on grandma.” ACU’s chairman David Keene is a lobbyist for the Carmen Group, a firm that represents various health care interests, including the New York health insurer HealthFirst.
In Florida, Richard Willich attempted to organize a “leaded tea party” where opponents of reform could gather for speeches while firing guns at a shooting range. Willich, the new state chairman for Americans for Prosperity — a group run by a former associate of Jack Abramoff — is also the president of MDI Holdings, a company with several health care subsidiaries which work closely with insurers. Similarly, Corey Lewandowski — the New Hampshire state director of Americans for Prosperity who organized the protest outside of President Obama’s health reform town hall a few weeks ago — is a chief lobbyist for Schwartz Communications, a firm representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Fox News aired several interviews of Lewandowski without once noting his role representing corporate health care interests.
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Good whores keep their client lists private.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:02 pmCNN is always bringing on shills to hawk their wares. Bill Bennett (The big ole white Repug strageist) failed to disclose he donated to the McCain campaign while he was a payed CNN anaylist. CNN=Faux News Lite.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:07 pmGreat believers in transparency are they not, wot?
August 25th, 2009 at 4:07 pmTo work towards a common goal while trying to conceal your relationship with other coordinated people who have the same goal, is the very definition of a conspiracy.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:11 pmIt should be mandatory for corporate lobbyists to have a big dollar sign tattooed on their foreheads.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:25 pmIt’s sad that the media no longer works for the people as it was intended to by the Founding Fathers, but rather is for sale to the highest bidder.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:25 pm3,000 American citizens died on 9/11 and we went to war against terrorism. 18,000 American citizens die each year due to unaffordable health care or coverage being denied. It’s time to go to war against the greedy, immoral, profit driven health care and health insurance industries!
August 25th, 2009 at 4:33 pmI think i might be shocked more if they said he had nothing to do with insurance company’s
have to from no on believe that any one talking on a show has to have a connection to what ever they are spouting. So unless i hear that they are NOT part of a group far as i am concern its all bovine speak.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:33 pmPainfully watched a segment of Glen Beck last night about all of the debt we have. He had a big chart with different programs, etc, etc, pointing out all of the debt being created and than he mentioned War and Defense, but failed to point out those costs. Typical.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:37 pmWhy do republicans approve of the trillions of dollars being spent on two unnecessary wars BUT disapprove on spending any money on a government ran public option?
August 25th, 2009 at 4:37 pmThese conservatives are really tying to start another civil war because they lost and all their polices FAILED.
Can we give each and everyone of these repugs and conservatives some buPROPion Hydrochloride?
August 25th, 2009 at 4:42 pmNo matter — nobody reads the Washington Times anyway, except for the freepers and the birfers…oh, and the Moonies… I would use it to wrap fish in, but then I’d have to throw away a perfectly good fish…
August 25th, 2009 at 4:43 pmDivided We Fall says:
Why do republicans approve of the trillions of dollars being spent on two unnecessary wars BUT disapprove on spending any money on a government ran public option?
because then the people be educated and then they will figure out just how dumb they are, and how the wingnut side pull the wool over there eyes for so long. By saying they want to help them> but went you look just who is all this helping? its not the poorer ones thats for sure
August 25th, 2009 at 4:43 pmCorporatist snakes hiss with forked tongue…
August 25th, 2009 at 4:47 pmbzb says: Can we give each and everyone of these repugs and conservatives some buPROPion Hydrochloride?
How about we give them some propofol instead? I hear that one works wonders…
August 25th, 2009 at 4:48 pmIs there no anti-healthcare reform peole who is not a mental cases or not a paid lobbyist or an employee of healthcare/pharma?
August 25th, 2009 at 4:56 pmThese low life mercenaries should be dragged into hospital emergency rooms, and patient care centers. They should have to volunteer where the pain is real and then offer their spin on our excellent health system.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:56 pmAnother slime…
makes me sick…again! And boy oh boy, am I SICK a lot lately.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pmIf I am not mistaken, this is a type of fraud. Criminal charges should be pursued, but of course, will not be. The FCC should get off its lazy a$$ and start yanking the broadcasting licenses of cable news networks that perpetrate this type of fraud.
The Republicans have turned America into a lawless nation.
August 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pmBut Levi, the repubs hate the idea that the “Fairness Doctrine” could be re-instatated.
August 25th, 2009 at 5:39 pmActually, I am recommending something new called the “unfairness doctorine”. No more being fair to Republicans, no more bi-partizanship, not one inch.
We have been far to patient and polite for far to long. No more Mr. (or Ms) Nice guy. (or gal)
August 25th, 2009 at 6:05 pmtoo patient and too long.
I always make more mistakes when my blood pressure goes up.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:07 pmWho discloses anything anymore?
Gail Wilensky, Uwe Reinhardt, Tom Scully, Tom Daschle, Mrs. Evan Bayh, Nancy-Ann DeParle are all less than forthcoming.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:09 pmFull disclosure for ALL; including Dems (DINOs).
August 25th, 2009 at 7:08 pmWhat a joke; half of what MSM puts out is purely for entertainment purposes only.
At least the Dems platform is more interested in reform for sake of the people.
GOP worships the almighty dollar.
LOBBYISTS
(Will Rogers on Lobbyists)
California had a bill to investigate lobbying, and the lobbyists bought off all the votes and now they can’t even find the bill. PUTTING A [LOBBYIST] OUT OF BUSINESS IS LIKE A HIRED MAN TRYING TO FIRE HIS BOSS.
Any person that can’t spot a [LOBBYISTS] a mile away, must be a person so blind they still think toupees are deceptive, and can’t tell a hotel house detective from a guest.
There is no law against lobbying any more than there is against a man trying to get votes for the Senator when they are running for office. But Washington is going to investigate them [LOBBYIST] and see how they make this living, for it looks like a terribly easy graft.
All [LOBBYISTS] are gathered in Washington to see that taxes are put on somebody else’s business, but not on theirs.
The [LOBBYISTS] have taken the whole convention. They give you a badge and a drink. Lots of us don’t know what to do with the badges.
If one man with no official connection can change a whole conference, it’s not him you want to investigate; it’s the guy that he influenced. And it’s the same with [LOBBYING] in Washington. If we have Senators and Congressmen there that can’t protect themselves against these evil temptations of [LOBBYIST], we don’t need to change our [LOBBIES], we need to change our representatives.
(Steven L. Gobies and Lobbyists)
The Penthouse magazine article also expanded on the relationship between Steven L. Gobies’ and [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, the former [LOBBYIST] who was under investigation by the (U.S.) Attorney’s Office in connection with alleged bribery of Secret Service officers, unauthorized White House tours and credit card abuse connected to a male prostitution ring he frequented.
The Penthouse magazine article said [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, had agreed to “provide lurid details of Washington’s bisexual wonderland,” but before the interview could occur, [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, committed suicide in Boston, Massachusetts, on (Nov. 10).
In The Penthouse magazine article, Steven L. Gobies’ – who was not a source, for the article by Paul M. Rodriguez, of The Washington Times (www.WashingtonTimes.Com.) on the [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, story – also confirmed many of the things others had said about the [LOBBYIST] with ties to the upper echelons of the Reagan administration.
He said [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, tried to recruit him to help “in a sordid scheme to blackmail the powerful politicians invited to his lavish parties.”
Steven L. Gobies’ also said he “sexually serviced” [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, for money three times and, according to the magazine, “watched the [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, snort cocaine and then do sit-ups as he hung upside down, half-naked, in gravity boots.”
According to Steven L. Gobies’, [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, told him, “Do you know what kind of power you can have over people if you’ve got something on them? . . . I need boys and girls for people in government and high-level businessmen for my parties, for individuals, for whatever comes up.”
The Penthouse magazine article quoted Steven L. Gobies’ as saying [LOBBYIST] Craig J. Spence, was “the most dangerous man I’d ever met. If he hadn’t turned into such a crackhead, he could have blackmailed half this town. He used to say, ‘Hey, foreign intelligence agencies are doing it.’ ”
HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN
August 25th, 2009 at 8:24 pmTRIATHLON says:
(Will Rogers on Lobbyists)
California had a bill to investigate lobbying, and the lobbyists bought off all the votes and now they can’t even find the bill. PUTTING A [LOBBYIST] OUT OF BUSINESS IS LIKE A HIRED MAN TRYING TO FIRE HIS BOSS…
K Street.
The Republican Party has, in the past ten years, taken the politician/lobbyist levels to previously unheard-of levels of incestuousness. The Jack Abramoff scandal was one example. The Colorado Department of the Interior during the Bush years (in which they literally were having cocaine-fueled orgies with lobbyists) was another. To this day, the Republican Party views itself as nothing more than an instrument of well-heeled corporate interests, a conduit converting the goals of the rich directly to the delusions of the ignorant.
At the same time, the Democratic Party has moved away from lobbyists somewhat. Not as much as many of us would like, but away nonetheless. For example, Barack Obama’s campaign took small donations from a vast number of people, leaving him beholden to no one so much as everyone. More and more new Democrats are relying on the Internet-driven microdonation model, and hopefully within a few more campaign cycles at least most of them can be weaned from the corporate teat.
Thank you for the reminder of exactly why Republicans are bad and must be completely eliminated from positions of governance.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:32 amvery thanks for article!
August 29th, 2009 at 9:39 am