Yes We Can! Long Island 2012If there is one fact that will emerge from the endless debate about reforming health care it is that, ultimately, legislation in our country is shaped by corporate lobbies. Take this editorial from Tuesday’s New York Times–Marvin
Puppets in Congress
NY Times, Nov 17
For a depressing example of how members of Congress can be spoon-fed the views and even the exact words of high-powered lobbying firms, consider remarks inserted into the Congressional Record after the debate and vote on health care reform in the House.
As Robert Pear reported in The Times on Sunday, statements inserted into the official record by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by lobbyists working for Genentech, a large biotechnology company that expects to prosper under some of the provisions in the reform legislation. The company estimates that 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats picked up some of its talking points.
The comforting news is that none of the ghostwritten material sought to change the contents of the bill, which was not open to much revision during the debate. Rather, the statements were inserted into the Congressional Record as revisions and extensions of briefer remarks made by legislators on the House floor. Still, there they are in the official record for historians to read, or perhaps a judge trying to determine the lawmakers’ intent in passing this bill.
The apparent goal was to show that, even though there were sharp divisions between the parties on the overall reform bill (only one Republican voted for it), there was bipartisan support for provisions relating to drugs produced by the biotechnology industry. One provision, for example, would allow generic competition to expensive biological drugs but only after the original manufacturer had enjoyed 12 years of exclusive use, a generous period by anyone’s standards.
An e-mail message from one top lobbyist urged his colleagues to conduct “aggressive outreach” to Congressional staff members to secure as many supportive statements from their bosses “as humanly possible.” Sure enough, Republicans who denounced the overall bill, said in their industry-fed statements that the biological drug provisions struck “the appropriate balance.”
It is disturbing that the industry was able to so easily shape the official record to its liking. It is even more disturbing that so many members of Congress were willing to parrot the industry talking points.
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Yes We Can! Long Island is considering making corporate influence and campaign finance reform centerpieces of its platform. We will be sharing with our members our ideas about a campaign to build public awareness and taking action in support of the Fair Elections Now Act. In my view, especially given the manner in which major reform legislation is being shaped, our most important mission going ahead will be to play a role in leveling the playing field between corporate lobbying and the public’s interest.
Become acquainted, for example, with the work of Common Cause an organization committed to ‘restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard in the political process.’
I for one would need to know more before I vote to support an YWC!LI focus on campaign reform. I agree it sounds important but question if we could be successful or if it would be counter productive to recent broad based efforts by grass roots organizations.
John McCain and others have invested heavily in such reform but ended with little to show for their efforts. In fact, since McCain – Feingold, campaigns have gotten more expensive. And progressives such as President Obama raised record levels of funds by reaching out to small and large donors alike. Recently advocacy groups ( Move-on; Act Blue, etc.) have raised awareness and significant funds to counter “tea baggers” and other right wing groups. Without those progressive advocacy groups would we progressives risk being over run by right wing groups that are motivated by Glen Beck and others at Fox News, as well as rich and powerful organizers, who would not be covered by campaign rules. Would the “swift boaters” have been covered? My first thought is that we instead need to improve membership to help counter such efforts by tea baggers, swift boaters and corporate lobbyists