House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the first time yesterday suggested she may be backing off her support of the public option. According to CNN, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "said they would support any provision that increases competition and accessibility for health insurance - whether or not it is the public option favored by most Democrats." When "asked if inclusion of a public option was a non-negotiable demand -- as her previous statements had indicated Pelosi ruled out any non-negotiable positions," according to CNN. This was also corroborated by the Associated Press, and by Pelosi's own words, as quoted in those stories.
This announcement came just hours before Steve Elmendorf, a registered UnitedHealth lobbyist and the head of UnitedHealth's lobbying firm Elmendorf Strategies, blasted this email invitation throughout Washington, D.C. I just happened to get my hands on a copy of the invitation from a source - check out this OpenLeft exclusive:
From: Steve Elmendorf [mailto:steve@elmendorfstrategies.com]
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2009 8:31 AM
Subject: event with Speaker Pelosi at my homeYou are cordially invited to a reception with
Speaker of the House
Nancy PelosiThursday, September 24, 2009
6:30pm ~ 8:00pmAt the home of
Steve Elmendorf
2301 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Apt. 7B
Washington, D.C.$5,000 PAC
$2,400 Individual
To RSVP or for additional information please contact
Carmela Clendening at (202) 485-3508 or clendening@dccc.orgSteve Elmendorf
ELMENDORF STRATEGIES
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SOLUTIONS
900 7th Street NW Suite 750 Washington DC 20001
(202) 737-1655
Again, Elmendorf is a registered lobbyist for UnitedHealth, and his firm's website brags about its work for UnitedHealth on its website (Elmendorf was also a chief of staff for Democratic Minority Leader Dick Gephardt).
The sequencing here is important: Pelosi makes her announcement and then just hours later, the fundraising invitation goes out. Coincidental? I'm guessing no - these things rarely ever are.
I wrote a book a few years ago called Hostile Takeover whose premise was that corruption and legalized bribery has become so widespread that nobody in Washington even tries to hide it. This is about as good an example of that truism as I've ever seen.
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Comments
Late this morning I am the main presenter on a national call on health reform as to what local advocates can do to support a good bill. Can I just bang my head on the speaker phone???
Nice job on Rachel last night, btw.
Saddened beyond belief is more like it.
If the Speaker of the House is in cahoots with the enemy then what is the point of any of this? What are we fighting for if we've lost before we've even begun?
Change you can believe in!!!!!
Rated.
Just wow.
Rated
Just this -- forcing millions of uninsured, most of whom are just scraping by to begin with, to shell out thousands of dollars APIECE to the health insurance companies for their worthless "coverage" which disappears as soon as you need it, like an umbrella that folds up as soon as it begins to rain.
Go to Behind Blue Eyes' post about HR676 (Medicare for all = single-payer) - lets resurrect this bill! It needs to go viral!
In good time these things are more easily hidden, so we can go about our lives feeling as though things are OK... Fuck them all...
Now should be the time of delivery, not not just more eternal now, memory loss and B.S. sandwiches.
Tell me PAC is a humble way of asking: Please Accept Cash.
I am a recovery swearer. I just fell off the wagon with this one. I am PISSED - more to come.