August 13, 2009

Obama's deal with Big Pharma.

HuffPo got the memo.
PhRMA senior vice president Ken Johnson said that the outline "is simply not accurate." "This memo isn't accurate and does not reflect the agreement with the drug companies," said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin.

34 comments:

Scott M said...

...more Chicago politics.

Does this honestly surprise anyone other than the dems in Congress?

Alex said...

I expect the proper configuration of bribes to get pharma and the Blue Dogs to capitulate any day now. The American people will be horrified, and Obama will not give a shit. He is so drunk on power that he think with the MSM on his side, he can always get away with it in 2012.

Beta Conservative said...

So Obama has deals with Big Pharma, the AMA, and hospital associations, but he warns us that the other side has been captured by "special interests"?

Big Pharma was recently as evil as Big Insurance. Apparently the O believes in redemption if the price is right.

The Drill SGT said...

The irony is not about a particular deal.

It is about the repeated Obama campaign promises to:

- have the most transparent administration evah...
- to bar lobbyists from positions in my adminstration
- to not make deals with lobbyists behind closed doors
- to make all negoiations with industry public and on C-SPAN

to quote Geraghty: All Obama promises has expiration dates. All of them...

Alex said...

So Obama has deals with Big Pharma, the AMA, and hospital associations, but he warns us that the other side has been captured by "special interests"?

It is positively Orwellian. However the MSM will NEVER EVER call him on it like they would instantaneously do on Dubya. I believe we have already had a coup in this country with the MSM in league with the Democrats. Now you can say that any responsible person isn't supposed to just swallow whatever the MSM says and should do their own research. But the vast majority of people who vote rely on their news and analysis from the MSM, mainly TV. I truly fear for our nation.

Scott M said...

Just as an exercise:

If Obama actually got accused of something that would rise to the level of impeachment, would it require a higher standard of proof as he's the first black (sorta) president?

Would we be looking at an OJ trial x 10?

I'm not talking about video of him doing something undeniably illegal or impeachable. I'm talking about something a bit more esoteric, but nonetheless illegal, whatever the case may be...but not a legal slam-dunk.

Alex said...

Scott M - nothing would happen. The MSM would cover it up and make it go away. I'm utterly convinced that Obama can get away with murder.

traditionalguy said...

Smoke and mirrors. All of the Special Interests are in support of the Government take over of medicine. Only the serfs are protesting anything anymore. But serfs may vote for a serf with courage named Palin once they figure out that they have been sold out for 30 pieces of silver and the fantasy of a free ride by a squirrely confidence man.

chickelit said...

I expect the proper configuration of bribes to get pharma and the Blue Dogs to capitulate any day now.

I fear you are right. 2010 will be too late to turn this thing back, although some heads will roll.
I believe the proponents of these bills knew this, and that's why they hurried.

And I repeat: It's all because Obama's mommy went overseas and neglected to buy health insurance.

Automatic_Wing said...

Alex - Your comment reminded me of this Onion story from a while back:

Media having trouble finding right angle on Obama double homocide

The Drill SGT said...

The Edwin Edwards standard: Before election day, Edwards had joked with reporters: "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy".

Triangle Man said...

Big Pharma was recently as evil as Big Insurance. Apparently the O believes in redemption if the price is right.

Big Insurance is at the table too. They're the ones who are pushing for mandatory coverage.

Alex said...

Another thing about the left. They are constantly engaged in "Emmanuel Goldstein" mode. For those that have read 1984 you know what I mean. For those who haven't - it's the idea of a continued demonization of an impotent/non-existent enemy to continuously rally the troops.

One example was last week's column by Steve Pearlstein calling conservatives "political terrorists". Another is today's post by Mark Thoma:

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2009/08/the-gops-misplaced-rage.html

Who cares? The GOP is the minority, they're opinion doesn't matter. Unless of course, you are feeling impotent and need to rally the troops around hate of the eternal enemy - the GOP.

Alex said...

Oh and the lefties are very disciplined about their hate. Whenever they see comments going "off message", someone makes sure to say "remember our real enemy is the GOP".

hombre said...

Right. It's time for Teh One to employ the usual strategy when caught in a sleaze: "Deny, deny, deny."

Nobody's checkin' but us chickens.

LouisAntoine said...

Can one of you wingnuts explain how this is socialist?

chickelit said...

Can one of you wingnuts explain how this is socialist?

What, Pharma's survival strategy in the midst of all this or the Obamacare plan itself?

AlgonquinS said...

Oh, no! Obama is in the pocket of Big Pill!

Big Mike said...

@Monty, I don't think any of us called it "socialist." We called it contemptible.

Now I'm going to go into my two minute hate and this time I'm going to direct it at you, Monty.

Hate

Hate

Hate

Hate

HATE

There, two minutes is up.

You were saying?

Alex said...

From now on I make it a policy to not respond to any troll that calls me a name. If a liberal can show basic respect, then I'll debate.

Big Mike said...

Wait a minute! Are you the same Alex who's commenting on the Camille Paglia thread? How'd we wind up on the same side here?

Alex said...

Wait a minute! Are you the same Alex who's commenting on the Camille Paglia thread? How'd we wind up on the same side here?

Probably, not aware of any other Alex's posting on Althouse. Should I be concerned? LOL

LouisAntoine said...

LOL, Alex. I guess "troll" isn't a name. Go back to telling people to shut up-- seems to be what you're good at.

p.s. interesting that you find yourself targeted by the word wingnut... possibly an admission?

Sofa King said...

Can one of you wingnuts explain how this is socialist?

How isn't it? You've got the government using its special powers of coercion to influence economic outcomes. Then again, one of the parties at the table isn't a government, it is an aggregate of corporations seeking favored status through collaboration with the state, and the state playing along and using this to enhance its own power. So, maybe you're right, this isn't really socialist at all.

It's fascist.

garage mahal said...

In other words, nothing has changed.

JAL said...

Oh garage. A helluva a lot has changed.

wv gkcian - of the geeks

LouisAntoine said...

Sofa King-- Like I said elsewhere, a lot of people seem to have discovered the existence and functioning of the American goverment on January 20, 2009. I suppose, prior to that date, government consisted of buckle-shoed town elders making decisions based on the greater good. Corporations had no influence, right?

Whatever, I should quit being surprised at how incredibly stupid and thoughtless the opposition has become... it was more fun to be in that position, so enjoy it. It will only last another 16 years or so.

garage mahal said...

Oh garage. A helluva a lot has changed.

Only the players.

Unknown said...

"This memo isn't accurate and does not reflect the agreement with the drug companies," said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin.


Okay, obvious next question: what is your agreement, and why do you have one at all?

LouisAntoine said...

They have to make an agreement with the pharmaceutical companies because if they didn't, the tea party protests would suddenly have about $79 million to run negative ads against the reform effort.

traditionalguy said...

Politics makes strange bedfellows said some observer of the democratic winner takes all system. No player in Big Pharma entity can afford not to hedge their bets. And it is not socialist as to the drug pusher profit kick-back deals. That is pure Chicago fascist all the way. The rumor is that next year's GM cars will come standard with free Rx narcotic drugs of your choice provided that Obama is also re-elected.

Daryl said...

Remember that Barack Obumbler used to be one of the big "campaign finance reform" supporters.

Now he's fishing for a $$$150,000,000 in-kind contribution, in exchange for not cutting healthcare costs.

How corrupt can you get?

Bruce Hayden said...

I agree that big pharma had no choice here. They had to pony up to keep themselves in business. All that it would take to eliminate them as viable businesses would be the sort cram downs that Medicare, Medicaid, etc. do with physicians and hospitals right now. Plus, they are extremely susceptible to the "best practices" panels - the newest drugs are always expensive in order to pay off their R&D, etc. costs, and it would be very easy to go with yesterday's generics to save money.

But they got rolled - they bellied up to the table, and then found out that they couldn't trust this Administration to keep its word. Imagine that.

traditionalguy said...

The CDC in Atlanta is in a building boom this year. They are primarily a part of the Emory campus, but have started a new enclave of buildings on a nearby Interstate so that they don't eat up all of the land left at Emory. The crisis of the new Flu has been pushed like it is a great pandemic. One wonders if that is another ploy for world-over government expansion and powers. We will see. So far this Pandemic of new flu does not seem to affect the 60 and over population.