NYT: Drug Firms Cost Dick Armey His Job at DLA Piper

[flpoljunkie]

August 15, 2009
Drug Firms Cost Lobbyist His Position

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

WASHINGTON — Dick Armey, the former House Republican leader, has quit his job with the lobbying firm DLA Piper amid complaints from its drug company clients about his work opposing President Obama’s health care overhaul.

His departure is the latest example of the confusing entanglements arising from the health care debate.

To review the facts of this case: the drug companies who helped defeat the Clinton administration health care effort 15 years ago have now turned on Mr. Armey, who then was one of their most important Congressional allies. Now, having cut a deal with this administration to limit their share of the costs, the drug companies are on the other side. Foreseeing new profits from the expansion of health coverage, they are spending as much as $150 million on advertisements to support the president’s plan.

To their embarrassment, however, Mr. Armey has continued to oppose the plan as the chairman of the independent conservative group FreedomWorks. The group has helped turn out rowdy demonstrators at town-hall-style meetings with lawmakers around the country. And some liberal Web sites began connecting Mr. Armey’s fight against the health care legislation to his other work for DLA Piper’s drug company clients.

more here...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/us/15lobby.html?ref=politics

[PolNewf]

1. ROFL!! nt

[tridim]

2. Rachel apparently had nothing to do with it.

Thanks NYT. :eyes:

[Catshrink]

3. I can't wait to see her take him on tomorrow on MTP.

[Me.]

4. I Wouldn't Say That

"And some liberal Web sites began connecting Mr. Armey’s fight against the health care legislation to his other work for DLA Piper’s drug company clients".

If she and others hadn't connected the dots nothing might've changed and we know the company was aware of her reporting.

[Larkspur]

5. Yep, that's right

Rachel may have to work hard not to smirk on TV tomorrow when facing Dick"less" Armey.

[tridim]

6. Sorry, didn't think the sarcasm tag was necessary.

I was commenting on the fact that the NYT story conveniently left out Rachel's work.

[Me.]

8. Gotcha

Didn't catch it

[tanyev]

7. Actions have consequences, Dick.

[drm604]

9. Maybe the President is being cleverer than we realized.

I'm not really happy with him cutting deals with the Pharmaceutical companies, but maybe he thinks that the only way to fight the corporate interests is to turn them against each other.

Please note that I am not in any way diminishing Rachel Maddow's contributions to this. It may be at least partly due to her that big Pharma became aware of this. After all, the separation of Mr. Armey from DLA Piper occurred at the same time the firm threatened her with legal action over her reporting about his connections.

[Hamlette]

10. I would love to know what he earned there

The cynic in me says he'll just move on to another lobbying company but he might be too toxic right now.

I hope Rachel sees this and does go on TV tomorrow like a giant slayer. There is no doubt in my mind that she brought attention to it and without the attention the drug companies might not have cared but it is a better story that they are eating there own than that the damn liberal media is destroying lives (which is how they will spin it). Good time to be humble and say "it wasn't me, it was the evil drug companies. See, they are controlling all our lives! They can even get ppl fired for exercising their first amendment rights!"

[SharonAnn]

11. He didn't "earn" anything. But I do wonder what he got paid.