Obama Hires Former Wellpoint Exec

[SHRED]

And CONs still scream he is a "Liberal" and a "Socialist".

:freak:

---

Obama Hires Former Wellpoint Exec to Implement Health Care Law
by David Sirota

Liz Fowler, a key staffer for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who helped draft the federal health reform bill enacted in March, is joining the Obama administration to help implement the new law...

Fowler headed up a team of 20-some Senate Finance Committee staffers who helped draft the bill in the Senate. She was Baucus' top health care aide from 2001-2005 and left that job in 2006 to become an executive at WellPoint, the nation's largest private insurer. She was vice president of public policy at WellPoint, helping develop public-policy positions for the company. In 2008, she rejoined Baucus to work on health reform legislation.

MORE:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/07/14-7

Liz Fowler the Destroyer of the Public Option
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ5tj4cN9Jk

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[eridani]

1. Disgusting n/t

[niyad]

2. gee, I guess some people cannot handle the truth my rec took it to zero

[SHRED]

3. The cult of personality will...

...only go so far however.

Fact based truths will catch up.

[ProSense]

5. Or maybe

outrage over every appointment by the President has played out.

[Jim Sagle]

6. DLC hogwash!

[ProSense]

7. That's played out too. n/t

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Jim Sagle]

30. But hey, as long as you get five bucks an hour to spread it, whaddayou care?

[Radical Activist]

8. Wow. Nice link.

It's nice to see a deconstruction of Sirota's standard flim-flam. He has been hyperventilating about Obama for at least three years, ever since he was campaigning for the former Senate DLC leader with a corporatist voting record.

It reminds me of several items on this list, such as 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8745839&mesg_id=8745839

[saracat]

11. For God's sake, is there anything you do NOT find defensible? Does this appointment NOT bother you?

Does even the appearance of this appointment give you pause?

[ProSense]

22. Wait

I'm supposed to be bothered that Obama appointed someone who worked on the bill as a member of the staff of a Democrat?

Jon Corzine was CEO of Goldman Sachs and one of the more progressive Democrats around. People freak out and we get Chris Christie.

Screw outrage for the sake of outrage. David Sirota used to work for AIPAC.

[saracat]

27. Faux outrage? Read post 24. Whats faux? This is acceptable?

Liz Fowler and the Medicare Modernization Act
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_111/news/33652-1.html...

"The role requires Fowler to be a troubleshooter. “It is my job to find that common ground and mend fences if they need to be mended,” she said.

That skill was put to the test when Fowler helped pass the Medicare Modernization Act, which provided a prescription drug benefit for seniors and was one of the hallmark health care accomplishments of the Bush administration...

...Various health care lobbyists cited Fowler’s work on the prescription drug benefit as an example of her skill in finding compromises.

Still, Fowler’s willingness to work with Republicans and the Bush administration on the MMA could be a hindrance to future negotiations, said one Senate Democratic aide, who added that many Democrats felt that Baucus undercut Senate leadership by reaching a deal with the Bush administration..."


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Medicare_leg...

"It was not until 2003 that both houses of Congress passed, and President Bush signed, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 into law. The bill significantly changed the Medicare system by introducing a voluntary entitlement program for prescription drugs. Among its many provisions, the bill forbids the federal government from negotiating with manufacturers over drug prices for those enrolled..."

[Bobbie Jo]

25. Oh for God's sake, yourself. Is there anything you do NOT define

as a friggin outrage?

"Disgusting," Stunning," Shocking," etc...

[Mimosa]

37. WellPoint intends to OWN the delivery of health care

WellPoint's executives have said so. It's about PROFITS, not people.

I don't see how that can be good for us.

[Ken Burch]

4. "It's chess...it's about the 'big picture'...the 'independents' like stuff like this..."

All of the above will be posted here shortly.

[vaberella]

10. Liz Fowler wasn't the destroyer of the PO. Every Dem who rejected it was.

And there were many in the Dem party that were ready to scrap the bill if the PO was included. This is common knowledge.

[saracat]

12. The President didn't want it either.He said so.

[Hydra]

14. You beat me to it

It was a well orchestrated "cave-in" that many of us called in the beginning of the debate, when it was announced that the Admin had met with all the major players behind closed doors.

We were told we knew nothing of what we spoke of. There would be a public option, we were assured.

Just where are those people now, hmm?

[vaberella]

29. Ahh, you're pushing a conspiracy not the facts that were laid out, understood. n/t

[vaberella]

28. That's not true. The President wanted it. He said several times.

And pushed it. He did say two things. one was that he didn't advocate for it during the primaries which was untrue he did. And when the health debated first started you can find interview after interview after interview where he pushed for the public option. he even did so in the ABC special, so I'll have to say you would not be telling the truth in regards to the President. The second thing that he said, which he said clearly---people didn't want the health reform bill to happen if he didn't make some changes and the public option was one many Dems didn't want. This was known and discussed. Everyone knew Baucus and a few of his ilk was 100% against the public option so they'd have a reform bill and no public option---and these fools won.

So to say Obama never wanted the public option is just not true with the facts that are out there.

[saracat]

31. I know what he "said". He said a lot of things. He also promised

he wouldn't sign an HCR without a PO . He also campaigned "against" a mandate. Those were just words. He asked Congress to drop the PO and just pass the slop we have. He didn't really fight for it. Those were just words. Reid supported the PO and so did Pelosi. He stood in their way.Because he wanted GOP support and caved.

[vaberella]

32. You don't know what he said...since you claimed he said he was against it.

Which was not true. He didn't ask Congress to drop the PO. He was clearly informed by Reid that they wouldn't have the votes to pass health care reform if the PO was in it, hence his decision later. This was well known since Snowe was publicly against the health reform bill because she didn't want the PO and we needed this bill. But then you can argue for or against this bill, but to get it through the PO was needed to drop. And he wanted it to go through. There would be absolutely no bill if it was in and this is a fact. Reid and Pelosi's support meant nothing in lieu of the other congressional members who will vote on it. Everyone knows that. They are not the ONLY ones to vote and as was stated the Repubs would be filibustering the bill and the Dems needed Snowe on board. He didn't WANT GOP support, he bloody well NEEDED GOP support to get the bill ahead, everyone knows this. I don't know why you're twisting the facts---unless it's just to put the entire blame on O. I've only seen this in regards to those who wanted single-payer and many of the single-payer people hated the PO. I think I was the only one on DU for a long time pushing the PO and then a small faction joined in. Then when it seemed the PO wouldn't go through those who were in the single payer area jumped on this blame Obama band wagon when they weren't even supportive of the PO in the first place.

Don't get me wrong...I was pretty peeved when Obama was going wishy washy on the PO, however the fact remains that he does have a congress which was willing to fuck him over from Dems to Repubs and many a Dem was against the PO. Many, many, many and we would need their votes for the health reform bill. Many people on this board seem to like to blame the President for caving to Repubs. When in actuality when you look at the facts many Dems are in Wolf's clothing and fucking over legislation. Nelson is a perfect example. So again, Pelosi and Reid could support all the shit they want, but they also are not the final votes here and Reid new he didn't have and said as much, that he did not have enough votes if the PO was in. Even Pelosi said it would be harder to get the votes if the PO is included but she'd try. Let's not misconstrue the facts because we are hell bent to be angry at the President as though he's in on this alone and pushing him to be some Repub because we ignore other facts that force certain decisions.

[saracat]

38. I really respect your arguments, varbella. You are truly one of the most civil and intelligent

posters on DU.I agree the President in NOT in this alone. The Blue Dogs have a lot to answer for as well, but even some of them were fighting for the PO in the House. The thing that ticks me off about the President is I believe he really didn't fight for it. He made it possible for the Blue Dogs to hold him hostage by constantly caving. I think the entire bill should have been pulled rather than giving up the Public Option, which was the entire point of this legislation to begin with.

I believe what some of the congress critters have told me happened behind the scenes. The President was way to quick to concede. He gave away a lot right at the very beginning and started out negotiating at a disadvantage. I agree the President is not solely to blame but he doesn't deserve to be exonerated either. The fact is, he is a politician and he wanted a "win" in the political column even if it wasn't decent legislation and he broke his pledge NOT to sign any HCR that didn't have a Public Option in it.

This kind of" back stage" politics was also evidenced by the by play on DADT. The president says on thing in public, in the SOTU and then messages to congress to put it on "hold" till after the election.

I am not naive, and I do not expect miracles but I do expect the President, whoever he is, to put a lot more fight into those issues he staked his campaign on. I do not see that happening and I do not see that "change" has been brought to DC in any meaningful sort of way.The same people who were in charge are still in charge and the President is acquiescent. It is all about politics and not about people.

[SunsetDreams]

33. So he said it or not? Post 12. "The President didn't want it either.He said so."

[saracat]

34. That is what he said later and that is what members of Congress said.

He was willing to trade it away almost immediately. Jeez. Pelosi continued arguing for it long after the WH caved. If the WH genuinely wanted it , we would have had it. He made a public statement that the PO wasn't necessary. If you do not remember that, you just don't remember.

[gateley]

13. Why? Seriously -- why? nt

[senseandsensibility]

16. I think we know.

;(

[gateley]

17. I really don't. I'm not of the belief that Obama is really a DLCer, or 'just like Bush'.

I kind of thought he made some other horrendous appointments because he was new, felt more confident getting people who had the experience and hands on, whatever, but at this point I thought he might not make those (what I consider) poor choices any more. So enlighten me - why do you think? And I honestly have no ulterior motive for asking. I'm just trying to understand.

[snot]

19. I probably shouldn't do this, but . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVULT8vdUk

I found this video a bit shocking when it originally came out; but too much of what Obama's done seems to fit this picture . . .

[gateley]

20. Thanks -- I'll check it out later.

I gather from your message that it's not flattering, so I appreciate your willingness to share it. I'm almost afraid to watch :7

[Mimosa]

36. ^ AWESOME!!! Video. ^

Pilger is a real journalist. He ask the right questions and gets some answers. ;)

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moochy]

18. I think that's been on the banned concepts list

Double plus ungood I tells ya!

[Moochy]

23. Deleted Message LOL

see I told you it was double plus ungood.

[Jim Sagle]

26. How many fingers, Winston?

[Drunken Irishman]

21. Nope, just your knuckles dragging.

[slipslidingaway]

24. Liz Fowler and the Medicare Modernization Act

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_111/news/33652-1.html?type=printer_friendly

"The role requires Fowler to be a troubleshooter. “It is my job to find that common ground and mend fences if they need to be mended,” she said.

That skill was put to the test when Fowler helped pass the Medicare Modernization Act, which provided a prescription drug benefit for seniors and was one of the hallmark health care accomplishments of the Bush administration...

...Various health care lobbyists cited Fowler’s work on the prescription drug benefit as an example of her skill in finding compromises.

Still, Fowler’s willingness to work with Republicans and the Bush administration on the MMA could be a hindrance to future negotiations, said one Senate Democratic aide, who added that many Democrats felt that Baucus undercut Senate leadership by reaching a deal with the Bush administration..."


http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Medicare_legislation#Medicare_Prescription_Drug_Price_Negotiation_Act_of_2007

"It was not until 2003 that both houses of Congress passed, and President Bush signed, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 into law. The bill significantly changed the Medicare system by introducing a voluntary entitlement program for prescription drugs. Among its many provisions, the bill forbids the federal government from negotiating with manufacturers over drug prices for those enrolled..."

[Mimosa]

35. Liz Fowler the Destroyer of the Public Option?

I think Congress and our President helped destroy public option. Nobody can claim the President even attempted to push for it.