Blue Dogs Follow The Money

What exactly does the Blue Dog Coalition want? The lessons of Watergate's "follow the money" comes to mind.

via HuffPo:

"The Blue Dogs are (suddenly and at last) concerned with how much health care reform is going to cost, keeping watch for the next CBO report whose scoring does not land close to the deficit-neutral target. And yet, the alternatives they propose for health care reform would all -- uhm...drive up costs! So, what's the deal? Are these people basically just morons?"

Paul Krugman writes in is column:

"Maybe they're just being complete hypocrites. It's worth remembering the history of one of the Blue Dog Coalition's founders: former Representative Billy Tauzin of Louisiana. Mr. Tauzin switched to the Republicans soon after the group's creation; eight years later he pushed through the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, a deeply irresponsible bill that included huge giveaways to drug and insurance companies. And then he left Congress to become, yes, the lavishly paid president of PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry lobby.

One interpretation, then, is that the Blue Dogs are basically following in Mr. Tauzin's footsteps: if their position is incoherent, it's because they're nothing but corporate tools, defending special interests. And as the Center for Responsive Politics pointed out in a recent report, drug and insurance companies have lately been pouring money into Blue Dog coffers."

The influence of the health care industry, insurers and lobbyists is massive. They are spending over $1.4 million a day and have hired "350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues."

Money has always had the final vote and it probably always will. That's human nature. Why we spend so much on wars that destroy without much debate is baffling. But if we spend money that has a positive effect on people's lives, the vindictive nature of Americans comes to surface. "As long as I'm OK, who cares about you." Sounds even better with Bible in your hand.

I'm still betting on Obama and the Democrats' platform. Government for the people is coming back.

Source: HuffPo