Carper Publicly Defends Secret PhRMA Pact; Deal Made in Exchange for Support Ads

[t0dd]

Run time: 02:03 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJa_kTXad1Q   Posted on YouTube: September 23, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 23, 2009 By DU Member: t0dd Views on DU: 776

 
Source: Firedoglake

In a stunning moment during the Senate Finance Committee markup Sen. Tom Carper defended a secret deal that the White House, Baucus, and PhRMA had reached. The White House has long denied the deal. Carper publicly acknowledges that part of the deal was that PhRMA would run millions of dollars worth of campaign ads in support of health care reform.

According to Carper the “golden rule” in Congress is that secret back room deals in exchange for advertising buys must be honored. Per Carper's statement:

I was not involved in negotiations with PhRMA but I believe that the administration was, obviously PhRMA was, and I presume this committee was involved in some way in those negotiations.

And what PhRMA agreed to do through those negotiations is to pay about
80 billion dollars over 10 years to help fill up half the donut hole. That's my understanding. And they are prepared to go forward and to honor that commitment. As I understand it, the commitment from our colleague Senator Nelson would basically double what was negotiated with PhRMA.

And whether you like PhRMA or not -- remember I talked earlier today in our opening statements, I talked about four core values, and one of those is the golden rule, treat other people the way I want to be treated?

I'll tell you -- if someone negotiated a deal with me and I agreed to put up say, 80 dollars or 80 million dollars or 80 billion dollars and then you came back and said to me a couple of weeks later -- no no, I know you agreed to do 80 billion and I know you were willing to help support through an advertising campaign this particular -- not even this particular bill, just the idea of generic health care reform? No, we're going to double -- we're going to double what you agreed in those negotiations to do. That's not the way -- that's not what I consider treating people the way I'd want to be treated.

That just doesn't seem right to me.

Carper was speaking in opposition to an amendment from Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Jay Rockefeller. The amendment mirrors what Henry Waxman did in the House to close the Medicare Part D doughnut hole by requiring drug manufactures to provide rebates for the overcharging of dual eligible Medicare/Medicaid recipients. In July, Debbie Halvorson and Heatlh Shuler authored a letter to Waxman signed by 70 Democrats, asking him a rewrite the bill to " substitute the President's proposal" for his own, which reflected the PhRMA deal.

More here: http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/23/carper-public-defends-secret-phrma-deal-in-exchange-for-support-ads/

[mikelgb]

1. Yay for graft

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. Their JOB is not to negotiate with PhRMA to protect campaign coffers.

Their JOB is to create legislation as the representatives of the people.

If they want to wheel and deal, then need to give up their lucrative seats and go back into private industry.

[ro1942]

3. We have a corporate gov. plan and simple

[avaistheone1]

4. Mind blowing! The arrogance of it all.

Is there any one working in Washington for we the people any more?

[JDPriestly]

5. Who did this negotiating? On whose behalf?

Who gave a select group the authority to negotiate a "DEAL"? I don't remember reading anything in the Constitution that says that a few members of Congress may make deals with individuals or groups in society and then come back to Congress and shame other members of Congress for voting against the deal.

This is the total corruption of our democracy. This is buying legislation. Shame on those members of Congress who made a "deal." They should all be voted out of office. Let's find out who was involved in this negotiation.

[Enrique]

6. Tom Carper should catch holy hell for this

this is his idea of the "Golden Rule"?

Pleasantly surprised to see his democratic colleagues inform him that the Congress has obligations to human beings as well as to pharmaceutical companies.