Records show WH health care talks

[cal04]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_white_house_health_meetings

Top aides to President Barack Obama met early and often with lobbyists, Democratic political strategists and other interests with a stake in the administration's national health care overhaul, White House visitor records obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press show.

The AP in early August asked the White House to produce records identifying communications that top Obama aides — including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, senior advisers David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rouse, and 18 others — had with outside interests on health care. The AP in late September narrowed its request to White House visitor records for those officials on health care.

The White House on Wednesday provided AP with 575 visitor records covering the period from Jan. 20, when Obama was inaugurated, through August. The records give the name of each visitor to the White House complex to see people on AP's list, the date of the visit, who they were supposed to see, how many people attended the gathering, and in a sampling of cases, the purpose of the visit. The records do not identify the visitors' employers, say on whose behalf they were there or give any specifics on what was discussed.

The records show a broad cross-section of the people most heavily involved in the health care debate, weighted heavily with those who want to overhaul the system. Among them were Dr. Eliot Fisher, a Dartmouth health researcher who has estimated that nearly one-third of health care dollars are wasted on unneeded services, and Dr. David Himmelstein of Harvard Medical School, who is among the top advocates of a single-payer health care system.

[Cha]

1. Thanks, cal.

[Honeycombe8]

2. I'd feel better if the WH had been meeting with people who could actually DO something about

health care reform, like Congress representatives or Senators.

It doesn't mean much that they met with lobbyists or people who wanted reform, does it, if the WH didn't actually construct a health care reform plan? I mean...what was the point of all the meetings? Did the WH assimilate all that info and whisper into Harry Reid's ear?

[HopeOverFear]

3. re:

Did the WH assimilate all that info and whisper into Harry Reid's ear?

I believe they did.

[Honeycombe8]

4. Some people "believed" Hussein had WMDs. Belief is not knowledge.

And BTW...apparently any whispers that may have been done...they had no effect.

[babylonsister]

5. And here I've been told this admin has ignored health care and let

Congress fight it out among themselves. :shrug:

[chill_wind]

6. The Chamber of Commerce CEO was a pretty popular guest, too.

Talking Points memo.

Who Visited The White House (And Why You Should Care)
Christina Bellantoni | November 25, 2009, 4:38PM

White House

Taking a step back, let's evaluate what the release of 1,615 visitors to the White House show us.

* First, it's a busy White House.

**********************************

"Some War."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/visitors-logs/?ref=fpa

[frazzled]

7. The mtgs were "weighted heavily with those who want to overhaul the system"

Including single-payer advocates. Enough said. Everyone came to the table: saints and sinners.