We’ve had a good August. Take heart, but don’t be lulled into complacency.
Fall is going to be a game changer.
Come September, we will be deluged with slick advertising in favor of Obamacare—courtesy Big Pharma. The New York Times reports:
“The drug industry has authorized its lobbyists to spend as much as $150 million on television commercials supporting President Obama’s health care overhaul, beginning over the August Congressional recess, people briefed on the plans said Saturday.
“The unusually large scale of the industry’s commitment to the cause helps explain some of a contentious back-and-forth playing out in recent days between the odd-couple allies over a deal that the White House struck with the industry in June to secure its support. The terms of the deal were not fully disclosed. Both sides had announced that the drug industry would contribute $80 billion over 10 years to the cost of the health care overhaul without spelling out the details.”
The terms of the deal were not fully disclosed? So much for transparency.
Not all the drug companies are on board, but John Stossel explains why several big ones are. Former Bill Clinton treasury secretary, Robert Reich, a fan of Obama and universal health care, explains why the deal between the drug companies and the administration is anti-democratic.
What this means in practical terms is that we still have a lot to do. The best way to fight Obamacare is to learn more about it and spread the word. We had a good August because people were doing just that. So, as Bill Clinton might put it, we can’t stop thinking about tomorrow and working to ensure market-based health care reform that reaches more Americans without destroying the best system on the planet.