I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.

Obama / Nov. 10, 2007 Des Moines Iowa

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j904hBjTq0B-AklYcG2sbK0d76dQD99JS9GG0

By SHARON THEIMER (AP) – Jul 22, 2009

President Barack Obama's administration began holding private meetings with health industry executives at the White House a few weeks after he took office, a visitor list released Wednesday night by the White House shows. Lobbyists were among those there to talk health care.

Richard Umbdenstock, president of the American Hospital Association, was at the White House on Feb. 4 and has been back at least a half-dozen times since then, most recently May 22. Other industry executives making February visits included health insurance company chief executives Angela Braly of WellPoint Inc. and Jay Gellert of Health Net Inc.

Gellert, a $500 donor to Obama's presidential campaign, was there Feb. 10, twice in March and May 11, while Braly visited on Feb. 13.

Obama released a list of White House visits by health care executives after a government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, announced it planned to sue to try to get White House visitor logs. Only names and dates were released, not the visitors' titles or employers.

So far, the Obama administration is following a Bush administration policy of refusing to release the logs, which are maintained by the Secret Service.

In recent weeks, the White House has announced agreements under which hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry promised cost savings in return for an expanded base of insured patients. The deals were struck in private meetings, drawing comparisons to Vice President Dick Cheney's secret talks with the energy industry as he helped President George W. Bush draft a national energy policy. Cheney's 2001 meetings drew criticism from Democrats throughout the Bush years.

"The president has decided to exercise his discretion and release the following information, which is reflected in the relevant visitor logs," Gregory Craig, White House counsel, wrote to CREW. "We are continuing to review your specific FOIA request, as well as the White House's general policy governing the discretionary release of visitor records."

During his presidential campaign, Obama promised to hold lobbyists at arm's length and make his administration the most transparent in history.

Obama was asked at a news conference Wednesday night about his administration's refusal to say who has been to the White House to discuss a national health care overhaul.

"On the list of health care executives who visited us, most of time you guys have been in there taking pictures, so it hasn't been a secret," he said in response. "And my understanding is we just sent a letter out providing a full list of all the executives. But, frankly, these have mostly been at least photo sprays where you could see who was participating."

CREW said it was pleased the White House had provided the list but that it didn't consider it a sufficient response to its Freedom of Information Act request for the visitor logs themselves. It plans to continue pressing for them.

"The actual visitor records likely would indicate with whom each official met, the administration official who requested clearance for the visitor, the time of the meeting, the duration of the meeting and, in some cases, the purpose of the meeting. In addition, no information was provided regarding any visits to the vice president's residence," CREW said in a written statement.

"Finally, transparency is not situational. It is not sufficient for the White House to release certain visitor records shortly before a press conference to avoid distraction," the group said.

Other health care industry representatives named in the list released by the White House and the dates they visited are:

_Registered lobbyist Billy Tauzin, a former Louisiana congressman who heads the drug industry lobby, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He went to the White House on March 5, the day of a summit on health care, and again on May 11, 19, June 2 and June 24.

_Registered lobbyist Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade association; March 5, 6 and 11, May 11 and June 30.

_Dr. J. James Rohack, president-elect of the American Medical Association; March 25, May 11, and June 22 and 24.

_William Weldon, CEO of Johnson & Johnson health care product and pharmaceutical company; May 12.

_Jeffrey Kindler, CEO of drugmaker Pfizer Inc.; March 5, May 6 and June 2.

_UnitedHealth Group Inc. chief executive Stephen Hemsley; May 15 and 22.

_George Halvorson, head of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.; March 27, May 11 and June 5.

_Thomas Priselac, chief executive of the Cedars-Sinai Health System; April 3 and May 11.

_Richard Clark, CEO of the Merck & Co. pharmaceutical company; March 24 and May 11.

_Wayne Smith, chief executive of Community Health Systems; June 4.

_Registered lobbyist Rick Smith, a senior vice president of PhRMA; May 11 and 19 and June 2.

_David Nexon, senior executive vice president with trade association AdvaMed; May 11.

And in case you missed it, here is Really, Mr. President Part 1

"And what I've said is, I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they'll get a seat at the table, they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."

Obama / Aug. 21, 2008, at a town hall in Chester, Va.

I have to say....everyone is ready to attack the President. He doesn't make decisions alone. Did we ALL know that he would be forced to bend a certain amount to lobbyists? But hello...how do you expect to overhaul the system without the input of the healthcare currently in place! I read something really neat in a local paper last night...medicare and medicaid are GOVERMENT run programs...money comes out of our paychecks every week, two weeks etc for these programs! People depend on these programs being there for them when they hit a certain age. But HEAVEN forbid there be a program in place to even offer people like, oh say , me! That works for a nursing agency and is not offered health insurance. Where do I go? I have a degree , i pay taxes...I shouldn't at least have a plan that I can use if I choose to?
Can we give Obama a chance? No one is even giving him a chance to put something on the table. Presidents have always had secret meetings about all sorts of things. We weren't privy to it. Why should we be? Let him do his job! And when he has something to show ...then critize!
honestly if he is off playing golf people *****...if he is having meetings people *****. People just aren't happy unless they have something to ***** about

sure they are

they just don't like what he is putting on the table

Like the death squad twist and lies!!!! WHICH WAS PROPOSED BY A REPUBLICAN SENATER IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget, according to the constitution, it's WE the people who are supposed to run the country not the president.

We who? Which group do you identify with? Which should make the laws? The radical right? The radical left? The Church?

The president doesn't have the say in everything or he could pass this plan with out anyone's input. Even when we have a president willing to work with both sides we still find something to bi$ch about.

Even when the most vicious of rumors are dispelled we just come up with more to bring this president down, when in truth we are simply holding eachother back from finding solutions that take everyone into consideration.

I am totaly apathetic when it comes to politics. By the same token,watching Glenn Beck compare The President to Hitler makes for entertaining TV. be seeing you

I watched him rant for an hour yesterday trying to dial back his recent rhetoric, then proceeding to preach the very same thing from a slightly different prospective. Then calling in 3 men from the past bush administration to back his theories. At one point not one of them could respond to his most outrageous idea, he had to skip it quickly when he realized they couldn't follow some of his more insane notions. I personally don't find it entertaining watching the guy freak out. He did his best to try to convince his audience that he was not really as insane as he sounds.

I identify with the people of this country be they right or left.

Fox News is as slanted to the right,as the other networks are slanted to the left. What makes Fox more watchable is how entertaining its presentation is. be seeing you

As do I, those that are moderate and willing to compremise.

lets address this DEATH SQUAD nonsense..the "Obama wants to kill your Grandma" bs. Read the thing..I mean really read it,....this health care plan offers people 1st 2nd opinions that right now they ARE NOT offered. As a nurse who works in geriatrics I can tell you my dog is given more options if she were diagnosed with cancer right now then an elderly woman on medicaid in a nursing home , or worse yet at home with no family to intervene!

I agree ..I am with the people..Knock Knock,,the people that put Obama in office, he didn't win by little bit. The man won by a landslide. Now everyone wants to take cover and pull the "I didn't vote for him!" I voted for him...Im proud I voted for him...and I would vote for him again.
let the attacks begin

I just posted this on another thread:


It's a provision that would only authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, living wills, hospice care and other issues, if the patient wants it. It's voluntary. What Palin has been saying about is totally wrong, btw.

I've been involved in gerontology. These things are good for the patient. It's better to do it in advance.

"You know what.. maybe this isn't going to help. maybe you're better off not having the surgery but taking the pain killer"

Obama, in his own words, telling us how "costs" will be cut.

Expensive surgery? no problem, here's a vicodin

Hips degenerated? no problem, here's a vicodin

osteoporosis got you down? here's a vicodin

got gout? no problem, here's a vicodin..

arthritis? yeah, we know cortizone is better but that's expensive! no problem, here's a vicodin.

Lung cancer? Expensive chemotherapy and radiation will prolong your life for a few months while eroding your families resources, and making the end of your life miserable. Don't want to do that? No problem, here's morphine...

Discussing options rationally is not a bad thing. Nobodies trying to kill anybody off!

As someone who watched my parents face difficult end-of-life options and who was in intensive care myself twice over the last 10 years because of a congenital condition, I'm getting really sick of seeing Republican fanboys treating this like it's no more than just another guys-having-stupid- arguments-about-sports discussion. It's abundantly clear they have ZERO experience to back up their FUD.

This is just more 'Keep Fear Alive' strategy, only now they're trying to replace ' a terrorist under every bed' with an Obama death squad under every hospital bed.

-Kerry O.

ummm while I agree with the rest of what you said

Obama won by 53% that isnt a landslide

It is when Bush won with %49 of the vote in 2004!!!! Or should I say a minority of the vote!!!!

I agree that wouldn't be a landslide, but it sure shows the massive division in our country.