American Politics XIII

[Annelise]

Posted this in the healthcare thread, but as it's political too..

Boehner bawls out Big Pharma as appeasers and sell outs in an angry letter: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/boehne...2009-08-17.html

“Appeasement rarely works as a conflict resolution strategy,†Boehner wrote Monday to Billy Tauzin, the former Republican House member from Louisiana who has been president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) since 2005.

The House GOP leader takes Tauzin and PhRMA to task for striking a deal with Senate Democrats and the White House under which the group agreed to take an $80 billion hit on behalf of President Barack Obama’s campaign for healthcare reform.

“We’re at a pivotal moment in the debate and everyone’s jockeying for position,†PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson said in response to the letter. “Everyone has an opinion and everyone has the right to an opinion.

“We remained convinced that we’re doing the right thing for patients and for our country,†Johnson said. “We have been working for more than a year to advance comprehensive healthcare reform.â€

“When a bully asks for your lunch money, you may have no choice but to fork it over. But cutting a deal with the bully is a different story, particularly if the ‘deal’ means helping him steal others’ money as the price of protecting your own,†says the letter, which Boehner forwarded to the chief executives of PhRMA’s member companies.