Lobbying

The American Association for Justice — the trial lawyers’ lobby group — has just released an astounding statistic:  medical malpractice insurance companies’ average profits are higher than those of 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
As the nation remains mired in a debate over health care reform and how to keep down the costs of expanding [...]

Alexandra pointed out here last week that Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), newly promoted to head the Senate Agriculture Committee, has been raking in the dollars from Big Ag this year, tallying at least $306,500 in the past eight months alone, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That figure puts her well above anyone else [...]

As I recount in this morning’s story, the first of three days of Tea Party events in D.C. consisted of a political rally followed by direct lobbying between Tea Party activists and members of Congress — more typically, their staffs. Here is some of the material Tea Party activists got when they showed up at [...]

Since its inception, the health insurance industry has fought doctors over payments, dropped patients when they’ve gotten sick and denied coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. The tactics make perfect sense: Insurance companies aren’t designed to make people well, they’re designed to reap profits for shareholders.
Which, as Washington Post columnist Michael Kinsley points out today, [...]

When the talk of health care reform was generic — and therefore unthreatening — the insurance lobby joined a number of other powerful voices in the health care industry to announce its support. But with the Democrats pushing ever-harder to ensure the inclusion of a public plan option, the push-back is beginning to emerge. From [...]

It’s not everyday that lawmakers with top ratings from the National Rifle Association go around criticizing the powerful gun lobby. But regarding the NRA’s bid to pressure senators to vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, some are losing their patience.
Here’s Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), quoted yesterday by The Hill:
“I’m very disappointed. [NRA seems] to [...]

Nuclear power courts new friends as it pushes for subsidies in the Senate’s sweeping climate bill.

In January of 2007, just days after the Democrats took control of the House for the first time in over a decade, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) vowed “to close the revolving door between government officials and lobbying firms.”
Sike!
From CQ’s Jonathan Allen comes a heartwarming tale of lobbyists, lawmakers and the revolving door that just keeps [...]

It should come as no surprise that health care companies, executives and lobbyists would target their political donations to the lawmakers who will guide this summer’s health reform debate. But, in a great piece revealing how moneyed interests literally buy influence in Washington, Dan Eggen of The Washington Post points out this morning that even [...]

As we’ve pointed out, passage of the House climate change proposal last month wouldn’t have happened without the liberal sponsors first bowing to the demands of some of their more conservative Democratic colleagues, who were protecting the same polluting industries the bill aims to rein in.
Among the most vocal opponents of the initial draft was [...]