From the Los Angeles Times:
White House declines to disclose visits by health industry executives
“Invoking an argument used by President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has turned down a request from a watchdog group for a list of health industry executives who have visited the White House to discuss the massive healthcare overhaul.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a letter to the Secret Service asking about visits from 18 executives representing health insurers, drug makers, doctors and other players in the debate. The group wants the material in order to gauge the influence of those executives in crafting a new healthcare policy.
(snip)
As a candidate, President Obama vowed that in devising a healthcare bill he would invite in TV cameras — specifically C-SPAN — so that Americans could have a window into negotiations that normally play out behind closed doors.
Having promised transparency, the administration should be willing to disclose who it is consulting in shaping healthcare policy, said an attorney for the citizens’ group.”
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Remember when Bush kept his meetings with oil industry people a secret? Remember how shitty and suspicious that was? It’s the same here.
The candidate Obama and the president Obama are sadly looking more and more different. There’s been some change yes, but a lot has stayed the same. What’s his presidency going to look like in 2011?
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:26 PM CDT