Who Is Bankrolling the League of American Voters?

Submitted by John Stauber on

"Standing in a medical exam room, a neurosurgeon in a white lab coat stares solemnly into the camera and warns that President Obama’s health care plan 'will hurt our seniors' and 'end Medicare as we know it.' ... How this ad came to be produced and distributed provides a case study in modern American political advocacy. It shows how a quickly assembled group with uncertain origins and funding can make a mark on one of the most contentious public policy debates in memory. The group that says it paid for the campaign -- the League of American Voters -- incorporated less than two weeks before the ad was released online. The League’s executive director, its only employee, declined to identify its founders or donors but claims that in less than two months of existence it has built a membership of 16,000 and raised about $1.7 million in donations. ... Interviews and a review of public records show that a wide-ranging group of people coalesced to launch the League or its ad campaign: Dick Morris, a former aide to President Bill Clinton and one of the nation’s more flamboyant political operatives; a one-time West Virginia political candidate ([Bob Adams); a New York City public relations executive with ties to health care groups (Alexandra Preate]; a New York rabbi; a filmmaker best known for an ad questioning the patriotism of Vietnam War veteran and then-Georgia senator Max Cleland (Rick Wilson); and a Florida doctor who once settled a state medical board allegation that he had operated on the wrong site during a spinal procedure."

Main Source: 
Huffington Post, September 24, 2009.

Comments

NotSoAnonymous replied on

Niether Ronald Regan nor Thomas Jefferson deserve the credit.

Gerald Ford is the CORRECT answer.

Gerald Ford (14 July 1913 – 26 December 2006) , the 38th President of the United States.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
Presidential address to a joint session of Congress (12 August 1974)

Anonymous replied on

From millions of Americans who like me gave $50 to $100 to stop this change in our Health Care system and putting America deeper in debt.

Anonymous replied on

Perhaps you think the Congressional Budget Office is lying? Do you want to believe a political group's grandstanding, or try to base your philosophy on the best non-partison information available? The best bi-partisan government organization to judge this is the CBO. If you don't trust their forecasts, you have a chip on your shoulder. This bill will save hundreds of billions of dollars in the first ten years, and over a trillion in year 20. To do nothing allows the deficit to be continually hit by our broken system, year after year.

You are part of the problem. You belong to the group on the side of the status quo, which is allowing 45,000 per year die because they don't have insurance. FACT.

This bill, while not perfect, saves lives and HELPS the federal deficit. The bill must pass now, or the chance to reform the health insurance industry will be gone for many years to come. You better wake up. You are not immune from a health catastophy and bankruptcy. Unless you are one of the rich guys that doesn't want the middle class to have a fair chance in life.

Anonymous replied on

OH PAALEASE! You have bought the propoganda machine's non-sense HOOK, LINE and SINKER!

You should take Economics 101 over again. This is NOT about Healthcare, it's about POWER, POLITICS and the ELITE Class.

Is our healthcare system perfect? NO! Does it need reform? Of Course, but not the kind of reform being proposed. If it was TRULY about Healthcare, there would be much different proposals coming forward. Not the non-sense that these extreme far-left wing radicals are proposing to control every single aspect of our lives. This idea is not only bad, it is bad for every single American.

Anonymous replied on

Sounds like you bought the Fox news machine propaganda hook line and sinker to me. I remember early on in the health care debate how you guys kept saying most people are satisfied with their insurance. I don't know anyone who is satisfied with their insurance. The co-pay keeps going up every other year. It will certainly not cover anywhere near the medical exspenses if I or a loved one should get cancer. Why don't we start cutting costs from the top down? Let management and doctors and hospitals make less money and see how fast we get some change.
As far as states rights --blah blah blah. Then we can have a 50 different small too big governments.

Skip Holcombe replied on

State Govts CANT print money...if the fed quits bailing them out...then they must balance their budgets.

BigDod325 replied on

You should probably go back and re-read the CBO estimate. This ACT will save a little money in the first couple (2 or 3) years but after that it will increase the deficit exponentially.
At least that's what was reported therein the last time I read it, about a month ago.
You want to know how it works? Go to England and ask the folks there how their system works. Oh yea, Ask them why the govt there just made substantial changes to the mechanisms that control their system. Wonder if it might be because it's not working to well? Food for thought. If they could find a system of universal care that would work, properly, Hey, I'm all for it. Unfortunately they haven't and this "ACT" which was thrown together piecemeal "ain't gonna cut it!" Hell, 85% of the politicians who voted for the "act" still haven't read the thing! It's thicker than "THE ODESSEY AND THE ILLIAD" put together and probably more confusing than the original text of "BEOWOULF!"

Unconvinced replied on

The CBO crunches the numbers that the congress gives it. It analysis is only as good as that data. When the congress wants a favorable result they cook the data. GIGO

Health care is a commodity. Until doctors, hospitals and drug companies work for free, it must be paid for.

No one has the right to demand other peoples labor oe money to pay for their desires.

My right to health care is the right to choose, negotiate and pay for what I want.

Anonymous replied on

I agree the CBO is non-partisan but they can only project costs based on what the assumptions they are given. They only missed Medicare by a factor of 17 times so put no faith in the forecast. Health care is complicated and very difficult by its very nature. This bill has a few positive elements but is hardly a money saver and will take us backwards.

There were major elements omitted not the least of which was the assumption that the Dr's were going to see a 21% reduction. Few Drs. would take Medicare if that was the case. It didn't and won't happen. It also assumes the $500 billion in Medicare savings, see above, not possible. If there is fraud, you don't need a 2 thousand page bill crafted by one party behind closed doors to start working on traud, just do it.

The cost will likely be double to triple. As to the 45,000 that die as is, that would be tragic if true, that's a very hard statistic to verify. Nonetheless, one is too many but it is not going to fix that. For all that might be saved, as many or more will get stuck in the system and meet the same fate.

It is crap legislation and we need to start over. No one cares about Obama's "signature" plan. His ego is enough to stomach as is, he is incompetent to be our president. We are rudderless for now and we can all pray we get someone that can right the ship from either party or elsewhere.

Gary Moore replied on

Sadly, that $50 or $100 won't cover even the cost of a band - aid with today's insurance coverage. The good news for you is that you can keep your existing insurance plan. All you have to do is keep bending over and say " can I have more sir " (oh yeah and keep paying those ever increasing insurance premiums). Get a clue!!!!

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