Howard Dean, Now Employed by Health-Care Lobby Firm, Opposes Bernie Sanders on Single-Payer

[marmar]

(The Intercept) Howard Dean is the latest in a string of Hillary Clinton supporters to charge that Bernie Sanders is wrong to support a single payer health care plan. The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee claimed on MSNBC last night that Sanders’s reforms might result in “chaos” because “trying to implement it would in fact undo people’s health care.” Dean added: “That is something people should be concerned about.”

https://vimeo.com/151748674

Dean, a longtime supporter of single-payer, seemed to be changing his tune, a point made by host Chris Hayes during the segment.

This evolution of Dean, known within many circles for his spirited critique of the Iraq War during the 2004 Democratic primary, comes as he has settled into a corporate lobbying career.

Dean, though he rarely discloses the title during his media appearances, now serves as Senior Advisor to the law firm Dentons, where he works with the firm’s Public Policy and Regulation practice, a euphemism for Dentons’ lobbying team. Dean is not a lawyer, but neither is Newt Gingrich, who is among the growing list of former government officials and politicians that work in the Public Policy and Regulation practice of Dentons.

The Dentons Public Policy and Regulation practice lobbies on behalf of a variety of corporate health care interests, including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a powerful trade group for drugmakers like Pfizer and Merck. ....................(more)

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/14/howard-dean-lobbyist/

[mmonk]

1. Well I think a lot of people knew it was

corporate influence in one way or another.

[nc4bo]

2. Well well Howard Dean.....

[rhett o rick]

71. Howard sold his soul. Universal health care "might result in “chaos”, you mean like the ACA

did when first implemented? Well Howard, it might not result in chaos.

[nc4bo]

72. It's very disappointing. We, The People are nothing but

Pawns in their games. They turncoat so quickly, it's disgusting.

We have a real choice this primary. We do not have to vote for the less evil one this time around!

I'll be taking full advantage of this incredible opportunity.

Go Bernie!

[CorporatistNation]

93. K AND R... No Surprise HERE! Dean is as phony as Hillary Is...

It IS Pathetic!

[boobooday]

3. Thanks for this.

Like so many other political tidbits it is disappointing and sadly unsurprising.

[ejbr]

4. Et tu, Brute? n/t

[restorefreedom]

16. ! oh and great sig line! nt

[SamKnause]

5. Disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful.

Dirty, lowdown, and despicable.

These people will do or say anything.

[MisterP]

6. the old politics is the Star Wars prequels, the new the sequels

[MoonchildCA]

9. Welcome to the dark side...

Howard Dean.

[LongTomH]

32. Yes, wellllcommme!!!!!

[CharlotteVale]

7. Dean is just another sell out.

[Autumn]

8. Very disappointing, I now understand his endorsement of Hillary.

[restorefreedom]

17. amazing how all the pieces fit together

once the facts come out....

[KoKo]

10. Dean Praised Single Payer in 2009 & Michael Moore's film "SICKO" was Targeted by Industry

From the Article at the "Intercept":

In 2009, Dean praised single-payer while speaking on Democracy Now, calling the idea “by far the most economically efficient system.” That’s because, as Dean noted at the time, a Medicare-for-all style single-payer system would cut down on bureaucratic overhead and do a better job at controlling prices. An analysis by University of Massachusetts at Amherst professor Gerald Friedman found that the single-payer plan introduced into the last Congress, for instance, would have save $592 billion, while expanding coverage to all uninsured American, regardless of ability to pay. Over 95 percent of households would see higher after-tax income because of the cost controls and elimination of insurance premiums.

Incumbent healthcare interests, particularly drug companies and insurers, have long viewed single-payer as a threat to their business model. Health insurance lobbyist strategy memos that were leaked from a source to veteran journalist Bill Moyers reveal a sophisticated effort to undermine public support for single-payer policies and to discredit Michael Moore’s Sicko, a movie that sharply criticizes the inequities and price-gouging of the American healthcare system. One slide discusses the need to use town halls and special forums to shape the Democratic primary debates in 2008 and peel away support for the reforms proposed in Sicko, while another calls for pundits to appear on television and denounce Moore as harmful to the Democratic Party.

[FlatBaroque]

11. He can go suck turds

I have less respect for him than I did for Edwards.

[Snotcicles]

12. +1.nt

[MynameisBlarney]

18. I dunno...

Edwards is far, far worse IMHO.

[m-lekktor]

36. I agree though I never understood why so many thought Dean ever was a lefty. nt

[Scootaloo]

81. Perspective of the times

2004, the democratic primaries was a bunch of mushmouth knuckleheads trying to tell us "well, oh, well, when I supported the Iraq war, it was okay because.. .see, it was okay at the time because... er..."

Except for Dean. He shot straight and was definitely "outside the corral' as far as the candidates that season went. And with his staunch opposition to the biggest foreign policy disaster since Vietnam (and actually, starting to look even more disastrous) he probably could have won, even with the funny math in Ohio.

He looked left from the seat we were all in. Take that, add in desperation to get Shrub out of office, and there you go. Helped too that when he was hte party chairman, he demanded the party campaign in all ifty sttes whoch is good goddamn sense.

[restorefreedom]

21. i used to be a deaniac. boy was i a sucker. nt

[Duppers]

39. He has Changed Big Time.

I'm so fucking disappointed!

Dean was screwed by the media and probably just decided to hell with it, I'll get my piece of the pie. Damn! Damn...damn...damn!

[restorefreedom]

55. yup. he could have channeled his angst into positive rebellion against the system

but as many have pointed out, he sold his soul to the highest bidder.

what a damn disappointment,truly

[99Forever]

13. Howard the Sellout.

happened to your integrity dude.


:hangsheadinshame:

[Gregorian]

14. It takes massive morals, like Bernie, to stay clear of temptation.

This election has brought me so much optimism, even if the world goes to hell, and Bernie never is elected. I saw all I needed to see. America is full of good, intelligent people, despite what our "media" would like us to believe.

So what Dean is, or says, is of no importance to me now. It is, however, sad.

[appalachiablue]

40. Amen!

[Dustlawyer]

58. That is what makes this oportunity that we have with Bernie so precious and important.

TPTB have soooo much money and they are running scared that they can tempt almost everyone! Most people in politics are there for the money and power. Bernie is an exception that proves the rule. We must get him elected and fight for Publicly Funded Elections and get rid of the ability to legally buy our Representatives.

[dreamnightwind]

87. Yes

"America is full of good, intelligent people, despite what our "media" would like us to believe. "

I felt the same way when we rose up to elect Obama. They came out en masse for the 2009 inauguration, I had tears in my eyes to see it.

From my perspective, we didn't get the change we worked so hard for that election, but the fact that we rose up to reject the cynical establishment candidates in favor of someone who was campaigning for our better vision of our country's path forward was validation that the people of this country really are better than their government, and want better from their government.

I think this country is so incredibly powerful, both in industry and our military, that the global power interests see it as essential to control our politics in their own interests, and we are living under a deeply captured faux democracy that now serves the interests of wealth and empire rather than the interests of its citizens.

This election we are incredibly fortunate to have a candidate to rally around who has a long track record of being on the people's side. However it comes out, it is another validation of the best aspects of our people.

[MynameisBlarney]

15. Wow...I never would have expected this from Howard Dean.

Very disappointing.

[Nyan]

19. Ah.

So that's what this was all about.
Low-income people will needlessly get sick and die, but hey, good news! Howard Dean's got a double pension now!!

[onecaliberal]

20. No disclosure that he works for the Lobby before the interview either.

Shame on Hayes.

[restorefreedom]

23. hayes is slipping

i rarely tune in to m$n anymore since they booted ed. but once in a while i check out chris. i think his heart is telling him one thing and his masters are telling him something else.

he should go work for ed or bernie, or the young turks.

i would hate to see another young one go the way of steve kornacki

[onecaliberal]

24. Agree. He used to be great. Now, not so much.

[restorefreedom]

26. very sad to watch. i hope he reclaims his integrity and gets out of there. nt

[Cassiopeia]

38. Hayes is not slipping

he's in the tank for HRH.

[stillwaiting]

44. I'm pretty sure he knows that's how he keeps his job at MSNBC.

Is ANYONE at any mainstream media source CLEARLY a Bernie supporter? No one talks about him on the mainstream news shows.

With the exception of the Sunday shows where they always frame questions in a way to try and get Bernie distracted from what he's campaigning on.

[restorefreedom]

48. it appears so. but he used to be even handed

at the beginning, i couldn't tell who he was for. that tells me he used to do his job well, before he got his orders (or jumped on board the clinton train)

[restorefreedom]

106. then i guess he slipped. or was never"there" at all, perhaps. at one time i thought he was ok nt

[Bohunk68]

104. I recall the first time Steve Kornacki was on with

the Mandibular Masturbator AKA Tweety. My gaydar pegged and I thought, OH, Great! A brother will be on and he knows politics well. Then, as time went on, he just plugged into the system and my disappointment returned. I no longer watch MSNBC. Especially with MHP going. I loved her independent thinking. She was awesome.

[navarth]

22. what happened to Howard???

wtf.....very disappointing....perplexing...

[Politicub]

25. Howard Dean used to be a DU Saint

Woe be unto anyone who dares go against the Sanders orthodoxy.

[restorefreedom]

30. how about against basic honesty and integrity?

that is what this is about. he is free to endorse as he chooses and be partial to one health plan over another. but not disclosing that he is working for the very people causing the problems in health care is beneath contempt, and he damn well knows it.

[Armstead]

31. No Howard placed himself under the bus by his duplicitous actions....

Nothing to do with Sanders except he is representing the interests of opponents of universal coverage while being a shill for Hillary (who has sold out universal healthcare asd a goal) while pretending to be a "commentator."

Howard could have made a good honest income and lived quire well some other way. But he chose to sell his soul.

[marmar]

33. Woe to anyone who turns out to be a two-faced fraud....

..... who abandons principles for a fat paycheck.

[xocet]

49. Here is his page...

Howard B. Dean
Senior Advisor

Governor Howard Dean is a Senior Advisor in the Public Policy and Regulation practice at Dentons. He focuses on health care and energy issues, as well as providing expertise derived from his extensive experience in public office.

A recognized thought-leader in health care reform, Governor Dean works with clients to navigate complicated regulations and political challenges in both the private and public sectors. Through partnering industry with business and community interests he is at the forefront of promoting high quality and affordable health care while supporting innovation.

Respected for his fiscally moderate policies as Governor, he understands first-hand the severe budget constraints that are challenging state and municipal governments. With an extensive set of contacts nationally, Governor Dean is uniquely positioned to develop partnerships between industry stakeholders and local governments.

Governor Dean comes to Dentons after serving as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, where he created and implemented the “50 State Strategy”, encouraging the cultivation of candidates in every state at every level, rather than solely the traditionally democratic-leaning states.

...

http://www.dentons.com/en/howard-dean

[dreamnightwind]

88. Here is Howard's email there, also here is Newt's page on that site

http://www.dentons.com/en/howard-dean#

Newt's page:

Newt Gingrich, former US Speaker of the House of Representatives, US Presidential candidate, commentator and author, is a Senior Advisor in Dentons' Public Policy and Regulation practice.

Newt was first elected to the US Congress in 1978 where he served the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia for twenty years. In 1995, he was elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives where he served until 1999. While serving in the US House of Representatives, Newt worked to support efforts to pass welfare reform, the first balanced budget in a generation and the first tax cut in sixteen years. In addition, he led efforts in Congress to restore funding to strengthen defense and intelligence capabilities.

From May 2011 to May 2012, Newt was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. As an author, he has published twenty-six books including 14 fiction and nonfiction New York Times best-sellers.

He is widely recognized as a thought leader across a number of industries and sectors including health care and life sciences, homeland security, defense and intelligence, international trade and energy, in addition to being a well-respected commentator on US presidential elections.
Recognition
In the Media

Named Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1995, Newt has been a media figure for much of his career, including as a commentator on Fox News and CNN. He has been quoted in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal among many other media outlets.

[stonecutter357]

62. +1

[JI7]

73. The thing about that is Dean is the same now as he was back then

It's not Howard Dean who has changed.

[rhett o rick]

74. Howard sold his soul for pieces of gold. If you call honesty in politics "Sanders orthodoxy"

then yes woe unto thee that is corrupted by big money. No Democrat worships big money. H. Clinton's personal wealth is growing very rapidly, $50,000,000 and counting. Woe to those that put wealth before helping fellow citizens.

[Scootaloo]

82. You don't understand the notion of "conflict of interest," I take it?

[awoke_in_2003]

90. Howard used to be in favor of single payer

until it became in his economic interests to be against in. People hate hypocrites

[Faux pas]

27. Yep old howard

has gone over to the dark side. More's the pity.

[raindaddy]

28. There's a Bernie storm brewing Howard....

Looks like there might be a little dry spot over there, under that bus....

Sad to watch Howard schlepping for the health care industry....

[SoapBox]

29. "...comes as he has settled into a corporate lobbying career."

OMG!

So that is what happened to him.

Shame, shame, shame Dr. Dean for selling your soul to Satan.

So disgusting...keep this in mind Howie,

[Omaha Steve]

34. .

[restorefreedom]

50. lol! nt

[gregcrawford]

35. So, Dr. Dean...

... how does it feel to be slut-shamed?

I gave you the benefit of the doubt more times than you deserved when you were governor here, and some of my friends in the House and Senate complained of your dismissive and abrasive attitude. And though, on the occasions when we met, you rarely gave me a straightforward answer to a question, I still supported your presidential bid, and I was outraged when the Democratic Party sandbagged you with that "I have a scream" bullshit... but now you're doing it to Bernie.

So we've established that you're a whore; now we're just haggling over price. I hope K Street is paying you well to sell your honor and integrity. Shame on you, Howard.

[historylovr]

37. I believe Cyndi said it best ...

[bread_and_roses]

41. This is just appalling - literally contemptible

I was never on the Dean bandwagon because he when he was running he was making noises about raising the SS retirement age. I thought then - and now - that for a physician, who MUST have seen the damage that hard physical work does to the human body over years to call for raising the age was depraved.

Yes, I know - contemptible and depraved are strong words - but to my mind not even strong enough for people who know better who are willing to sell-out working people for their own advantage.

However, that does not mean that I did not think the whole "Dean scream" thing was a despicable act. It was. And I'd actually thought he might have learned better over the years as a result of his setbacks. I was wrong. Once a sell-out, always a sell-out I guess - at least in his case.

[Orrex]

42. Everyone who doesn't embrace Sanders is either a sell-out or is afraid of him. Hmm...

Do you suppose that Sanders himself holds that view?

[marmar]

43. Sorry, but Dean is clearly a fraud and a sellout in this case.

Regardless of whether he attacked Bernie or John Conyers or any other single-payer advocate.

[rurallib]

51. has nothing to do with embracing Sanders

has to do with selling out once held values for a fat paycheck and then trying to convince followers that your conversion was sincere.
Thanks to the interwebs hypocrisy like this doesn't get buried anymore.

[Orrex]

59. You're aware that that's an ad hominem, right?

It's also a false dichotomy because it assumes that the only two possibilities are "embrace single-payer" and "sell out for a paycheck."

The same claims were made (on a different subject) when Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson reject anti-GMO pseudoscience; many here on DU stated outright that Nye & NDT were bought by moneyed interests.

Is it impossible that an intelligent adult might reach a different conclusion without being driven solely by greed?

[mythology]

68. It's only impossible if you look at everything in a moral view

It's not enough to vote for a candidate it's a world view that requires othering anybody who isn't in lock step. It turns voting for your candidate into an almost religious act.

I find it both scary and distasteful, no matter who does it.

[Kermitt Gribble]

69. Not when there is overwhelming evidence that points to greed.

Also, this has nothing to do with Sanders. It has everything to do with not supporting single payer, which should be supported by every Democrat.

[Orrex]

75. Since the OP specifically mentioned Sanders,

I'd say that the OP thinks that it has to do with Sanders. Otherwise why frame it that way?


The reason I posed my question is because the choice not to embrace Sanders has, from the very beginning of his primary run, been denigrated as driven either by fear or by greed. That mode of thinking conveniently ignores or dismisses other possible motivations.

The current attack on Dean conspicuously follows the same pattern.

[dreamnightwind]

89. ???

"The reason I posed my question is because the choice not to embrace Sanders has, from the very beginning of his primary run, been denigrated as driven either by fear or by greed. That mode of thinking conveniently ignores or dismisses other possible motivations."

Maybe, realiity is many-faceted and complex, but this OP adds credible support for the greedy sellout view, and is an important piece to understanding in what context Howard is endorsing for Hillary and speaking against single payer.

[Armstead]

70. No but when you get a cushy job with lobbyists for businesses against public halthcare...

after being an advocate for public healthcare...well yeah that might fit into the description of selling out.

[berni_mccoy]

45. Wow.

[azmom]

46. Kick

[Uncle Joe]

47. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.

[elmac]

52. Yes, it seems Dean has sold out & has amplified Republican talking point

Scaring the people about single payer, you will lose your doctor. Dean is another right wing nut job.

[arcane1]

53. Another fucking sell-out. With "friends" like these...

[NCjack]

54. Looks like Gov. Howard Dean is killing poor people in return for a healthcare

corporate paycheck. 3rd-way owns the DEM party leadership.

[Helen Borg]

56. Boooooo!

[JDPriestly]

57. Thanks. MSNBC should provide full disclosure as should all "news" services.

[KoKo]

60. ...! Good Point!

[redstatebluegirl]

61. He should not be used on MSNBC any longer as a Democratic expert

he sold out to the dark side.

[Don Draper]

63. Howard should change his name to Judas

He betrayed us and sold his soul for 30 pieces of silver. Shame on you Howard Dean!

[CreekDog]

100. Disagreeing with you is not betraying you

YOU aren't the person he needs to OBEY.

got it??? wtf

[rtracey]

64. nice segment

Too bad you didn't play the whole segment, if anyone didn't see the segment last evening, you did cut out the part about the prohibited start-up cost this would create, and the fact that Vermont, who was leading the charge in Universal Healthcare pulled out siting prohibited cost, economic problems, and higher taxes.

[questionseverything]

77. any attempt to move to single payer has got to start with cost controls

no one state will be able to do that...it will take a national plan

medicare for all would seem the simplest way to go since all that is in place

[abelenkpe]

65. K&R

[Ferd Berfel]

66. They call it "Industry Capture" - Dean has sold out and is no longer credible.

Just another Corporate Stooge now!

Sad, but fuck him

[Babel_17]

67. This is what transparency is for

Prominent people can earn a buck and we can ignore them when we know they're just shilling for their paycheck. I don't begrudge athletes their endorsements, though I won't buy the ridiculously overpriced stuff with their name on it. Common sense, right?

Might be some sarcasm in the above.

[ViseGrip]

76. I knew this about him, that's why I had fun beating his ass in 2004! Howard the turdway shill.

[Blue_Tires]

78. Intercept shilling again...

Still don't know how they get away with passing themselves off as a "news" site... It's a PR firm at best...

But of course stories like this are like crack cocaine to the emoprogs, so DU has officially gone so far around the freaking bend that it's now throwing Howard Dean under the bus...

[djean111]

105. Like Brock's "Correct the Record"? Using that bullshit as a source?

The official crack cocaine of Hillaryprogs? (To borrow a phrase from you, emulating Hillary, of course).

[Blue_Tires]

107. I'm not even voting for Hillary, genius

try harder, please...

I mean if you have the stones to kick a six-week-old post, at least make it worth my while...

Pathetic.

[djean111]

108. Pathetic if you think you made me feel bad, really. Sarcasm just sorta rolls off.

This angst about sources is getting ridiculous. And, glad that you are not voting for Hillary, but I see Hillary PAC crap trotted out here all the time.

[sonofspy777]

79. Always think Cui Bono

:who benefits, who stands to gain:

[Vinca]

80. Dean has joined the "anything for a buck" brigade. Sad.

[LittleBlue]

83. Sold us out for 30 pieces of Silver

Judas!

[ReallyIAmAnOptimist]

84. Really sorry to learn this...

...explains his support for HRC.
It's just plain sad.

[merkins]

85. So long Howard, I thought I knew you

I just hope he was honest and true to his word when he was running for president .. if he was always some sort of fake populist I think it would shake my faith in humanity...

[Blue_Tires]

86. Just a quick reminder, boys and girls

Greenwald is a longtime hater of Hillary Clinton and Dems in general... That's the only reason why he went from not giving a shit about this race to being a Sanders fan...

Just keep that in mind when his bullshit gets posted here...

[marmar]

92. So Howard Dean really isn't a health care lobbyist now?

It's just conjured up out of whole cloth?

Just remember that boys and girls when anti-Glenn Greenwald bullshit gets posted here.

[Blue_Tires]

97. I just want folks to be aware when an agenda is in play...

Is there a problem?

I'm not making anything up -- Search Greenwald's TL on twitter and see how many years back his anti-Dem bile goes...

[grahamhgreen]

91. Makes me sick

[emsimon33]

94. So very disappointing that Howard Dean sold his soul.

I am so embarrassed for him. This cancels all the good that he did with the 50-state strategy.

[Bernblu]

95. Sad and pathetic

The fact that he does not reveal this makes him just another slimy corporate pol with zero credibility. And if Chris Hayes and Rachel know this they are just as bad. These former shooting stars crashed deep into the bowels of the earth.

[olddots]

96. the pigs bought him

and they got screwed .

[TexasBushwhacker]

98. Does he think our system now ISN'T chaos? n/t

[Blue_Tires]

99. Dean responds:

https://twitter.com/GovHowardDean/status/688069799541370880

[merrily]

101. I've said Dr. Dean's a centrist, except for health. There goes that exception.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12779709 (Dean, before the scream)

[olddots]

102. hate to tell you I told you so but I told you so

[desmiller]

103. Too many people's souls have fallen into the depths

it's absolutely sickening.