Top Biden Campaign Aide, Was a Health-Care Lobbyist

[bluewater]

Steve Ricchetti, Top Biden Campaign Aide, Was a Health-Care Lobbyist
by David Dayen

The vice president’s former chief of staff once represented hospitals and drug companies. Now he is part of a campaign that is attacking Medicare for All.

If Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden meet on the debate stage in Detroit later this month, it’s not likely to be as cordial as it went in Miami. The two presidential candidates have been sparring intensely over Medicare for All, Sanders’s signature plan for universal health care. Biden has rejected Medicare for All as risky and unrealistic, while Sanders defended it in a July 17 speech, where he also issued a pledge challenging all 2020 candidates to deny contributions of $200 or more from PACs, lobbyists, or executives of health insurance or pharmaceutical companies. “When it comes to health care, the insurance and drug industries have been able to control the political process,” Sanders said in the speech.

A top member of Biden’s brain trust fits that description. Steve Ricchetti, referred to as Biden’s campaign chairman in a published report last month, was a longtime lobbyist for health care and other corporate clients. He worked for then-vice president Biden as a counselor and then his chief of staff, and now for his presidential campaign.

Ricchetti founded and ran his own lobbying firm with his brother. He personally represented drugmakers Novartis, Eli Lilly and Sanofi (the latter two are among the three major insulin manufacturers), as well as health IT company NaviMedix (now NaviNet) and the American Hospital Association. The hospital lobby, as well as pharmaceutical companies, have been primary opponents of Medicare for All. The Ricchetti firm continues to operate, with Ricchetti’s brother actively lobbying for clients, including in the health-care space.
For Biden, who released his own health-care plan this week, having a former industry lobbyist on the payroll would set his campaign’s elevation of attacks on Medicare for All in a new context. Perhaps for this reason, the campaign would not respond to repeated requests to clarify Ricchetti’s specific role. However, the Prospect was separately able to confirm that Ricchetti is part of the Biden campaign.

A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer last month highlighted a June 11 lunch reception with Jill Biden, the former vice president’s wife, at the venerable Acorn Club in Center City Philadelphia. Attendees shelled out at least $500 a pop, “with a $5,000 price tag for those interested in a private briefing with Biden campaign chairman Steve Ricchetti,” the Inquirer wrote. The paper sourced this selling of access to an email from Comcast senior executive vice president David L. Cohen, who offered up his home for a high-dollar Biden fundraiser on his first day as a candidate.

https://prospect.org/article/steve-ricchetti-top-biden-campaign-aide-was-health-care-lobbyist

[mcar]

1. Oooh, scandal!!11

[guillaumeb]

2. Interesting news.

Remember that money is free speech.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. And healthcare companies are people!

[guillaumeb]

16. With more rights than actual people. eom

[Uncle Joe]

22. That's because actual people are just "consumers."

[guillaumeb]

23. And consumers are seen as targets for advertising.

Which is why the GOP employs advertising people to craft their messages.

[Uncle Joe]

27. And that's because American political/economic society has devolved

to predominately nothing but marketing insofar as the corporate media conglomerates are concerned and that's why we have an orange "apprentice" occupying the highest office in the land.

[guillaumeb]

28. True, marketing creates a demand for larger houses,

the most current clothing, and more outrageous politicians. Trump is a product of the conservative, corporate media.

Yes, he benefitted from having a rich father to save him from his constant failures, but the corporate media created the myth of Trump the success.

[YOHABLO]

3. This is disturbing. Biden needs to answer to this.

[ProfessionalLeft]

20. Biden may be the "safe" candidate

(I don't necessarily agree with that.)

Biden is just another old school politician who has run twice before and failed to gain traction. Now he's trying to capitalize on his association with Obama in a third bid for the nomination.

Personally, in addition to the fact that I want to see real *progress* implemented, and I don't see that happening in a Biden administration, I can't get past his treatment of Anita Hill. He attacked her as bad or worse than republicans (lower case intentional) did.

ETA -- For the record, I will vote for Biden if he is our nominee.

[myohmy2]

4. "Top Biden Campaign Aide, Was a Health-Care Lobbyist"

...well there you go...

...

[bluewater]

7. "In 1996, the revolving door spun again..."

"In 1996, the revolving door spun again and Ricchetti served as a corporate lobbyist at Public Strategies Washington. In 1998, Steven and his brother Jeff (who followed in Steve’s footsteps as the top lobbyist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield), opened a lobbying firm that they later sold to the high-powered Podesta Group, then known as podesta.com. At the time, John Podesta was White House chief of staff, and his brother Tony Podesta was a top lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, or PhRMA. Jeff Ricchetti went to work for Tony Podesta; Steve went back to the White House to work for John."

[SouthernProgressive]

5. This person is excellent Chief if Staff material.

Hope people read his history helping the party and admired democrats. His knowledge of congress is icing on the cake.

[bluewater]

8. "Ricchetti Inc. is still going strong...."

"Ricchetti Inc. is still going strong. Jeff Ricchetti has lobbied the Senate this year for clients like pharmaceutical company Eisai, patent-buying firm Intellectual Ventures Inc., and the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting."

[SouthernProgressive]

12. .

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/lobby.php?id=D000037088

[bluewater]

13. "Ricchetti de-registered as a lobbyist at the end of 2008 to get around those rules"

"The Obama administration had put in place ethics laws barring lobbyists from joining until they had spent at least two years off K Street. Ricchetti de-registered as a lobbyist at the end of 2008 to get around those rules. But he still “advised clients on public policy, communications strategy and grass-roots efforts,” as Biden’s office acknowledged at the time. This is an old trick, to de-register as a lobbyist while still performing all of the functions of lobbying as an unregistered “adviser.” In 2011, Richetti earned $1.8 million from his lobbying firm, despite not technically being a lobbyist. He listed on a disclosure form working for twenty different corporate clients that year."

[SouthernProgressive]

14. He has been involved in so much moe than lobbying.

And the language trotted out by the American Prospect is questionable.

You run with it.

I’m not. Looks good to me at this point.

[melman]

6. Wow

This does not look good.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. This is disqualifying.

[SouthernProgressive]

18. This is funny.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287185511#post18

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=182318

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287185504#post81

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287192639#post29

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287201226#post17


Having to be forced by a union to put protections in place for women? Acceptable.
Working with Republicans to block a pathway to citizenship? Acceptable.
Fighting to dump nuclear waste in minority communities? Acceptable.
Comparing the ideas of Democrats to terrorists? Acceptable.
Siding with Republicans in support of Putin? Acceptable.

But I just read an article from the American Prospect?!?! Disqualifying!1!1!1!!!

[left-of-center2012]

11. Another shot from the 'circular firing squad'

[Thekaspervote]

15. +1000

[TSIAS]

17. Health care lobbyists are people too

All of this demonizing of insurance companies makes us look radical. I'm sure Kamala Harris will try to spin this as a negative during the debates.

[guillaumeb]

25. Demonizing the companies that place profits above people?

Oh my.

[StarfishSaver]

19. Because God forbid Democrats make a living using their expertise

By all means, let's disqualify from public service every Democrat with the chops to have made money money with their expertise.

I wonder what people think people like Ricchetti are supposed to do when they leave government if making money in their field is verboten?

This was one of the problems Obama ran into early in his first term when the strict "no lobbyist" rule disqualified some of the most experienced people in Washington from joining his administration.

[Vegas Roller]

21. Laughable while ignoring the fact that

Dozens of senior people from Bernie's campaign campaigned and voted for Jill Stein.


Note: This pertains to the 2016 General Election and NOT the primaries.

[guillaumeb]

24. I understand the diversion on display here,

But when we read the constant "explanations" as to why single payer cannot possibly work in the US, items like this go far to explaining why we read this.

[Vegas Roller]

31. Truth hurts

Bernie has no room for going scorched earth.

[guillaumeb]

32. It is a bad tactic in general.

Division does not build strength.

[jalan48]

26. If you like your insurance industry health care you can keep your insurance industry

health care?

[democratisphere]

29. This guy should be fired now.

Not helpful at all.

[PDittie]

30. Almost Affordable Health Care

#GoFundMeForAll