Administration: Obama to Push for Allowing Drug Re-Importation

[babylonsister]

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/12/20/administration-obama-to-push-for-allowing-drug-re-importation/

Administration: Obama to Push for Allowing Drug Re-Importation

By Kara Scannell


White House aide David Axelrod said President Barack Obama was “committed” to allowing the re-importation of pharmaceutical drugs into the U.S. and would push ahead with efforts to open the market.

During debate on the health-care bill, some senators had unsuccessfully sought to attach language that would allow the re-importation of drugs into the U.S. from Canada and other countries. Obama had endorsed re-importation during the presidential campaign.

“Let me be clear: The president supports re-importation, as he said, safe re-importation of drugs into this country,” Axelrod told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “There’s no reason why Americans should pay a premium for the pharmaceuticals that other people in other countries pay less for.”

The pharmaceutical industry opposes re-importation, and the Food and Drug Administration has for years raised questions about the safety of re-importing pharmaceutical drugs into the U.S. Axelrod said the Obama administration would seek to allay such concerns.

Obama “put money in the budget” to improve the “safety and security procedures at the FDA so we can move forward on re-importation, and we will move forward on it,” Axelrod said.

Re-imported drugs are prescription pharmaceuticals approved by the FDA, produced in the U.S. and exported, then brought back into the country.

[mdmc]

1. THAT would be helpful to the poor and working class

THAT is something I can get behind..

[Cant trust em]

2. I'll believe it when I see it.

Until then, we have Dorgan's amendment to show the administration's commitment to reimportation.

[babylonsister]

6. I don't recall Obama had a vote on that amendment. Actually, I know

he didn't.

[Cant trust em]

7. Guess his hands are tied then. The President really is powerless.

He doesn't deserve any credit for successes then either.

[babylonsister]

11. Did he or didn't he cast a vote? Do you think he has control over every

vote? If that were so, health care reform would have been resolved months ago. Blaming everything on this admin just isn't honest.

[Cant trust em]

13. Exempting them from blame isn't honest either.

There is more at play here than just how the votes turn out.

[phleshdef]

52. Answer the fucking question. DID HE OR DID HE NOT HAVE A VOTE ON THE MATTER.

[Cant trust em]

53. First off, there were two questions. I answered the one that wasn't bullshit.

Of course he didn't have a vote, but to infer that the only role in forming legislation is by voting then I don't think you're quite familiar with our political process.

But if there's a question about fucking then I'd gladly answer that too.

[phleshdef]

54. Considering his administation is revisiting the issue with the goal of legalization importation....

...then the role he DOES have is being played and played just fine. I know thats inconvenient for your narrative.

[Cant trust em]

56. Why revisit? Why not just call for the Dorgan amendment to be passed?

Honestly, I'd love to see stronger support from the White House on any current developments instead of saying that we're going to revisit it in the future. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[donco6]

3. Yeah, before you get all excited, read this.

Case in point is the comment the pharmaceutical industry recently let fly in the Washington Post. The newspaper this week examined how the Obama administration crushed legislation that would have allowed Americans to purchase lower-priced FDA-approved medicines from abroad - legislation that President Obama promised to support as a presidential candidate; legislation that would have reduced drug profiteering and saved the government and consumers $100 billion.

Drug companies already manufacture medicines in the developing world so as to evade U.S. labor, environmental and safety regulations. They then legally import those products for sale to Americans at inflated prices. The new bill would have merely let wholesalers, not just manufacturers, also import medicines - but at the lower prices the manufacturers concurrently sell those medicines abroad. So two questions: If the administration actually believes importation is unsafe, why isn't it banning current drug imports? And if the administration specifically insists wholesale importation is unsafe, then where are the dead Europeans?

Read more: http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-sirota.html

In other words, Obama already went out of his way to block imports from Canada, and pressured the FDA to issue an edict to disallow it. And *then* Axelrod says Obama's "committed to it"?

Right. And I'll keep your space under the bus here when you figure out what it means when he says that.

[babylonsister]

5. No, the FDA blocked them, not Obama, from what I've read, here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x46791

President Obama supports re-importation, but the FDA does not

[donco6]

29. A quote from Gibbs? Regarding Obama's campaign statements?

Yeah. I know what that's worth.

I think I'll go with the Post's interpretation on this, from benefit of experience with Obama and campaign promises.

[babylonsister]

34. Seeing as your link goes no where for me, I'll go with this. And you're

determined to be pissed, so enjoy your misery! :hi:

[donco6]

36. Ignorance is bliss, they say!

:hi:

[Barack_America]

4. "Committed" as in his "commitment" to the public option?

What does his "commitment" mean anymore anyways?

[tridim]

9. He always was and still is for the public option.

Joe Lieberman killed it for the time being.

[Barack_America]

15. Just not enough to actually pressure Lieberman into voting for it. nt

[tridim]

23. Passage requires Lieberman's vote because the Republicans are being obstructionist assholes.

That's the reality the President faces.

[Nite Owl]

39. Lieberman had nothing to do

with it this time. Quite a few repukes voted for this bill, 30 dems didn't presumably because they were told not to by the WH. I believe it was Sen. Dorgan who said this. The vote had more to do with the deal the administration made with the drug companies.

[ClarkUSA]

10. After HCR is passed, Sen. Harkin said every year Democrats will be moving toward the public option.

Nice CYA choice of DU name there. You're so transparent.

[Barack_America]

17. You might check my journal before making such accusations. nt

[ClarkUSA]

20. CYA eh?

Keep spinning.

[Barack_America]

24. I have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

What is "CYA"?

[ClarkUSA]

26. Sure.

Uh huh.

[donco6]

37. Someone left the gate open and Attack Doggie got out again.

CYA is "cover your ass"

Just throw him some meat with sedatives and he calms right down.

[ClarkUSA]

40. Oh look, the peanut gallery showed up on cue.

Thanks for kicking this OP. :)

[donco6]

41. Hugs!

I'm happy to have people see you in action. Go get 'em tiger!

[Barack_America]

45. Thanks. The google helped me out.

I thought he was saying "see ya" in teenage text lingo.

In any case I find his apparent accusation quite amusing. He seems to believe that I joined DU in 2004, campaigned for Obama throughout 2008 and defended him throughout much of 2009 just so I could criticize him with authority now.

[donco6]

48. I admire your prescience in that accomplishment.

LOL!

Don't mind him - he seems to think it's all about hate somehow. Whatever.

[Jamastiene]

91. Amazing the lengths he thinks you would go through, JUST SO

you could criticize President Obama.

I would say he as a really active imagination. Don't let him get to you. :hi:

[bvar22]

86. Oh yeah.....moving toward the Public Option....

....right after they fix NAFTA and the Patriot Act.

And there is a bridge in Alaska.....

[ima_sinnic]

8. yeah, yeah, whatever. and habeas corpus was going to reinstated "immediately" (nt)

[ClarkUSA]

19. Nothing he does will meet your approval, that much is clear. We know that.

But those who don't have undying enmity for the President will herald this move.

[donco6]

31. habeus corpus would be a nice thing.

Don't you think?

[Tejas]

42. Okay, you're fine with Bush's Patriot Act, we get it.

Doesn't mean everyone has to agree with you.

[ClarkUSA]

46. You're fine with strawman arguments, I get it.

Doesn't mean you make sense.

[Tejas]

50. Some of us don't mind taking the President at his word.

If you choose not to, so be it.

[ima_sinnic]

58. you're fine with being played like a cheap fiddle by a smooth-talking snake charmer

and you DEFINITELY don't make sense.

Obama and habeas corpus--then and now
Glenn Greenwald
April 11, 2009
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/11/bagram/index.html

The guy's a fucking LIAR, and you know it. We now have the Bush/Obama Doctrine of denial of habeas corpus to whomever the president feels like it--wow, that's true "bipartisanship"! The comments below the column show that disgust about the con artist's blatant lies and shitting on the very fundamental basis of the Rule of Law go far beyond the "progressive malcontents" at DU from as early as April 09. Get ready for president Palin in 2012, because there is going to be a massive voter backlash against this smooth-talking "constitutional scholar" with a mail-order law degree from DegreesRUs.

your standards of acceptability are somewhere down around your ankles, buried in that shit you're shoveling. Apparently ANYthing's okay with you as long as Obama does it.

[ClarkUSA]

61. Better wipe the froth your mouth before you choke on it.

Tastes bitter going down, doesn't it?

Sorry if Pres. Obama hasn't solved all the nation's problems in the first 11 months since taking office.

I suspect if he did, you'd still find a reason to trash him.

[ima_sinnic]

70. I'd complain about the outdated script you've been handed

it's not the problems he "hasn't solved in the first 3 months 6 months 9 months 11 months" (note: cut & paste this for use in October 2011: sorry he hasn't solved all the nation's problems in the first 46 months)--it's what he HAS done in that time. Besides acting as the middleman between Wall St. and our wallets, bombing three different countries at once to expand and protect "the empire", going to the extravagant trouble of making a court case to deny reinstatement of habeas corpus (showing he's no coward! he's not "afraid" of proving himself a blatant liar!), disappearing after giving lip service to a "public option" in HCR while Max Baucus "took care of it," opposing equal benefits for same-sex federal employees (another act of courage! that'll show those stupid gays--he's not "afraid" of alienating them, either!), etc. etc.--I don't think I can take anymore "hope" and "change."

but you got work to do! what're you wasting time for, reading the nonsensical "concerns" of a voter? who cares about voters? certainly not Obama! you need to cruise the board harder with your whack-a-mole zingy one-liners--that'll take care of their "concerns."

[ClarkUSA]

74. I don't even bother reading your rants anymore.

Sorry, I don't do bitter.

[ima_sinnic]

79. I know, because it's such a bore to actually say anything of substance, eh?

you just don't have the capability to express any real thoughts about anything, so your posts are a waste of time. I come here to share ideas and concerns, and grievances, yes, but also praise when it's due, but you're not willing to engage in that--you have NO facts to offer, NO opinion based on research or insights, and your "attempts" at insulting and deriding are just lame, with heavy use of the rofl icon, so--bye!

[ClarkUSA]

96. No, anti-Obama screeching and vitriolic personal attacks ad nauseum are a bore.

:boring:

[ima_sinnic]

55. I think they have a cure for rectalcephalitis now.

it's in the douchebag aisle at Walgreen's.
but your case is pretty advanced, so you probably also need the industrial strength Preparation H gargle.

[ClarkUSA]

62. Classy as always.

:eyes:

[BP2]

12. Empty words for a politician who

had so much and squandered it so quickly.

How about pushing for drug re-importation NOW, instead of committing to do it later?

[ClarkUSA]

22. "How about pushing for drug re-importation NOW, instead of committing to do it later?"

:crazy:

[vaberella]

94. Uh you don't make sense. He has and he is. Your post is confusing. /t

[ClarkUSA]

14. Great! One more Obama Outrage meme down the drain.

:rofl:

[mcablue]

21. You don't ask yourself the details about the re-importation they will allegedly seek

It suffices to you that the Obama administration said it would pursue drug importation. That's it. It does not matter if it's a watered-down version of the Dorgan amendment, which Lautenberg supported and was seen as useless. The Obama administration said "reimportation" therefore the critics have been shut up. You are not interested in the details.

Critical thinking is dead these days.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ClarkUSA]

44. The Lautenberg amendment would have the same impact as Dorgan's, but with more safety measures.

Hat Tip ProSense:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=83440&mesg_id=83560

But no matter what the details are, I'm sure you'll find a way to spin it into a negative.

[DrToast]

16. Oh please. And I suspect it'll take about 10 years to strengthen the FDA

I'm tired of these people insulting my intelligence on a daily basis.

[ClarkUSA]

27. So let's not even get started, right? I'm not giving your claim credence, mind you.

I'm tired of people pissing on every positive effort made by the administration after the same folks attacked the administration for not
doing this as he promised during the campaign.

[DrToast]

32. Get started on what? There's nothing TO start. It's a damn joke

The FDA letter was how they killed the drug importation from the health care bill.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/12/17/csi-washington-who-killed-drug-imports/

[ClarkUSA]

38. Your defeatism aside, the answer can easily be gleaned from the facts in the OP.

A journey of 1000 miles starts with one step.

~ Lao Tse

[mcablue]

18. Some watered-down re-importation scheme a'la Lautenberg?

You bet.

[ClarkUSA]

28. Do you see this in your crystal ball? Or are you getting in that Outrage meme early?

Perhaps you can start an OP on rhetoric alone, facts be damned?

[ProSense]

35. Right, start the meme now

The Lautenberg amendment would have the same impact as Dorgan's, but with more safety measures in place.

Still, start the meme now. It will be as useful as the public option is weak (and worthless), you know, the one everyone that everyone against and are now trying to beat the Senate over the head with because it was excluded.

[Cha]

67. Yeah, it just means the opposite is true of

whatever meme is started.

[Raine]

30. If he can't do it now

how can he do it later? We have a majority now and still nothing decent makes it in, in another year we'll be the minority again. I won't hold my breath on this.

[IndianaGreen]

33. From the same man that promised repeal of DADT and DOMA, and who promised a public option

Talk is truly cheap nowadays!

[ClarkUSA]

47. Did he "promise" he'd do everything 11 months after taking office? No? Didn't think so.

Talk is cheap, especially at DU.

[ima_sinnic]

60. oh, the old "he didn't have time" argument--but he's used his time to do the exact opposite

he's gone out of his way--not always him personally, but the people working for him, and so it is "him"--to challenge court cases that he could have let stand, that would have fulfilled his promises. In other words, he promises one thing, then when the court rules in a way that would make the promise good, he makes a point of challenging and thwarting it. So he's had "plenty of time" to show what a cheap-suit smooth-talking forked-tongue hollow-promise LIAR he is. But his "war chest" is overflowing. The war profiteers, the CEOs, the bankers--they're ecstatic! It's going very well for them!

[ClarkUSA]

63. Oy vay. Next you'll be saying he's the devil incarnate.

:rofl:

[ima_sinnic]

71. I don't believe in "the Devil"

the world is sufficiently full of actual, real evil people.

your "concern" about his stomping on the rule of law is duly noted. apparently you think habeas corpus is some kind of joke told by Jay Leno. have you ever thought of filling that gap in your basic civics education?

[Blasphemer]

43. More promises to break. Fun! nt

[ClarkUSA]

49. More drive-by bullshit. Giggles!

:eyes:

[Blasphemer]

51. Yes, it certainly is getting thick around here isn't it? *giggles*.. nt

[David Zephyr]

57. What Obama "pushed for" was to kill the Dorgan Amendment.

Obama at this point is just a speech giver to me.

He had already promised to "push for' allowing the re-importation of drugs from Canada.

And then he worked to make sure it couldn't happen.

Actions vs his words.

Deeds vs his speeches.

Betrayal vs his promises.

It's all bullshit to my ears now.

[babylonsister]

59. He killed it? Got a link? I have one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x46791

President Obama supports re-importation, but the FDA does not

[ClarkUSA]

64. Thanks for the FACTS. It's so much more enlightening than bullshit rhetoric.

:thumbsup:

[Cha]

69. Bullshit rhetoric rules the day for some posters who

have too much invested in President Obama failing..too bad for them because it ain't gonna happen.

They'd rather close their eyes and yell "lies" when he does something for the common good..and they'll "March With The Teabaggers" if the leftywing bloggers tell them to.

[David Zephyr]

72. You should learn from babylonsister who I respect greatly (even tho we sometimes disagree)

You, on the other hand, do great harm to President Obama with your ill temperment.

If you are really trying to support Obama to those who disagree with some of his decisions, then maybe you'd better step out of his spotlight a bit because you hurt his cause.

[Cha]

75. I don't take orders from anyone much less holier

than thou Obama haters who would March With The TeaBaggers.

[ClarkUSA]

76. Same here. But it's amusing how they rage about STFU OPs while they tell us to STFU.

I won't even touch the hypocrisy of their "concern" doing "great harm to President Obama" while they trash him 24/7.

[Cha]

80. Yeah, thanks..it's sinister.

[Jamastiene]

92. +1

[ClarkUSA]

73. Failers always seem to be full of it. Did they ever make it to their rendezvous with the teabaggers?

Guess Dean's coming out in support of passing the Senate bill this week kinda killed their screeching?

:rofl:

[Cha]

77. Remains to be seen if they're going to follow the

Teabaggers off the cliff bc hamsher tells them to.

[ClarkUSA]

78. Can't wait when they do. You know Hamsters are known to go off cliffs... or are those lemmings?

;)

[BP2]

83. If by "failers" you mean

we fail to allow our Progressive politicians say one thing and then sell out to corporate influence and lobbying once they're in DC, then the shoe fits.

If, however, you mean we fail to use logic and reason, and swallow the bullshit lies of those we got into office, then Prince Charming has a shoe for you, darling.

Like you, I want political success. But I also DEMAND results and promises to be kept.

[BP2]

82. The last thing the president needs is more

yes men.

However, if lies are what ye seek, then you need not ask questions and DEMAND results like the rest of us!

[Cha]

84. There's no "yes men" as you call it..but, I'm not going to

roll over while the lefty MARCHING WITH THE TEABAGGERS lie about him and spew their hate.

[BP2]

85. No one is asking you to go "Rogue" for gods' sake, but

to DEMAND results of our Progressive leaders is something we should all be doing.

When promises are made, they should be kept. There are too many voices in DC and we need to drown out the Pukes and the corporations to make substantive change to occur.

Obama has been talking about the Single Payer Option since his first run for office in Chicago in 1996. I can't say for sure when he first brought up Drug Re-Importation, but I know we've been hoping it would be a way to put the stranglehold on $10 per pill prescriptions. Now, that's as gone as the Public Option.

From many of the Realists' vantage point here, it seems like "just a little bit less" of "more of the same."

I want to believe, but all I see is Status Quo-lite.

[Cha]

98. Then you should open your

eyes more.

[Mithreal]

90. Might be surprised to know many you describe still hope he will

be a great President.

The investment is more in seeing him succeed but it does seem like he will need to be transformed.

A lot of people are pushing and raging because they overwhelmingly desire him to be among our greatest and he will if he can steer America safely through these troubled times.

I understand many of us having internal and external conflicts about this. The disappointment, anger, pain is real whenever it appears mistakes are being made. If you can somehow always remain hopeful then I count you as one of the lucky ones.

[David Zephyr]

65. Here's some links.

Time will tell if he will keep his promise now that he's re-newed it again.

Here are some links.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/18/dorgan-white-house-helped_n_397455.html?page=5

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/did_obama_pressure_fda_to_kill_drug_import_amendment.php?ref=mp

http://www.openleft.com/diary/16550/did-the-white-house-political-staff-unethically-pressuremanipulate-the-fda

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/18/EDBO1B5SGT.DTL#ixzz0aFkbYgS8

[Mithreal]

89. "publicly" supports

[Honeycombe8]

66. What about the deal the W.H. made with pharma not to allow importation of drugs? Or to allow

price negotiations for Rx drugs in Medicare?

[cherokeeprogressive]

68. "I'm a fierce advocate for drug re-importation" n/t

[IndianaGreen]

88. He is a fierce advocate for war, that's much is true!

Who knows how many coups and wars Obama will have under his belt by the end of next year.

[ima_sinnic]

81. I gotta see how slickly he pulls this off--

first, the article doesn't quote Obama himself at all.
that's a tried and true weasel method--but they'll have to take it a little further. He'll have to say, as noted above, that he's a "fierce advocate" of reimportation. Yeah, a speech or two, but nothing real specific, then he'll have someone like Evan Bayh "work on it"--after a while, like habeas corpus, it might even be forgotten, or a bill will be drafted, or some kind of "resolution" or something, but it will all work out very well for the pharmaceutical companies in the end. Not so much for consumers.
We'll probably "be allowed" to buy drugs on "the free market" under very stringent conditions, probably involving the exchange of money. Like having to have a "license" to import from only certain suppliers or something. Just watch.

[bvar22]

87. What Obama says...

and what Obama DOES are two entirely different things.

Here is a nice campaign video to illustrate my point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZG8Zq8V54k

[Jamastiene]

93. I hope he does it, but

my trust level is way down right now. It would be a good thing if he can actually do it. Prescription prices can be outrageous sometimes.

[Wardoc]

95. About time! But I'm not getting happy until I see it actually happen.

[Enrique]

97. I call bullshit

"...safety and security procedures at the FDA so we can move forward on re-importation, and we will move forward on it"

I wonder, when will the procedures be improved enough so that we can move forward? My guess: NEVER.