December 23, 2009 01:21 AM UTC

The Man of Principal

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• by: JO

Or is that principle? Depends on what you’ve been reading lately, remarks on the floor of the Senate about Docs, or docs filed with the FEC.

The words on the floor of the Senate from the Appointed Senator from Colorado, on how the Health Care and Insurance Providers Protection Act of 2009 came about were stirring–suitable for voters back home to read on their favorite blog:

“I am not naïve about politics, but I expected more.” (Sun Healthcare Group PAC, Albuquerque, NM, $4,000.)

“I will vote for health care reform because it is a step in the right direction. (American Hospital Association PAC, Washington, $2,500.)

“But I will not go home and defend the actions of a Washington that is out-of-touch. (Kindred Healthcare PAC, Louisville, KY, $4,000.)

“A Washington that is more interested in scoring political points, more interested in the 278 health care lobbyists who used to work for Members of Congress, than in it is in what our constituents have to say. (Genesis Healthcare Corp. PAC, Kennett Square, PA, $3,500; Glaxosmithkline LLC PAC, Triangle Park, NC, $5,000; Nebraska Leadership PAC, Omaha, NE., 2,500. See here: http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-b… Contributors include Abbott Laboratories, Allstate Insurance, American Academy of Dermatology, American Healthcare Association, and many others.)

“A Washington that is more concerned with the millions being spent by big insurance companies, than the thousands of dollars being lost by working families who are struggling to pay for coverage. (Travelers Companies PAC, Hartford, CT, $2,500; also a big contributor to American Insurance Association PAC, Michelle Bachman for Congress, Bachus for Congress, and, of course, Friends of Joe Lieberman. See http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-b… ).

“I am not happy about the backroom deals.  (TOM PAC, Des Moines, IA, $2,500. See http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-b…  Includes American Chiropractic Association, Amer. Assn of Clinical Urologists, American College of Radiology, American Healthcare Association (again), American Optometric Association, College of American Pathologists PAC, Genentech, Inc PAC, Perdue Pharma Inc. PAC, and many others.)

“I will let others justify their vote and their tactics. (Phamaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Washington, $1,500; HCR Manor Care PAC, $4,000, Pfizer Inc. PAC, New York, $2,000.)”

There are more words of both sorts. Question: does juxtaposing the Docs and the docs qualify as a yoga position that’s covered under the Congressional health plan?