Thursday, September 24, 2009

Precisely who DOES John Cornyn represent?

John Cornyn is supposed to be representing all the citizens of Texas in the U.S. Senate, so what gives him the idea that the only folks that matter are for-profit insurance companies that write his campaign checks?
That was a big point raised today by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va) in response to an amendment that Cornyn proposed to the healthcare legislation that the Senate Finance Committee is busy marking up.
Here's what the Huffington Post reported:
Reacting to an amendment proposed by Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) during the Senate Finance Committee's markup of health care reform legislation on Thursday, committee member Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called his colleague a pawn of the health insurance industry.
"This is a very, very important amendment and it's a very, very bad amendment," said Rockefeller. "If there's anything which is clear, it's that the insurance industry is not running this markup, but is running certain people in this markup."

Here's a link to the clip of Rockefeller on the Cornyn proposal:
Cornyn isn't the only Republican on the Senate Finance Committee whose work on behalf of for-profit insurance companies has been getting called out. Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts brought the issue to the forefront during his comments:
Reported the Huffington Post:
"The thing I'm trying to point out," said Roberts, "is that we would have at least 72 hours for the people that the providers have hired to keep up with all of the legislation that we pass around here, and the regulations that we pass around here, to say, 'Hey, wait a minute. Have you considered this?' That's all I'm asking for."

Are Roberts and Cornyn so naive that folks won't pick up whose bidding they're doing (or not doing)?
Here's Roberts on his begging for time to help corporate lobbyists display:

It's time Republican gamesmanship be brought to an end so real healthcare reform can pass.

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