Democrat Dirty Laundry: Did Dem Leadership Purchase Healthcare Votes?

• Did Dem Leadership Purchase Healthcare Votes? Vulnerable Dem Coffers Flooded with Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn Cash, but Only for Those Who Voted ‘Yes’  SPIN CYCLE: Speaker Pelosi Vowed that Democrats Would Lead the “Most Honest, Most Open, and Most Ethical Congress in History” “Our goal is to restore accountability, honesty and openness at all levels of government. To do so, we will create and enforce rules that demand the highest ethics from every public servant, sever unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, and establish clear standards that prevent the trading of official business for gifts.” (Nancy Pelosi’s “A New Direction for America,” Page 21) RINSE CYCLE: Dem Leadership Funnels Campaign Cash to Vulnerable Members Who Voted ‘Yes’ on Healthcare Takeover Vulnerable House Democrats who supported the healthcare bill last month reaped big financial rewards. Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show the crucial yes votes cashed in between March 21 and the end of the first quarter on March 31. They received big money from Democratic-leaning political action committees (PACs) and fellow Democratic members of Congress. Several of these members were last-minute yes votes, which helped push the legislation to passage. Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) raised more than $140,000 from PACs and fellow members in the final 10 days of the quarter — which was more than one-third of the $400,000 total he raised for the entire quarter. Rep. Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.) raised more than $100,000 from political committees after deciding to vote yes on the bill, and he raised about $475,000 overall. Reps. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) and Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) weren’t far behind, each raising more than $90,000 from PACs and fellow members of Congress in the final week-plus of the quarter. Halvorson raised $410,000 total, while Giffords raised nearly $500,000. Frequent givers included labor unions and left-leaning groups like the Human Rights Campaign PAC. Several liberal members of Congress who championed the bill, including Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), also rewarded those who voted yes with contributions. While members flooded each other’s coffers in the final days of the first-quarter fundraising period, House leaders gave little to those who voted no on healthcare reform. In the final week-plus of the quarter, neither Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) nor Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) gave money to any member who voted no. (Aaron Blake, “Democrats See the Money After Healthcare Bill Vote,” The Hill, 4/20/10) To read the full story, click here: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/93449-democrats-see-the-money-after-healthcare-bill-vote ###