DEAL WATCH: Dem Lobbying Firm Hits the Jackpot in the Obama-Pelosi Healthcare Casino

The clients of Democrat lobbying firm The Raben Group made out so well in the Democrats’ government takeover of healthcare bill law that the firm decided it needed to brag about it. The Raben Group took a victory lap in an email sent to their Washington allies this morning with the subject line “Some Say Waterloo; We Say Success” and included a long list of special deals they scored for their clients.

The Raben Group is a veritable cornucopia of former staffers for Democrats and liberal causes. The lobbyists at the firm include alumni of: the Democratic National Committee, the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, the Clinton administration, the 2000 Gore campaign, Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Xavier Beccera (D-CA), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI), Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, the Nevada State Senate Democratic Caucus, the National Education Association, NOW, People for the American Way and Planned Parenthood.

The nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity declared the Obama-Pelosi healthcare takeover a “bonanza” for lobbyists. According to their analysis:

“About 1,750 businesses and organizations hired about 4,525 lobbyists, total — eight for each member of Congress — and spent at least $1.2 billion to influence health care bills and other issues, according to a Center analysis of disclosure documents that included ‘health reform’ or similar wording.” (“Washington Lobbyists Cash in on Health Reform,” Center for Public Integrity news release, 3/26/10)

No wonder it was such a “bonanza” for lobbyists when they were able to secure so many special deals for their clients.

Among the special deals Raben Group lobbyists took credit for were:

• A $1.5 billion “home visitation grant program” to benefit the Nurse Family Partnership.

  $6.3 billion in Medicaid funding for U.S. territories, $1 billion in subsidies for insurance exchanges in Puerto Rico, and provisions to give Puerto Rico “new flexibility” on “how to best use funding to expand coverage” for Latinos United for Healthcare, an organization created by The Raben Group

•  

  Provisions to ease the approval of biotech drugs for pharmaceutical giant Amgen

  Provisions for training and development for direct care workers, a “health care workforce commission,” and the inclusion of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act in the healthcare bill on behalf of the Direct Care Alliance

•  

  A provision that “requires health insurers in the public exchange to offer enrollees information on resources available for advanced care planning” on behalf of Compassion & Choices

Which Democrat members of Congress helped The Raben Group secure these special deals? We may never know. It turns out Speaker Nancy Pelosi was right: The Democrats had to pass the bill so that you could find out what was in it.

By Code Red