Gosh, that was terrible. A sitting vice president – with close ties to the oil community – having the gaul to meet with oil and other energy executives in private to discuss the energy crisis. Democrats often pointed to Vice President Cheney’s meetings as part of the problem, promising transparency in the future. Well as it turns out, not so much.
From the Los Angeles Times blog, Top of the Ticket.
Obama White House breaks another promise to reject Bush secrecy
… Obama administration officials have rejected a watchdog group’s request for a list of healthcare industry executives who’ve been meeting secretly in the White House with Obama staffers to discuss healthcare changes being drafted there and in Congress.
President Obama was not involved with national politics at the time, but his political Web site – Organizing for America – certainly does point out the Cheney energy meetings. In the Plan to Change Washington section, they refer to the problem…
Lobbyists Write National Policies: For example, Vice President Dick Cheney’s Energy Task Force of oil and gas lobbyists met secretly to develop national energy policy.
Go read the entire page over on Organizing for America, his own site lists about 15 promises completely broken. It’s friggin hilarious!
Vice President Joe Biden continues to meet with unknown executives, refusing to let the press know who he is meeting with or why they are meeting.
Let me make something perfectly clear. The Executive Branch – God only knows – needs some help with all of this. We know health care must be limited to state governments (if at all) and not the federal government, but the Obama administration should be able to discuss programs with industry insiders who can teach them about the system.
There is no requirement (that I know of) for the Executive Branch to publish a schedule listing the people they talk with or detailing the discussions they are having. That said, the Democrats and specifically the Obama administration – as shown above – said it was a problem that would not happen on their watch.
Another promise quickly discarded.
Hopefully, insurance executives are letting the Obama administration know that federal government involvement will slow service, decrease quality and increase prices.
Hat tip to Sister Toldjah, and Malkin posting on the subject today as well.
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