Backroom ObamaCare deals continuing

We've suffered through backroom (What happened to the era of transparency?) deals such as Gator Aid, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Cornhusker Kickback. The Washington Examiner is reporting the backroom is still a busy place in Obama's world.

That old saw about "the more things change, the more they stay the same" keeps coming back as the revelations mount on what's going on behind closed doors as White House and congressional officials harvest votes for Obamacare. For example, remember President Obama's 2008 campaign promise that the lobbyists and special interests would be banned from the health care reform process? Now comes word via Politico that drug industry lobbyists spent a good part of the weekend with Democratic congressional staffers writing the bill: "The weekend included high drama for the drug industry as lobbyists huddled with Democratic staffers to work out a fee structure and donut-hole fix. ... Drug makers were asked to sign off on multiple solutions so that backup options were available should any of the fixes run into problems passing muster with the Senate parliamentarian."

Things must have gone swimmingly between the drug lobbyists and their Democratic congressional staff buddies because Politico added that "there was 'real heartburn with the bill over the weekend and over the last week,' an industry source said. But insiders expressed confidence that their issues were on the road to resolution." Yessiree, spending Saturday and Sunday rewriting legislation cures that heartburn every time.

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