Just Who's Behind this Non-Representing Representative, Lloyd Doggett?

"By their contributors you shall know them."
- The Bible, Matthew 7:16a (New Politically Correct Version)

First of all, Lloyd Doggett’s top 5 campaign contributors are as follows:

Top 5 Contributors Campaign Committee (2009-2010)

Contributor.........................Total...|.Individual..|...PAC...
National Assn of Retail Druggists..$21,400..|...$13,400...|.$8,000..
Nix, Patterson & Roach.............$19,200..|...$19,200...|.....$0..
Acute Long Term Hospital Assn.......$8,525..|....$8,525...|.....$0..
Kindred Healthcare..................$8,000..|....... $0...|.$8,000..
Select Medical Corp.................$6,250..|... $6,250...|.....$0..

Similarly, in 2007-2008 the top 5 contributors were as follows:

Contributor.........................Total...|.Individual..|...PAC...
Acute Long Term Hospital Assn......$11,500..|...$11,500...|.....$0..
Austin Ventures....................$11,500..|...$11,500...|.....$0..
Pharmaceut Rsrch & Mfrs of Amer....$11,500..|...$11,500...|.....$0..
American Assn for Justice..........$10,000..|........$0...|$10,000..
American College of Radiology......$10,000..|........$0...|$10,000..

The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members, or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Source: Open Secrets


Let’s take a look at the top 5 contributors for 2009-2010.

Deep Pocket Number 1 - The National Association of Retail Druggists (NARD)

Now called the National Community Pharmacists Association (The Voice of the Community Pharmacists), NARD formed in 1898 and was renamed the National Association of Community Pharmacists (NCPA) in 1998.

Source: NCPA Foundation - Background


Is this an intentional slight of hand? Or is there still a retail druggests association working under this NARD banner? If NARD and NCPA are one in the same, take note of this:

In a July letter to House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairmen, Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), respectively, NCPA recommended that any new federally sponsored health plan employ a Pharmacy Benefit Administrator (PBA). PBAs, utilized by Medicaid and the military's health plan, perform prescription claim processing functions without profiteering at the expense of taxpayers and patients.

• NCPA supports many of the changes proposed in the bill to the average manufacturer's price (AMP) system, but, as the legislative process moves forward, strongly urges that Congress consider a higher federal upper limit (FUL) reimbursement rate for generic medications than 130% of the weighted average AMP. This is especially important for critical access pharmacies that serve a higher percentage of Medicaid recipients and rural pharmacies.
• NCPA strongly supports the provisions in the bill to exempt pharmacists from accreditation and surety bond requirements in Medicare's durable medical equipment program. As state-licensed health professionals, these costly accreditation and surety bond requirements are redundant and will only serve to reduce beneficiary access to these important health care products.
• NCPA remains concerned about the lack of specificity in the bill regarding how payment rates under the new federally sponsored plan would be set. Instead, the bill should specify that the payments to pharmacies should include reimbursement for the pharmacy's cost product as well as a dispensing fee, based on annual cost of dispensing surveys.

Source: NCPA.net Media Release


Deep Pocket Number 2 - Nix, Patterson & Roach (Nix)

Nix' website sites the following areas of service:

Toxic Tort Litigation
Securities Fraud Class Action Litigation General
Personal Injury Litigation
Nursing Home Litigation
Consumer Class Action Litigation
Business Litigation
Antitrust Litigation
Shareholder Derivative Litigation
FCA Litigation
Medical Device Litigation
Automobile Products Liability Litigation
Wrongful Death Litigation
General Negligence Litigation

Source: Nix Law Firm Practice Areas

Nix' contributions to Democratic Party candidates have increased to oppose lawsuit reforms. As Big Tobacco munching trial lawyers they enjoyed a healthy profit when they were one of 3 firms who sued the tobacco companies. In 2008, they contributed $250,000 to Texas Democratic Party candidates.

Source: TLR

This may sum up their reasons for supporting Democratic Party candidates, such as Doggett, and tell us why Doggett votes the way he does: "...in Daingerfield, plaintiffs' firm Nix Patterson & Roach is also pushing in new directions. 'If today we were relying on personal-injury cases in Texas, we would be bankrupt,' says partner Nelson J. Roach.

Source: Businessweek


Deep Pocket Number 3: Acute Long Term Hospital Association (ALTHA)

ALTHA has this proudly posted on their website:

ALTHA is happy to announce that legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate which will extend the LTCH provisions under the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 for two years. HR 2124 was introduced by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. John Larson (D-CT) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) on April 27, 2009. Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced S.925, with 15 original cosponsors, just days later on April 30, 2009.

Source: ALTHA Announcement


Deep Pocket Number 4: Kindred Healthcare (KH)

Mr. Paul J. Diaz who is the President and CEO of KH issued this statement as reported by the website on March 2, 2009:

“Mr. Diaz went on to comment on President Obama’s plans for healthcare reform. 'As a provider of healthcare for over 33,600 patients and residents each day, and as an employer of thousands of people in 40 states, we support the President’s priority to reform the healthcare system. Post-acute providers, like Kindred Healthcare, are an important part of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation’s healthcare delivery system and we look forward to actively participating in the public policy process to advance healthcare reform.'"

Source: Kendred Healthcare


Deep Pocket Number 5: Select Medical Corp (SMC)

Check out this little note about them at the Business Weekly website:

Select Medical Corp. to Pay $5 Million to Settle Claims
01/31/2009

Select Medical Corp. will pay $5 million to settle claims that it misled the public about its growth and financial condition. According to the lawsuit, Select Medical, an operator of specialty hospitals, was aware that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services planned to propose new Medicare reimbursement regulations that would have a negative effect on company performance. Despite this, it released the positive financial projections anyway. The settlement will benefit anyone who purchased stock in the company between July 29, 2003 and May 11, 2004. A hearing to determine fairness of the settlement has been scheduled for April 14, 2009.

Source: Business Weekly


And just to point out where he stands on issues important to conservatives, this is what his voting record reveals about non-representing, Representative Doggett:

1. He voted NO on banning partial birth abortions.
2. He voted no on a border fence at the Mexican border.
3. He voted no on informing immigration about illegal aliens receiving treatment at hospitals.
4. He voted no on defining marriage as one man and one woman.
5. He voted no on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance
6. He voted no on banning the desecration of the flag.
7. He voted no on ending the use of race aspreferential treatment in college admission.
8. He voted no on allowing prayer is schools during the War on Terror
9. He voted yes to prohibit oil and gas exploration in Anwar.
10. He voted no on authorizing new construction of oil refineries.
11. He voted no on lowering the marriage tax over 10 years by $399B
12. He voted no on requiring a photo ID for federal elections.
13. He voted no on limiting attorney’s fees in class action suits.
14. He voted no on restricting frivolous law suits.
15. He voted no on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers.
16. He voted no on prohibiting suing gun makers and sellers for gun misuse.
17. He voted no on establishing tax-exempt Medical Savings accounts.
18. He has acquired a 93% rating by the AFL-CIO

This is not an exhasutive list of Doggett's anti-consevative votes.

Source: On The Issues (Senate)


Now, perhaps we should not wonder why Lloyd Doggett is claiming that the people protesting at his town hall meetings are bought by some entity to disrupt his little show. That is exactly how he plays the political game. His pretense of actually listening to anyone other than the people who have bought him is evident: "By their contributors you shall know them."