In all honesty, it makes me deeply sad to write this post. Back in 2004, the Dean campaign was the first time I was motivated to give large amounts of money (for me) to a candidate. I thought he had transformative potential. I was impressed with his performance at the DNC. And now we have this:
Howard Dean is the latest in a string of Hillary Clinton supporters to charge that Bernie Sanders is wrong to support a single-payer health care plan. The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee claimed on MSNBC last night that Sanders’ reform might result in “chaos” because “trying to implement it would in fact undo people’s health care.” Dean added, “That is something people should be concerned about.”
This evolution of Dean, known within many circles for his spirited critique of the Iraq War during the 2004 Democratic primary, comes as he has settled into a corporate lobbying career. (bolding mine)
Dean, though he rarely discloses the title during his media appearances, now serves as senior advisor to the law firm Dentons, where he works with the firm’s Public Policy and Regulation practice, a euphemism for Dentons’ lobbying team. …..;…….
The Dentons Public Policy and Regulation practice lobbies on behalf of a variety of corporate health care interests, including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a powerful trade group for drugmakers like Pfizer and Merck.
Well, I guess a guy has to make a living, but I would have hoped he would return to medical practice instead of this. I think I’ll just leave it there.