That's a rhetorical question, by the way. We've already noted that the Blue Dogs have found obstruction lucrative, with their PAC raking in a lot of industry money while they gum up the works in the Energy and Commerce Committee.
WaPo follows up on that CQ story from last week, with specific information about this fight's leader, Mike Ross.
On June 19, Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas made clear that he and a group of other conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dogs were increasingly unhappy with the direction that health-care legislation was taking in the House.
"The committees' draft falls short," the former pharmacy owner said in a statement that day, citing, among other things, provisions that major health-care companies also strongly oppose.
Five days later, Ross was the guest of honor at a special "health-care industry reception," one of at least seven fundraisers for the Arkansas lawmaker held by health-care companies or their lobbyists this year, according to publicly available invitations....
"I know there were some that thought we were trying to stop health-care reform," Ross said in an interview this week for The Washington Post's "Voices of Power" series. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply wanted to slow the process down and ensure that we were working toward the kind of health-care reform that the American people need and want."
Ross has received nearly $1 million in contributions from the health-care sector and insurance industry during his five terms in Congress, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions. The lawmaker founded Ross Pharmacy of Prescott, Ark., which he and his wife sold in 2007. The couple received $100,000 to $1 million in dividends last year from the sale, according to House financial disclosure forms.
Records of political fundraisers since 2008 compiled by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based watchdog group, show a steady schedule of events for Ross sponsored by the health industry or lobbying firms that represent health-care companies. They include two "health-care lunches" at Capitol Hill restaurants in May 2008 and March 2009, as well as receptions sponsored by Patton Boggs and other major lobbying firms.
Of course, this is all for the good of America. Goodness knows, after 60 years of trying to get universal healthcare coverage, what we need to do now is slow the process down. Of course, it could also be that Ross and his fellow obstructionists realize that once this reform is done, the money coming from industry will slow to a trickle. It couldn't be that they're trying to push this out until the end of this fundraising quarter, could it? The gravy train is running full steam right now, why would they want to slow it down?