This was originally titled “Doing Well By Selling Out,” but by now, who really believed that they were sincere in the first place?
Vulnerable House Democrats who supported the healthcare bill last month reaped big financial rewards.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show the crucial yes votes cashed in between March 21 and the end of the first quarter on March 31. They received big money from Democratic-leaning political action committees (PACs) and fellow Democratic members of Congress.
Several of these members were last-minute yes votes, which helped push the legislation to passage.
The Hill helpfully listed the four most egregious examples, and note that the numbers below are not from private contributors. That’s just PAC/Other Democratic money:
| Earl Pomeroy | $140,000 |
| Scott Murphy | $100,000 |
| Debbie Halvorson | $ 90,000 |
| Gabrielle Giffords | $ 90,000 |
…and also note that the Democrats waited until after the vote this time to hand over the cash. They did it beforehand the last time, and rightly got slammed for it then, too. Not that payola after a vote is somehow morally superior; merely harder to prove.
Honestly, I would like to fulminate more about this, but I can’t get past how cheaply these four sold both their votes, and the appearance of their principles. Speaking as a former Democrat, it’s kind of embarrassing.