Pelosi rips GOP lawmaker (Billy Tauzin, R-La.) on job offer

CNN ^ | 01/29/2004 | Ted Barrett

[Pern]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House's top Democrat, Nancy Pelosi of California, strongly criticized a Republican lawmaker Wednesday for his consideration of a lucrative job offer from the pharmaceutical industry -- an offer that came weeks after he helped to negotiate a sweeping Medicare bill that established a prescription drug benefit for America's seniors.

[Pern]

Johnson has repeatedly denied a conflict exists, saying Tauzin was not approached about the job until the Medicare bill was already signed into law in December by President Bush.

Payment for services rendered. I'm sorry, but there is no amount of spin that Billy can come up with to hide the fact that he sold out the American people for this job offer.

I shouldn't be suprised. Billy is, after all, a Louisiana politician.

[JohnnyZ]

Payment for services rendered. I'm sorry, but there is no amount of spin that Billy can come up with to hide the fact that he sold out the American people for this job offer.

Absolute BS, and you should be ashamed for parroting the DNC line. Tauzin had another $1m+ offer from the music industry. He didn't need Medicare legislation to make lots of money as a lobbyist.

[Pern]

Absolute BS, and you should be ashamed for parroting the DNC line.

I don't 'parrot' anything. This is obvious 'back door' politics at its best.

If this is BS, then why is it every time a politician decides to 'return to private life' he/she always has a golden parachute to break their fall? It's simple, while pretending to look after our (the good people of La.) interests, he was setting up his own retirement fund.

Like I said, a Louisiana politician at his best.

[goodnesswins]

Someone should go look for (and then post) the contributions from pharmaceutical companies to Pelosi and Tauzin.....be interesting info.....

[MarketR]

If this is BS, then why is it every time a politician decides to 'return to private life' he/she always has a golden parachute to break their fall?

I've got to agree with this! This stinks worse than roadkill. What do they think the public is going to think about this. True or not, unbelievable stupidity on Tauzin's part.

[metoooo]

conservatives oppose corruption in government which this job offer clearly presents...

[Pern]

The theme in DC has been, 'Get elected, line your pockets with special interest cash, and retire from Govt. service with a great paying job from those same special interests.

It's disgusting. Whoever still thinks that politicians actually serve the people's interests is living a lie.

But thankfully, that lie is becoming more exposed every day.

[steve-b]

Tauzin had another $1m+ offer from the music industry.

So, your argument is that all a crooked politician needs to do to immunize himself to criticism is to sell out to two different special interests?

[BlessedByLiberty]

Think PeLousy will ask for an investigation into DasHole's wife and the lucrative airline contracts? Or ask the DasHole's to release their tax records?

No, guess not. Wonder if anyone will ask to see Ms Pelosi to reveal all of the real estate limo and other business interests she and her husband are involved in San Francisco and how that clouds her decision making and how those connections might make her retirement plans more lucrative?

No guess not.

[GeneD]

It wasn't the music industry, it was the movie industry. He had an offer to replace the ignoble Jack Valenti at the MPAA but turned it down because it didn't pay quite enough. This Uriah Heep of a congressman further believes Jack is God's gift to humanity. And let us not forget the ranch business either. Billy Tauzin looks like a used-car salesman, and he has ethics to match.

[Digger]

He got where he got because fools put him in. Don't blame him. Blame the electorate.

[alnick]

Judging by the conclusions being drawn by most on this thread, I must have missed the part in the above article which states that Tauzin has accepted the offer.

[JohnnyZ]

So, your argument is that all a crooked politician needs to do to immunize himself to criticism is to sell out to two different special interests?

Oh gimme a flippin' break! Former elected officials are hired as lobbyists because they are INFLUENTIAL and will help pass future legislation, not as some sort of payoff for past services rendered.

SCENARIO: Politician fights against Kyoto treaty, which we all agree is GOOD WORK. Retires from Congress. Business group hires him to lobby against Kyoto and similar agreements. They're paying him to convince legislators that those type of agreements are a bad deal, which they are. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT???

Nothing's wrong with that, that's what.

The moral superiority of "ew, lobbying is bad, anybody who gets paid to do a job is corrupt" is just sickening liberal tripe.

[JohnnyZ]

If this is BS, then why is it every time a politician decides to 'return to private life' he/she always has a golden parachute to break their fall?

So if Rick Santorum retired and went to work lobbying for national right-to-life, or some other social conservative group, you would consider him corrupt?

[Thoro]

The House's top Democrat, Nancy Pelosi of California, strongly criticized a Republican lawmaker...

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

"Seniors who are wondering why the pharmaceutical companies made out so well in this bill at their expense, need only to look at this example of abuse of power and conflict of interest," Pelosi said at a news conference.

Senior medicare benefits before bill passed were less. Senior benefits after the medicare bill passed were more. How exactly was this at the expense of seniors?

Yes, she may have a point about Tauzin, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. However, I think these two above points also deserve consideration as well.