On Wednesday of this week, former Democratic National Committee chairman and presidential candidate Howard Dean spoke at a health care townhall hosted by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA). When asked by a Moran constituent why medical malpractice reform was not included in Obamacare, Dean demonstrated some admirable candor. Watch:
Dean tells the audience:
This is the answer from a doctor and a politician. Here’s why tort reform is not in the bill. When you go to pass a really enormous bill like that, the more stuff you put in it, the more enemies you make, right? And the reason that tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers in addition to everyone else they were taking on. And that is the plain and simple truth.
David Freddoso and Kevin Mooney documented the left’s dependence on trial lawyers earlier this month:
An Examiner analysis of the 15 firms on the National Law Journal’s “2008 Plaintiff’s Hot List” shows that for 2009, their employees have contributed $636,305 to federal politicians and PACs. Only $4,875 of that amount has gone to Republicans, meaning that the nation’s top trial lawyers are giving more than 99 percent Democratic this year. The PAC for the American Association of Justice, the top trial lawyer lobbying group, has been marginally more balanced, giving Democrats a mere 96 percent of its $627,000 in contributions.
