Specter, a Fulcrum of the Stimulus Bill, Pulls Off a Coup for Health Money

[jefferson_dem]

Specter, a Fulcrum of the Stimulus Bill, Pulls Off a Coup for Health Money
By GARDINER HARRIS

WASHINGTON — For years, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania has been the National Institutes of Health’s most ardent champion on Capitol Hill. Having survived two bouts with cancer, open-heart surgery and even a faulty diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease, he has long insisted that research that results in medical cures is the best service that government can provide.

But even lobbyists are stunned by the coup Mr. Specter pulled off this week. In return for providing one of only three Republican votes in the Senate for the Obama administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus package, he was able to secure a 34 percent increase in the health agency’s budget — to $39 billion from $29 billion.

After money intended for highways, schools and states, it is the largest of chunk of financing in the budget and is almost three times the $3.5 billion first approved by the House. Nearly $2 billion is intended for building and equipment projects at the N.I.H. campus in Bethesda, Md., as well as at universities across the country. But most of the money will go to pay for as many as 15,000 additional grants submitted by scientists at universities across the country.

The health institutes currently issue 45,000 such grants at an average cost of $360,000 a year. And although most grants are financed for four to five years, administrators said they would give priority to projects that could be completed in two years.

House Republican leaders argued that the health institutes, flooded with cash, would pay for unworthy projects that would create few jobs. But the institutes finance only about 40 percent of grants deemed meritorious, so advocates say that there is a huge backlog of beaker-ready projects.

How Mr. Specter managed his coup is a story of tough bargaining that began in a legislative backroom and took an important turn at a presidential Super Bowl party.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/health/policy/14specter.html?pagewanted=print

[WeDidIt]

1. If the rabid rightwing put Toomey in through a primary

that will become another Democratic seat.

If it starts looking like Toomey could take him in a primary wihtin the next year, he could jump ship and put a (D) after his name and it'll still be a Democratic seat.

I've been using my long time undercover Freeper name to agitiate for pushing Specter out with Toomey. It's win-win for the Dems.

[jefferson_dem]

4. I heard Hannity pumping up the idea of primary challengers for Specter, Collins, and Snowe.

Of course, Specter is the only one up in 2010. I don't think there's any chance freaky Toomey doesn't get in (and/or a comeback for Santorum). Nor do I see Specter flipping to the Dems. Here's hoping Toomey takes the nomination. Do the Dems have any quality challengers to pick from? Rendell's term is up in 2010, if i'm not mistaken.

Keep on stirring the pot over there in FreeperLand, WeDidIt... :evilgrin:

[ShadowLiberal]

10. Toomey is running for governor in 2010, not for the senate

The GOP will need someone else to unseat him in a primary, and though a lot of the pundits have been saying that Specter can survive a primary battle, I disagree as a PAer, if there's a primary on the democrats side, and Specter is challenged from the right, then Specter is toast.

Also I don't know if rightwingers will care about this 'earmark' all that much, my family is full of a bunch of republicans, and they didn't seem to care too much. Heck some of the people in my family hate Specter, but voted for him in the primary last time anyway because they figured Toomey would lose the GE. The stimulus bill overall though, yeah the republicans here seem to hate it.

[Barack_America]

2. This is why I have a complicated relationship with Specter.

Who is my Senator.

My entire household is funded by NIH dollars. Specter always does right by the NIH. And the NIH is a beautiful thing for "buy American" proponents as well. Because it's federal dollars, they can (and do) set aside a large number of grants and fellowships that are only available to Americans. My training program and fellowship are examples of this. Only permanent residents and US citizens are eligible. The same is true of NIH grants for professors. These grants give academic medical centers HUGE incentives to accept American students and hire American professors.

Specter is also pro-choice, which my other (Democratic) Senator, is not.

So, while I'm hoping that a Dem eventually takes Specter's seat, I'm not exactly crying for his term to end.

Complicated.

[stray cat]

3. Spector has been a tremendous friend to medical researchers and research

In that respect I prefer him to a dem replacement

[Inuca]

5. Kudos to Specter

I know about all his faults, and at times he is beyond infuriating, but in spite of all that I have a soft spot for him. He is tough and smart and seems to have a quirky personality. In any case, good for him, something definitely worth selling your vote for. His comments the other day about other republicans not wanting their fingerprints on the stimulus bill though they actually agree with it were also a nice little stab, and I am sure it was not said om a whim.

[Frustratedlady]

6. This is an interesting article. Thank you!

I guess that Super Bowl party had its uses. The rest of the article shows how this all came down.

I wasn't aware Specter had been diagnosed (erroneously) with ALS. He's sure had his problems.

K&R

[Doremus]

7. Is his support for cancer research a new thing?

From the article:

But for now, he said, future budget discussions for N.I.H. will begin at $40 billion, not $30 billion — more fodder for complaints from House Republicans. And if the Republicans win back control of the Senate, he promised that that number would go considerably higher.

We've only had the majority a couple of years. :shrug:

[stray cat]

8. Spector has actually been a friend to medical research for years

[backscatter712]

9. Cool! I'll give him credit!

Some money for actual cures is a damned good thing.

Remember that the big pharmcos don't want cures. Not enough money in them. Instead, they spend their money on pills engineered to extend the lifespans of cancer patients and other sick people juuuuuust long enough to take every last dime out of their wallets and estates. The insurance companies and hospitals are more than happy to go along with them - after all, they get a piece of us too. That's money!