Another Obama Paid Shill: Jonathan Gruber, The Cadillac Tax & His “Sole Source” Contract With HHS

by Melissa Clouthier | January 8, 2010 5:15 pm

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See that guy on the left? Yeah, he’s the Obama Shill you’ve never heard of until just now. But he’s the one writing Op-Eds in the Washington Post like he’s independent. But no. He’s being paid by President Barack Obama.

More corruption from the new administration of transparency and Savior-like perfection. Jonathan Gruber writes an op-ed for the Washington Post and he’s really an Obama shill[2]. The WaPo presents his editorial unquestioned and without disclosure. Gruber wrote as though he was writing as a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But here we find thatJonathan Gruber is actually a White House consultant who was awarded a “sole source” contract[3] and paid $300,000 for his trouble.:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), intends to negotiate with Jonathan Gruber, Ph.D. on a sole sources basis for technical assistance in evaluating options for national healthcare reform. The basis for restricting competition is the authority of 41 USC 253(c)(1) 106-1(b) because there is only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy DHHS requirements. The anticipated contract period will be eight months.

ASPE requires a technical memorandum on the estimated changes in health insurance coverage and associated costs and impacts to the government under alternative specifications of health system reform. The requirement includes developing estimates of various health reform proposals on health insurance coverage and cost. The alternative specifications to be considered will be derived from the President’s health reform proposal. This project is a continuation of work that Dr. Gruber is currnetly providing for ASPE.

Now, this is the guy recommending the Cadillac Tax for you and me and has a sweet deal with the government. Via the Politico[4]:

“[D]on’t you think it’s rather, um, dubious that the guy evaluating the heath care reform—for $300,000—is also the package’s single biggest champion? And no one has been transparent about this contract?” writes Firedoglake blogger Marcy Wheeler of the contract, which was first mentioned on DailyKos.

Yes, this is troubling and more evidence of the corruption coming from President Barack Obama. He’ll get this health care passed if he has to lie, coerce and present “experts” as independent, when they’re actually working for him. And paid handsomely with your tax dollars, too.