2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Why No Scheduled Democratic Party Debates? Are They Afraid of Bernie? [View all]RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)(Perhaps I'm obtuse for taking so long to notice.)
To answer your question: Of course not. The monied interests that oppose Single Payer aren't the only moneyed interests. How about the defense industry, Wall Street, or media conglomerates?
As I said before, until we have publicly funded elections, politicians will continue to pull their punches on issues that could adversely affect their major donors. They fear alienating the people who finance their campaigns. In addition, many worry that they'll lose the cushy job that awaits them once they leave politics. Politicians who shill for particular industries frequently wind up with lucrative jobs in those very industries.
A classic example is former Louisiana Congressman Billy Tauzin, who played a key role in pushing through the Medicare prescription drug bill that was predicted to earn the U.S. pharmaceutical industry up to $200 billion. After leaving Congress, Tauzin became president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Washington lobby representing US drug manufacturers.