8-5-09

--8-5-09—Back in 1932, the future Illinois Senator Paul Douglas advised progressives not to expect too much from the Democratic Party. It was, he wrote, “maintained by the business interests” as a kind of “lifeboat.” Whenever the GOP ship sprung a leak—whenever Republicans were no longer willing or able to do business’ bidding—the interests simply piled into the other party and made their escape.—Thomas Frank, WSJ A11

--Newly unveiled court documents show that ghostwriters paid by pharmaceutical companies played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement in women, suggesting that the level of hidden industry influence on medical literature is broader than previously noted.—NYT A1

--A trade group representing coal producers and power companies says that it directly hired a lobbying firm that sent fake letters to lawmakers purporting to be from nonprofit groups [e.g., NAACP, Creciendo Juntos] opposed to climate change legislation.—NYT A12