Mr. Kindler Goes To Denver: Jeff & The Democrats
7 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // August 19th, 2008 // 9:19 am
As tens of thousands of people file in to Denver next week for the Democratic National Convention, one of the many executives lurking about will be none other than the Pfizer ceo. And while he is not expected to address the crowd at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos football team, Jeff will be busy creating a platform for himself as an influential health care policy expert.
On Monday, for instance, he will participate in one of the Rocky Mountain Roundtable discussions at the Denver Performing Arts Complex to hash out the myriad problems with the nation’s health care system, along with the mayors of Boston and San Francisco, the governor of Colorado, and execs from United Health and the Mayo Clinic, among others. The $12 event is sold out. Sorry.
Kindler, you may recall, is a regular contributor to the Democratic Party, and while he backed Hillary Clinton, he fancies himself as the kind of ceo who can successfully execute important policy goals on a wider playing field. And what better forum to raise your profile than the convention?
Of course, plenty of ceo’s hang out at conventions and advancing Pfizer’s cause before politicians who are likely to influence the company’s fortune is important. And so a Pfizer spokesman sends us this comment: “Pfizer leaders will attend both the Democratic and Republican conventions, to advance the discussion on health care reform with key stakeholders and ensure our company positions on this and other policy priorities are well-represented.”
Still, wouldn’t it be interesting if Jeff impresses the right people with his creds? Let’s see now, which jobs will soon be open? Hmm…. How about FDA commissioner? Then again, let’s not say anything. We wouldn’t him to get a big head.
Been There
Pfizer’s lobbying monies readily buy seats at such tables. Unfortunately for the American public, Pfizer lobbies for its own special interests in the name of health care policy and at the expense of the public’s health.
Hank McKinnell failed miserably as Pfizer CEO. His political aspirations failed as well. Now Jeff Kindler is failing as Pfizer CEO. The Pfizer Board of Directors doesn’t learn its lessons. History is repeating itself right under their noses.
Note to political decision makers: while many at Pfizer work to keep Kindler’s finger prints off of that company’s vast unethical and illegal business practices worldwide, they are too easy to discover.
Roy M. Poses MD
And what qualifies Mr Kindler as a health policy expert? Before his Pfizer gig, he was general counsel for McDonalds. (See our post on Health Care Renewal here: http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2006/07/pfizer-brings-life-to-my-if-youve-run.html ). I am unaware he has any formal training in health care or health policy, or any experience in health care or health policy. This seems to be another version of the “imperial CEO” fallacy, that anyone who becomes CEO must therefore be an expert in everything.
AnonymouslyXPFE
Ditto Dr. Poses.
Justice in Michigan
It does not strike me as inappropriate that a Pfizer CEO would have a seat at the table in such a context, whatever else is or isn’t on his CV.
My questions are:
1. What does a seat get you?
2. How big is the table?
3. Whether _either_ Senator Change or Senator StraightTalk will be able to see the forest for the trees - especially the money trees - on these issues?
(I am not sanguine about #3)
Doc
I think he should stay in Manahattan and turn his company around - isn’t that a CEO’s job 1?
Justice in Michigan
Hear ya, Doc. I have a feeling he thinks he can help turn things around by the right shmoozing in Denver.
petros
Remember Donald Rumsfeld used to be CEO of GD Searle