The K-Street lobbyists did not get any thing out of it. The Government unions didn't get any more members paying dues to push paper, and members of congress didn't have the power to insert favors into regulations in exchange for campaign contributions.
It was a perfectly sensible reform that would have saved people money and controlled costs, but because it did not benefit the Washington power structure, it never had a chance of being accepted.
We need to realize that the politicians we see on TV are just sock puppets who come and go. The real government, the real power, is the permanent DC power structure, who know where all the bodies a buried and who can make or break any politician or media potentate.
It's not Wall Street or Tri Laterals or Build 'a Burgers or whatever conspiracy group you can come up with. Those guys just pay hefty bribes to the permanent establishment.
With trillions of dollars to skim off of every year, the DC establishment calls all the shots. You either play their game, or you go home.
Well, that’s telling it like it is - straight up.