Physicians for a National Health Program? If memory serves, former PHNP chair Quentin Green was member of Hilary Clinton's health care task force who referred to process as 'pseudo openness' (or something to that effect). He pointed out that task force's own data indicated only option of nine 'on the table' that had grassroots support of millions of citizens was single-payer, which administration summarily dismissed. So much for Clinton's heralded tailing after public opinion polls.
Re. Nebraska's Kerrey, he works distributive bias of policymaking to his advantage like every other member of Congress who often must be assuaged whenever legislation has redistributive effects. And in Senate, equal representation enhances some states relative to population. By setting price for their vote, senators from less-populated states may, in effect, 'determine' national policy.
For example, Kerrey held up Clinton's 1993 'deficit reduction' package that included slight tax increase on wealthy incomes (putting a bit of progressivity back into marginal tax rates) until he won concession on some agricultural matter (don't remember specifics). Likelihood of facing ideologically grounded opposition in potentially tough 1994 re-election battle had Kerrey withholding support for Clinton's proposal on grounds of insufficient 'spending cuts' in attempt to undercut fiscal conservatives 'back home' *and* leveraging his position in order to gain direct benefits for important constituents. Michael Hoover