Posted on 09/13/2011 1:18:56 PM PDT by Rational Thought
Texas Gov. Rick Perry bristled at accusations during Monday’s GOP debate that he had done the bidding of a corporate donor by ordering schoolgirls to use a new vaccine.
“The company was Merck, and it was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” Perry said. “I raised about $30 million.
(snip)
But campaign disclosure records portray a much deeper financial connection with Merck than Perry’s remarks would suggest.
Perry’s gubernatorial campaign, for example, received nearly $30,000 from the drugmaker since 2000, most of it prior to his decision in 2007 to order young girls to obtain Merck’s vaccine against the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Merck has also given more than $355,000 in donations to the Republican Governors Association since 2006, which was the year that Perry began to play a prominent role in the Washington-based group, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
Perry served as chairman of the RGA in 2008 and again this year until he decided to run for president. The group also ranks among Perry’s biggest donors, giving the Texas governor’s campaign at least $4 million over the past five years, according to Texans for Public Justice.
(snip)
One of Perry’s closest confidantes, former chief of staff Mike Toomey, was working at the time as an Austin-based lobbyist for Merck, which was in the midst of a multimillion-dollar campaign to persuade states to make the vaccine mandatory.
Toomey, who has declined to respond to requests for comment, has since gone on to help found Make Us Great Again, a pro-Perry super PAC that can accept unlimited donations from corporations and wealthy donors. Media reports indicate that the group plans to raise as much as $55 million to help Perry win the GOP nomination
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
This is a real hot-button issue with me (having to have the flu vaccine every year against my will or lose my job). If you say you are a conservative and you believe in Freedom, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, how does that wash with forcing children to be vaccinated for something that they have very low risk of contracting? HOw does this square up with State imposition on parental authority? HPV is an STD - promiscuous people should be able to voluntarily have this vaccine, but never ever ever should parents be forced to make their children be vaccinated — is this a big problem in Texas with promiscuous grade schoolers? If so, Gardasil is the least of their worries.
No one seems to care at all about the impact of such cavalier policies - TSA can grope your 2 year old, and Grannies can be forced to remove their diaper. Gov. Perry acting like the emperor of Texas is disgusting. Obviously the donations and his actions are linked - this was not in the public interest - he should be ashamed, but he’s not.
This didn’t take long but Perry’s bubble is already popping. Polls showing Romney gaining fast now. Perry has a terrible record with media on left and right reporting it. The other candidates put it out in the open in the debate last night. Now even Rush is going after him. He will be back down to his original 10% by months end.
Perry supporters.
It appears that they cross many political lines from conservative to liberal. If Perry can’t handle a little flack then he or them won’t have to worry about being the nominee, imo.
Enjoy 4 more years of Obama.
LOL - zing!
“Perry supporters.”
Love it ... thanks for the laugh.
What polls? Link please. Btw, do you want Romney as the gop nominee?
ppfffftttt....
My HMO asked me if I got a flu shot. I told them no. The one time I took the shot I got sick with the flu.
I don’t get flu shots. she said that happens to some people.
and that was it.
Perry took the most criticism and had the most attacks against him last night. Imo, Perry handled it very well. My guess is, Perry will get better in these debates. Truth is, debates don't choose the nominee.
Btw, Romney, Huntsman, Bachmann and Santorum crossed the desperation spectrum last night. LOL
The Gardasil incident is only a negative in the primaries...in the general election it’s a plus, since Gardasil is a very popular vaccine nationwide.
“I think it’s funny how you supporters of other candidates (mostly Palin) seem to think that if you run down Perry enough the Perry supporters will suddenly believe your candidate is worth our time.”
Interesting you should say this, as your Freeper “About” page in large part denigrates Palin. I get a chuckle every now and then reading about some of the other candidates, but I spend very little of my time running them down. I think this is because I am behind someone who inspires me, doesn’t back down, has a record of integrity, and as a bonus, she is just plain fun to support. I love the sound of “Not For Sale,” and I can actually believe it coming from her mouth. If your candidate doesn’t inspire you in this way, maybe you should find a new one.
He got money from the Republican Governor’s association, which is obviously evil.
And the Republican Governor’s association got lots of money from drug companies.
See, it’s a “connection”. I just hope no other governor ever got money from the Republican Governor’s Association. That would be horrible.
BTW, I still contend that it looks worse if you get a big donation right AFTER you do something for a donor. Others think the payoff comes first, but if I were trying to pay off a politicians, I’d insist on performance before I gave money. Or at least I’d split it before-and-after.
It’s not like I could renege on the bargain if he did what I wanted, or else I’d never be able to bribe anybody again.
$30,000 compared to $30 million is 1/10 of 1%. Not exactly a game changer.
By the way, companies like Merck usually give to both sides. How much to the opposition receive?
Good find! We know the trial lawyers hate Perry.
Good find! We know the trial lawyers hate Perry.
“The company was Merck, and it was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” Perry said. “I raised about $30 million. And if you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.”
“We have established what you are—we are simply haggling about the price.”
Open mouth, insert foot.
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