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The Spectacle Blog

Big Pharma: The Dems' Best Friend

By Doug Bandow on 3.18.10 @ 1:34PM

If ObamaCare passes, it will be in no small degree due to the major drugmakers, who have done everything they can to force more Americans to buy more prescriptions. PhRMA, the pharmaceutical trade association, continues to pour money into the political battle on behalf of nationalizing American health care.

Reports Tim Carney for the Washington Examiner:

As they whip for the health care bill, Democratic leaders pack a mean one-two punch of populist rhetoric and the hefty financial backing of the drug industry.

In the heated yearlong health fight, President Obama has often accused his opponents of willful misrepresentation, even as he and his allies have endlessly repeated the biggest whopper of all - that the bill would rein in the special interests.

The Obama team regularly dismisses opponents as industry lackeys. The Democratic National Committee blasted out e-mails this week warning that "for every member of Congress, there are eight anti-reform lobbyists swarming Capitol Hill" and "Congress is under attack from insurance lobbyists."

But drug industry lobbyists, according to Politico, spent the weekend "huddled with Democratic staffers" who needed the drug lobby to "sign off" on proposals before moving ahead. Meanwhile, we learn that the drug lobby is buying millions of dollars of ads in 43 districts where a Democratic candidate stands to suffer for supporting the bill. The doctors' lobby and the hospitals' lobby are also on board with the Senate bill.

If the GOP retakes control of Congress, it should remember how the drugmakers worked so hard to pass ObamaCare. Obviously, it isn't the first time that an industry lobby has pushed to sacrifice the public interest for its own gain. But it is rare to see such a turnaround on the part of one industry from one political battle (having opposed ClintonCare) to the next.

View all comments (8) | Leave a comment

Ken (Old Texican)| 3.18.10 @ 2:14PM

Hmmmmm.
Big Pharma? Where are their parking lots?
Death Panels? Where will their parking lots be?
Senators and reps? Where will they go for drinks or an evening out with their spouses?

Ned| 3.18.10 @ 2:37PM

Republicans should introduce a bill banning direct television advertising of drugs and providing for unlimited reimportation. These things will ultimately happen anyway as means to control costs.

blupheonix| 3.18.10 @ 7:06PM

Lets not be stupid here....
BOTH parties have members bought and paid for....

Pete| 3.18.10 @ 7:49PM

Only one party I can think of employs the strategy of bashing unpopular industries publicly while sleeping with them privately.

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