Bachmann Getting Desperate

[Dr. Shane]

Bachmann attacked Perry in the debate over Perry's use of an executive order to make girls in Texas get vaccinated against cervical cancer. After Perry handled the issue the issue like a pro Bachmann accused him of do it to pad the wallets of his buddies. Perry responded by saying that pharmaceutical company had donated $5,000 to his campaign and he had raised $30 million and that if she was insinuating that he could be bought for a mere $5,000 that he was insulted.

Perry allowed for parents to opt out of the vaccination program and really, the vaccine saves lives. The whole debate is regarding the procedure and Perry has acknowledged that he did not handle it correctly. Bachmann's low blow shows how desperate she is getting.

[bonnie]

Perry allowed for parents to opt out of the vaccination program and really, the vaccine saves lives. The whole debate is regarding the procedure and Perry has acknowledged that he did not handle it correctly. Bachmann's low blow shows how desperate she is getting.

Generally all candidates are reminded and called to account for past decisions in a election year. What makes it such a low blow on the part of Michelle Bachmann. Perry hasn't been provided a pass on his former positions and actions has he?

I have not followed Perry in the past that closely but shouldn't he have to answer for positions he has formely held?

[bonnie]

DOTTIE

yes I think all politicians running for president

should have to answer for what positions they held

dgrimm60

The biggest concern over this is Perry did this by executive order.That is not what executive order is to be used for

[lazarus]

The more I see of Perry, the more I like him.

[Dr. Shane]

What makes it such a low blow on the part of Michelle Bachmann?

What makes it a low blow is that she implied that Governor Perry issued the executive order as a result of a campaign donation.

[Gordon1]

Governor Perry has many hallmarks of the final U.S. President. Rubbing shoulders with the Bilderbergers in advance is almost a guarantee of appointment (Stephen Harper, Tony Blair, et al). His frank "take no prisoners" (exeute them) attitude fits well with the mark of the beast. It's amazing that signs of Christ's return are coming so fast.

On the Vaccine front, there could be a problem for many young girls if the following reports are true:-

Gardasil vaccine contaminated with HPV DNA:

http://sanevax.org/gardasil-vaccine-found-to-be-contaminated/

[bonnie]

Originally Posted By: bonnie

What makes it such a low blow on the part of Michelle Bachmann?

What makes it a low blow is that she implied that Governor Perry issued the executive order as a result of a campaign donation.

There is enough written on this to know that cronyism is not a new idea on Perry's actions concerning this.Nor was the idea broached by Bachmann

I don't know whether he did or not. Unless you in Perry's inner circle I am prety sure you don't either.

[Dr. Shane]

Cronyism is all throughout politics. Bachmann was insinuating quid pro quo which is well beyond simple cronyism. I find it very hard to believe there was any quid pro quo. Bachmann is grasping at straws.

[bonnie]

Cronyism is all throughout politics. Bachmann was insinuating quid pro quo which is well beyond simple cronyism. I find it very hard to believe there was any quid pro quo. Bachmann is grasping at straws.

Using executive order to pass this and the following might lead people to believe in both quid pro quo and cronyism.

Perry Has Closer Ties to Merck Than He Admitted

GOP frontrunner downplayed connection to the HPV vaccine maker, but the numbers reveal otherwise.

By Greg Howard | Posted Tuesday, Sep. 13, 2011, at 4:38 PM EDT

20 Rick Perry scoffed Monday when Michele Bachmann accused him of issuing a statewide mandate for schoolgirls to be given a new HPV vaccine in order to fill the coffers of Merck – but in doing so he appears to have significantly downplayed his ties to the drug giant.

“It was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” the Texas governor said during the GOP debate. “I raised about $30 million. And if you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.”

But after running the numbers, the Washington Post reports that Perry’s financial ties to the drug company total much more than the $5,000 that the GOP frontrunner cited.

Perry’s gubernatorial campaign has received nearly $30,000 from the drug giant since 2000, and most of it prior to his 2007 executive order mandating the vaccine, the Post reports, citing figures from the Center for Responsive Politics. Merck has also given more than $355,000 in donations to the Republican Governors Association since 2006, the year that Perry assumed a prominent role in the group. Perry served as the chairman of the RGA in 2008 and again this year leading up to his presidential bid.

The ties between Perry and Merck run deeper still, according to the report. Mike Toomey, Perry’s former chief of staff, was working as an Austin-based lobbyist for Merck at the time Perry bypassed the Texas state legislature and issued his executive order. Today, Toomey is one of the founders of the pro-Perry PAC Make Us Great Again, which can accept unlimited donations and plans to raise upwards of $55 million dollars to help Perry win the GOP nomination.

[Dr. Shane]

The idea being put forth is that Perry did this "just for the money." Let's remember what the issue is. We are talking about a vaccine. There is a whole list of mandatory vaccines the state requires in order to enroll children in school. This was adding one more vaccine to the list. Moreover, this vaccine was not mandatory as it allowed parents to opt out.

Perry used the executive order because he knew that many on the radical religious right would object because the virus is spread through sexual contact. But here is the thing to remember. Boys with the virus often do not have symptoms. So a boy can get the virus and give it to his virgin bride on their wedding night. Perry was looking out for women's health.

What he did was a good thing - the way he did it was questionable. Bachmann is making an issue out of it because she is desperate. Perry has taken the wind out of her sails. He is taking all the money from her base. Soon she is going to have to pull out of the race because she won't have any money.

[Guest]

Maybe, but anything can still happen. This thing has only begun.

[Guest]

I don't know whether he did or not. Unless you in Perry's inner circle I am prety sure you don't either.

Is it true Shane? Are you really part of Perry's inner circle?

[Dr. Shane]

I am a Texan. Does that make me part of his inner circle?

[Neil D]

Quote:

“It was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” the Texas governor said during the GOP debate. “I raised about $30 million. And if you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.”

Hmmmmm......does this mean that Perry can be bought....? And $5000 just ain't enough to be bought?

But $30 million is an acceptable price? Just a thought....

[Dr. Shane]

No, I don't think that is what he was saying. His average contribution was $3,000 so the $5,000 wasn't that excessive.

Donating money to a politician will often get a person or company the ear of the politician. If I can get lunch with a congressman, governor or senator, that gives me a chance to pitch my idea to that person. The politician isn't going to do what I want because I donate to the campaign. I simply get the person's ear. That is what happened here. The pharmaceutical company got the governor's ear, made a convincing case and the governor took action. I do not believe there was any quip pro quo.

[Neil D]

Interesting....Perry can be bought but it's considered an oppertunity to hear an idea....But if a dem does it, it's considered a bribe....

Shane, you willing to consider that money into the coffers of Dems are also oppertunities for elected officials to hear ideas?

And the rest of the hoard, what are your thoughts on this political fund raising? Bribes or oppertunities to be bought?

[Dr. Shane]

Shane, you willing to consider that money into the coffers of Dems are also opportunities for elected officials to hear ideas?

[bonnie]

Interesting....Perry can be bought but it's considered an oppertunity to hear an idea....But if a dem does it, it's considered a bribe....

Shane, you willing to consider that money into the coffers of Dems are also oppertunities for elected officials to hear ideas?

And the rest of the hoard, what are your thoughts on this political fund raising? Bribes or oppertunities to be bought?

Both I am sure.For both sides as well. However this happens to be a republican.

If Perry had been a little more accurate in his information and did not have the "executive order" involved there might not be as much question.

This was not a contagious disease that the state had to be protected from.

[bonnie]

Perry’s Merck Donations Greater Than Acknowledged During Debate

QBy Alison Fitzgerald - Sep 13, 2011 4:41 PM CT .

Texas Governor Rick Perry received at least $23,500 in campaign contributions from drug-maker Merck & Co., including $5,000 in 2006, the year before he ordered girls throughout the state to take a new Merck vaccine.

The total is greater than the $5,000 that Perry, seeking the Republican presidential nomination, acknowledged receiving from the company during a debate last night in Florida.

The drug-maker also has donated about $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association, a group which Perry chaired twice and has been among his most generous campaign donors.

In addition, Perry’s ties to the company have come under scrutiny because he issued the vaccination mandate at a time when his former chief of staff was working for the Texas Lobby Group, which was retained by Merck.

One of Perry’s rivals for the presidential nomination, Representative Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican, accused the governor during a debate yesterday of issuing the executive order to help a political donor that also employed a former senior aide as a lobbyist.

“The question is, is it about life or was it about millions of dollars, and potentially billions, for a drug company?” Bachmann asked during the debate in Tampa sponsored by CNN and Tea Party activists.

“If you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended,” Perry responded.

The Vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine Gardasil in June 2006. The following year, Perry issued an executive order that Texas girls be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) by age 12, and that Gardasil was the only such drug on the market. Perry said his goal was saving lives by reducing cases of cervical cancer and other diseases.

The Texas governor has been one of the most successful fund-raisers, bringing in more than $100 million during his decade in Austin and boosting the influence of the governors’ association while in the leadership of that group.

Perry’s spokesman Mark Miner did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment about the Merck contributions today.

Pam Eisele, a Merck spokeswoman, said the firm “is strongly committed to decreasing the number of males and females impacted by HPV related diseases.”

In 2007, Eisele said, the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey- based company’s lobbying became a distraction in several states, including Texas. “So, in an effort to get the focus back to this important issue, Merck suspended its lobbying efforts on state school requirements,” she said.

Merck Donations

Perry’s own Merck donations date back to 2004, according to campaign finance disclosures compiled by the Helena, Montana- based National Institute on Money in State Politics.

The company donated about $500,000 to the RGA since 2003, according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, including annual checks for $50,000 from 2005 through this year. Perry served as RGA vice chairman in 2007 and chairman in 2008 and for several months of this year.

In addition, Mike Toomey, a former Texas state House member who served as Perry’s chief of staff, became a lobbyist for the firm after leaving the governor’s office.

Toomey also is a founder of the pro-Perry Super PAC, Make Us Great Again, which is raising money to help get the Texas governor elected to the White House. Toomey did not respond to a telephone message today seeking comment.

“This is a shameful example of Rick Perry putting the profits of his special interest friends over the health of young women,” said Ty Matsdorf, a spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century, a pro-Democrat opposition research group.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alison Fitzgerald in Washington at afitzgerald2@bloomberg.net