Perry's Merck Lie

It turns out the Texas governor was simply lying in this week's GOP debate when he claimed only "$5,000" in contributions from the drug company that made the vaccine he personally ordered to be injected in all teenage girls.

Merck & Co gave Perry $23,500 in direct contributions and much more laundered to his campaign coffers through its $500,000 donated to the Republican Governor's Association that he chaired, Bloomberg reports. (Ponzi scheme?)

While the Perry camp tries to change the subject by taking advantage of Michelle Bachmann's idiotic and unproven claim that the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer causes mental retardation, the real issue remains: Did he circumvent his state legislature and mandate a vaccine because its maker politically supports him and hired his former chief of staff as a lobbyist?

That's the bigger question, given that Perry is the presumed frontrunner and Bachmann is destined to be an asterisk in this race.

Craig blogs daily at craigcrawford.com

 

 

 

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Comments

[rlneub]

05:53 AM on 09/16/2011

How about $55 million. Does that count?

http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/09/nbcs-isakoff-states-merck-superpac-lobbyist-former-perry-chief-of-staff-mike-toomey-plans-to-spend-5.html

[AnimlNitr8]

11:26 PM on 09/15/2011

and the biggest point to be made is that we need to stop "electing" these corporate puppets into office. i think for the next debate that all the candidates should have to wear uniforms that declare their corporate sponsors so we know who we are REALLY "voting" for as they stand up on the stage in their nascar-like uniforms. ron paul will be the only candidate on the stage wearing a suit and tie.

[Bruce Sutka]

08:30 AM on 09/15/2011

The Merck Pharmaceutical Co. is owned by a bible thumping family....what do you expect......honesty?

[JohnFromCensornati]

08:14 AM on 09/15/2011

Not that I'm defending Perry, but they *all* lie and they all take care of their campaign donors. Bachmann should have known the dollar amount if she's going to make the accusation and she should have called him on that lie right then and there.

[USS Constitution]

12:48 PM on 09/15/2011

Ron Paul doesn't lie. His donations come from small donors. He has more donations from active military service people than all the other GOP candidates combined, and the only one who gets more from them than Obama.

But he is definitely the exception on the stage. Perry I would rate as probably the worse.

Right now in the GOP, the big struggle is really with the people vs the big corporations.