U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake was grateful for the TV campaign ads praising her support for the new and much-criticized federal prescription drug program for seniors.
Her campaign manager thanked the national chamber of commerce for airing them on her behalf over the last few weeks.
It turns out the pharmaceutical industry actually paid to air the ads as part of a nationwide $10 million covert campaign to help some GOP incumbents, according to The Associated Press, citing unnamed political officials.
Thelma likes Drug Companies (VA Breeze - 8/27/2006 11:56:17 PM)
I guess the campaign contributions were not enough. Murtaugh said these ads were ok but Kellam should have denounced Moveon.org. Well, the moveon.org people are not in line to make millions on the new Medicare Drug plan.
The Secret Chamber is known to break campaign laws (mosquitopest - 8/28/2006 2:55:49 AM)
The US Chamber of Commerce has been dubbed the Secret Chamber and is being prosecuted in Washington State (or maybe it's Oregon?) for breaking campaign laws. They claimed they were running an issues advocacy campaign and the court determined that they were advocating a particular candidate and so the court trial has been allowed to proceed.
If the US Chamber of Commerce is involved and wanting to avoid the issue that Big Pharmaceutical Companies paid for the air time I wonder if they've violated another law?
This just proves that Drake is an even BIGGER Sell Out than the MoveOn.Org ads were claiming. Thelma is OWNED by Pharmaceutical comapanies....
If you plan to get old....and may need some prescription drugs in the future you DON"T want to vote for Drake.
Virginian-Pilot (David Campbell - 8/28/2006 2:42:36 PM)
The Daily Press is doing some good reporting on this issue. Unfortunately, the Virginian-Pilot (the newspaper read by most of the voters in Drake's 2nd district) hasn't. I have forwarded this article to them. Hopefully, they will run it too.