Money’s the Best Medicine!
with the moustache, called it “an incredible, noholds-barred lobbying effort.” Obie, speaking from It certainly would have been a huge public rela the losing side’s dressing room, told Seven Days it tions headache for the pharmaceutical industry if was “the most intensive lobbying effort” he’s seen in little Vermont had followed Maine’s lead and passed 28 years at the Statehouse. Up against Team a law that threatened to cap the exorbitant prices Pharmaceutical, he said, “Regular Vermonters didn’t Big Pill charges sick Americans for their precious have a chance.” Democrat majority leader, John little tablets. One state standing up to the most Patrick Tracy, could not hold his majority together. profitable industry on Earth is an aberration. Two It wasn’t pretty. states makes it a growing trend. So Big Pill reached The handful of “white hat” lobbyists represent for the checkbook and wrote its own prescription. ing the elderly and consumers, like AARP and the In Washington, Congressman Bernie Sanders Council on Vermont Elders, and the once-potent has led the charge against Big Pill. His bus trips to liberal Democrat leadership got stuffed. Crunched. Montreal with senior citizens have Steam-rolled. (Both on pre made national news. If you com scription drugs and the paid pare prescription drug prices family leave bill). It was like between a Vermont pharmacy and watching Notre Dame against a Canadian pharmacy, you don’t Norwich. A complete mismatch. have to be a police detective to And there’s more. The drug realize there’s a crime in progress. bill died in the House because Money is no object. The phar of the key 12-18 swing votes maceutical industry is, after all, controlled by the moderate awash in the cash of the sick and Democrats, the Blue Dogs. And dying while benefiting from tax when it comes to prescription payer-funded research. The num drugs, a couple of the Blue bers don’t lie. Big Pill is the lead Dogs are very familiar with the ing political campaign contributor subject matter. in America, the cock of the rock. You see, Reps. Michael So it’s not a shock to learn that Flaherty of South Burlington despite the support of Gov. and H ank Gretkowski of Howard B. Dean M.D. and the Burlington are retired sales reps Democrat leadership in both for Big Pill. Mike retired from House and Senate, the pharmaceu Merck and Hank retired from tical bill, which would have threat American Home Products. All ened the pill industry with price that meant, said Flaherty, was regulation, died a brutal and ugly that “We were more knowledge death. able” about the issue. Blue Dog We count no fewer than 18 Mike told Seven Days the high Statehouse hired-gun business lob BY P E T E R F R E Y N E prices charged for prescription byists from six established drugs is a “national issue” that Vermont lobbying firms on the requires a “national solution” — not a Band-Aid payroll of Big Pill this session. Unprecedented! from one little state. Logical, right? T hat’s enough meat and muscle to field two com Against a team like that, you see why grandma plete baseball teams. In living memory, we cannot and grandpa didn’t stand a chance. Big Pill signed recall more business-sector lobbyists ever signing on up almost every single hired-gun lobbyist in the to work the hallways for one special interest before. Statehouse. They’re a talented, seasoned and persist Corporate Greed won this one hands-down, and it’s ent bunch. And you know what? only appropriate to give credit where credit’s due — It worked! to the winning team. "U ' But Big Pill’s victory comes with a warning The envelope, please! attached: “I believe that there is a corrosive influ This year’s Corporate Greed Oscar lor best per ence of money on our political system,” said State formance by a multinational monster in a horror Sen. Cheryl Rivers. “We saw it in Montpelier with movie goes to — Big Pill! Hearty congratulations! the defeat of the drug bill. I think democracy is in Accepting the Oscar on behalf of Big Pill are the trouble.” following Vermonters: Great. W ho’d like a couple aspirins? Show of Andrew MacLean, David Wilson and hands? Christopher Rice, representing the Pharmaceutical Polish Connection — You bet Speaker Researchers and Manufacturers of America, Big Obuchowski attended Sunday’s keynote address at Pill’s national trade association. Mr. MacLean was the Middlebury College graduation given by one of the point man on this one. Nice job, Andrew! his true heroes — Lech Walesa. Obie’s champi Congratulations. oning of the have-nots in this state has earned him Attorney M. Jerome Diamond (former the title “The Lech Walesa of Vermont,” in honor Democrat attorney general) and the Capital of the man who led the famous strike at the Strategies Inc. trio of Susan Auld, Betsy Bishop her Gdansk shipyard and went on to overthrow com daughter, and Will Adams, who toiled on behalf of munism and become Poland’s first democratically Bristol Myers Squibb. elected president. Obie told Seven Days he shook Allison Crowley Demag, daughter of former Lech’s hand four times! State Sen. Tom Crowley, and Jerry Morris of New “One of the finer experiences of my life,” said England Public Affairs Inc., who carried the cause the kid from Vermont’s Polish enclave of Bellows of Pfizer, makers of Viagra, the hot erection-maker Falls. “It was very emotional to think of what the blue pill. man has done,” said Obuchowski, “and to see how John Hollar and Lisa Birmingham for Glaxohumble he is.” Middlebury even served kielbasa and Wellcome. sauerkraut, said Obie. Anthony Otis and Tim othy Meehan, who did LaTulippe O n Tip-Toes? — One of the big ques stellar work on behalf of the chain drug stores and tions remaining in the UVM Hockey Hazing Story the retail pharmacists. Bravo, boys! is whether or not the former freshman tryout goalie The Shouldice Associates team of William will face any consequences for lying under oath to Shouldice III, daughter Shawn Banfield, and the attorney general’s investigators. Corey David Rice, representing the wishes and dreams of LaTulippe and his lawyers blew the whistle on haz Merck. Nice work, gang! ing on the hockey team last fall and have a lawsuit Margaret Laggis, the eyes and ears of pending against UVM President Judith Ramaley, Monsanto, the multi-billion dollar, multinational Coach Mike Gilligan, other administrators and a chemical giant of BST fame that is now into phar bunch of former teammates. maceuticals, too. You’ll recall Mr. Sorrell saying at the press con And last but not least, Col. Ed Miller, who ference, at which he released the report of his inves voiced the viewpoint of the National Wholesale tigation, “W hat happened to Corey LaTulippe was Druggists and Monsanto, too. a crime.” In the weeks after the civil-unions bill passed, Over the weekend we ran into Mr. Sorrell at the the Statehouse emptied out. The daily throngs that Democratic Convention at Memorial Auditorium packed the building all winter vanished. In the vac and asked if he still thinks what happened to uum, the Bill Pill lobbying team stood out like LaTulippe was a crime. muscle-men lifeguards at Bikini Beach. House Speaker Michael Obuchowski, the man
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I n s i d e T r a c k continued on page 20
may 2 4 , 2000
SEVEN
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