Tom Carper (D) Admitted PhRMA And The White House Had a Laws-for-Ads Deal?

Tom Carper (D) seemed to admitted that the White House and PhRMA had some sort of secret laws-for-ads deal by virtue of him being upset that that PhRMA wants the terms changed. If this is as it seems, it would be along the same line of the NEA controversy in terms of illegality (Berman Post: Obama Administration Politicizing The National Endowment For The Arts?, Berman Post: Breitbart And Courrielche Talk About The NEA/Obama Connection on Hannity, and Berman Post: Obama Administration Enacting Policy Changes to Make Sure 'NEA Call' Never Happens Again).

Video embedded below.



http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NThiYjA3ODNiN2MwOTJkMTFjYzQ1MjJmYjcyMmIwNGQ=

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While discussing an amendment to have drug companies pay more to the government as part of the health care reform bill, Senator Tom Carper, D-Del., said:

I'll tell you — if someone negotiated a deal with me and I agreed to put up say, 80 dollars or 80 million dollars or 80 billion dollars and then you came back and said to me a couple of weeks later — no no, I know you agreed to do 80 billion and I know you were willing to help support through an advertising campaign this particular — not even this particular bill, just the idea of generic health care reform? No, we're going to double — we're going to double what you agreed in those negotiations to do. That's not the way — that's not what I consider treating people the way I'd want to be treated.

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Carper wants to keep the cost to drug companies at $80 billion; apparently, he thinks a secret deal is a deal, while the FDL folks think Congress shouldn't be held to any limitations in a deal that was negotiated in secret with just a few members and/or the Obama administration.

Could we spare a little outrage for the fact that the White House and perhaps members of Congress apparently negotiated a deal on legislation in exchange for running millions of dollars in ads? How is this not bribery and a violation of campaign finance laws?"

More at http://hotair.com/archives/2009/09/23/did-the-white-house-cut-a-deal-with-drugmakers-for-an-ad-campaign and http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/23/carper-public-defends-secret-phrma-deal-in-exchange-for-support-ads.