UPDATE: Viagra-gate takes on a, um, life of its own
Who knew a Republican primary race for governor would be so hard-fought?
First, Treasurer Sarah Steelman makes the allegation that U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof is a supporter of wasteful spending because he voted for a bill that would allow Medicare to fund Viagra pills for senior citizens that have a little hitch in their giddy-up.
Steelman was so firmly convinced this was a campaign winner that she mentioned it three times in last Friday’s Lake Ozark debate. But today the Hulshof camp planted its own flag on the Viagra issue, pointing out that Steelman, too, once voted for the little blue pills, and hers went to, gasp, sex offenders.
“Sarah Steelman made a point of suggesting, several times, that voting in favor of Viagra coverage calls one’s courage into question,” said Scott Baker, communications director for Hulshof for Governor. “What does she say when it is revealed that she voted to give Viagra to registered sex offenders?”
State government covered the cost of Viagra for some sex offenders in 2004. Steelman cast a favorable vote for the Medicaid budget, including the Viagra coverage, in May of 2004.
Based on the worldwide sales of the popular Pfizer drug, one has to wonder if the candidates would be better off courting those who use the drug, rather than running from it?
Perhaps that was the spirit behind the announcement this afternoon of the endorsement of Steelman by World War II veteran Wallace Fiedler. Fiedler could not be reached for comment on whether he has a position on the Viagra debate.
UPDATE: Steelman spokesman Spence Jackson responds by saying that the two votes are “very different things.”
He said that Steelman’s vote isn’t the same thing as Hulshof’s because the state coverage of Viagra was mandated by the federal government.
“This is another case of Washington ramming something down our throats,” Jackson said.
“This is another case of Washington ramming something down our throats.”
Fantastic choice of words! Thank you for that, Sarah.
This reminds of the old joke when Richard Nixon was President. It involved the film Deep Throat, his having seen it several times, to make certain he got it down Pat.
Why are we giving Viagra to sex offenders?
And her name is Steelman. This has the potential for so many more bad jokes….
Wow Tony, you have reached an all time low in my book. She votes for a medicaid bill with federal mandates in it, and you still manage to twist it so it looks bad. Viagra was on that bill because of D.C. Are you ever going to be a real reporter?
This vote was to benefit Pfizer, not little old men with a hitch in their “giddy-up”. You can’t get any more Republican than helping the pharmacueticals.
“Hard fought” … “ramming something down our throats” … “planted its own flag” …
So many double entendres and such embarrassing nonsense from both Steelman and Hulshof. The GOP is really pulling a boner on this issue.
Yeah Garrison those hated drug companies that develop medicines to allow people to live longer and overcome a laundry list of diseases. I sure hate them.
The problem with the pharmaceutical companies is that they have become so focused on life-style drugs like viagra because these are the “money-makers”.
Of course PHARMA trots out immediately to say that these subsidize the other drugs such as flu vaccines and other catastrohpic disease drugs.
Given the money orientation of the drug companies now, I doubt seriously if Salk and Sabin would have been able to come up with their polio vaccines. They probably would have had to work on an acid reflux medicine.
Still, we need to forward the Steelman-Hulshof Viagra story as written to Jay Leno.
Looney…I didn’t know 4 hour erections made you live longer?
Unnecessary prescription drugs are the fastest growing part of this nations health care bill. Pharmaceuticals spend more on marketing than research. Many drugs have a 1000% mark-up price. The deadly Vioxx drug continued to be prescribed by doctors who had a vested interests even after the recall….Addictive Prilosec made Merck $5 billion in 2004. AstaZenaca paid $280 million in civil penalities and $63 million in criminal penalities to the federal government after the company paid kickbacks to doctors and coached hospitals how to cheat Medicare…
The pharmaceutical lobby gave the Republican National Committee (Pacs) over $14 million to congressional candidates just in 2006. More than twice the amount they gave Democrats….I wonder why? Ask Hulshof.
You mean those “hated” drug companies Looney?
Wow….. on the same day that Jay Nixon is sandbagging in Hannibal the Republican candidates are arguing over Viagra. Do Steelman & Hulshof honestly think that’s how to best serve the people of Missouri?!?! Unbelievable…..
demgal, you can bet your last dollar that Nixon didn’t spend more than a little while sandbagging.
Garrison, How about the numerous drugs developed to fight cancer, high blood pressure, AIDS, or to provide you your estrogen replacement. Those don’t count, huh?