Democrat Betsy Rader’s new TV ad takes on “Big Pharma” while slamming her opponent for “taking their money.”
Problem is, so does she.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which publishes financial data on all politicians at OpenSecrets.org, Rader has accepted $13,470 from the Pharmaceutical Industry thus far in her campaign to supplant incumbent U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH-14).
In fact, Rader accepted a check for $5,400 from one of the biggest pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, which ranks as the ninth largest drug maker in the world, according to a 2018 ranking by ProClinical.com.
Yet, in her TV ad Rader promotes herself as someone who will “take on Big Pharma” while chastising Joyce with the statement “He just takes their money and gives them a big tax cut.”
Watch the ad below:
No one should have to decide between their medications & putting food on the table. That's why I'll fight to take on the pharmaceutical industry & lower the cost of prescription drugs when I'm in Congress. #OH14
Share our new ad & sign up to join us ➡️ https://t.co/tHJ4XkSETz pic.twitter.com/IAdqRyDGCl
— Betsy Rader (@BetsyRaderOH) September 18, 2018
“I worked in Medicare and Medicaid, I know how drug companies operate,” Rader, an attorney, says in the ad while sitting around a table with senior citizens nodding their heads in agreement. “They’ll keep raising prices unless Congress takes action. And Dave Joyce, he’s not going to do anything. I want to take on Big Pharma, bring down drug prices and make healthcare affordable for everyone.”
Besides taking more than $13,000 from big drug companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Rader has also accepted a major contribution from the Cleveland Clinic, which is in the pharmacy business as well as being a health-care provider. Rader served several years as senior counsel for Cleveland Clinic.
According to Open Secrets, Rader accepted a $12,260 political donation from Cleveland Clinic, a major player in the northeast Ohio drug market. Cleveland Clinic even admits on its website that it is in the business of selling drugs for a profit, not as a break-even scenario.
“The pharmacies continue to grow in size and output every year filling nearly 400,000 prescriptions. They consistently produce a positive financial contribution …,” according to Cleveland Clinic’s website.
Yet, Betsy Rader, like so many of the Democrats running in the 2018 midterms, falsely advertises herself as being unstained by campaign contributions while at the same time accusing her Republican opponent of being sullied by money.
Anthony Accardi is a writer and reporter for The Ohio Star.
