13 Democrats swap with 13 Republicans to block amendment allowing medicine imports from Canada - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Bernie Sanders introduced a very simple symbolic amendment Wednesday night, urging the federal government to allow Americans to purchase pharmaceutical drugs from Canada, where they are considerably cheaper. Such unrestricted drug importation is currently prohibited by law. The policy has widespread support among Americans: one Kaiser poll taken in 2015 found that 72 percent of Americans are in favor of allowing for importation. President-elect Donald Trump also campaigned on a promise to allow for importation. The Senate voted down the amendment 52-46, with two senators not voting. Unusually, the vote was not purely along party lines: 13 Republicans joined Sanders and a majority of Democrats in supporting the amendment, while 13 Democrats and a majority of Republicans opposed it.[/QUOTE] [URL]https://theintercept.com/2017/01/12/cory-booker-joins-senate-republicans-to-kill-measure-to-import-cheaper-medicine-from-canada/[/URL] Primary sources about the amendment can be found on the US Congress website [URL="https://www.congress.gov/amendment/115th-congress/senate-amendment/178"]here[/URL].

Interested to see where the money fell in this one. I can only assume the drug lobby ran a pretty large round of last-minute funding.

Republicans show their support for big government yet again.

Can't let the peasants import cheap generics can we?

[QUOTE=El Periodista;51673018]Interested to see where the money fell in this one. I can only assume the drug lobby ran a pretty large round of last-minute funding.[/QUOTE] One of the top Senate democrats who voted against the amendment, Cory Booker, has a history of being funded by the U.S. Pharmaceutical industry.

strangely enough, ted cruz supported this amendment

It's good to see people have opened their eyes and realised corruption isn't limited to Republicans.

[quote]In a statement to the media after the vote, Booker’s office said he supports the importation of prescription drugs but that “any plan to allow the importation of prescription medications should also include consumer protections that ensure foreign drugs meet American safety standards. I opposed an amendment put forward last night that didn’t meet this test.” This argument is the same one offered by the pharmaceutical industry. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which lobbies against importation, maintains that it opposes importation because “foreign governments will not ensure that prescription drugs entering the U.S. from abroad are safe and effective.” The safety excuse has long been a refuge for policymakers who don’t want to assist Americans struggling with prescription drug costs. Bills to legalize importation passed in 2000 and 2007, but expired after the Clinton and Bush administrations refused to certify that it would be safe. The Obama administration also cited safety concerns when opposing an importation measure in the Affordable Care Act.[/quote] This is concern trolling.

[QUOTE=ROFLBURGER;51673045]This is concern trolling.[/QUOTE] I really like the implication that canada has [i]worse[/i] safety regulations than america, when the opposite is demonstrably true

I was worried about this, there are republicans who would vote along democrat lines, but I didn't think democrats would vote along republican lines. What the fuck do these people see in Trump.

[QUOTE=download;51673044]It's good to see people have opened their eyes and realised corruption isn't limited to Republicans.[/QUOTE] Corruption is inherent to power. That's not new.

Snip

[QUOTE=Megadave;51673062]I was worried about this, there are republicans who would vote along democrat lines, but I didn't think democrats would vote along republican lines. What the fuck do these people see in Trump.[/QUOTE] They don't see anything in Trump. They only see the money going into their pockets from pharmaceutical lobbyists.

[QUOTE=Megadave;51673062]I was worried about this, there are republicans who would vote along democrat lines, but I didn't think democrats would vote along republican lines. What the fuck do these people see in Trump.[/QUOTE] trump has literally nothing to do with this

[QUOTE=download;51673044]It's good to see people have opened their eyes and realised corruption isn't limited to Republicans.[/QUOTE] Even prior to the way they handled the 2016 presidential election you'd be hard-pressed to find people (on FP at least) that thought the Democrats were perfect public servants. Its just that typically however bad the Democrats are, Republicans manage to be [I]worse[/I].

People shouldn't forget that Clinton wasn't the only corrupt piece of crap in the Democratic Party masquerading as progressives in order to cater to corporate interests. Bernie Sanders puts out an amendment and highly respected Democrat figures like Corey Booker ruin it, and why do they do this? Follow the money and you find out they're in the pocket of corporations. The party needs to be cleansed of these crooks so we never get another Clinton campaign embarressment ever again.

I hope that the voting public, but more importantly the DNC, remember that Cory Booker voted against this when 2020 comes around.

Speaking of Bernie Sanders, It feels like Dems went Primary Mode again, They are Dragging him down in the mud and Blaming him for Hillary's Loss. [editline]14th January 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Plattack;51673130]I hope that the voting public, but more importantly the DNC, remember that Cory Booker voted against this when 2020 comes around.[/QUOTE] Edit: People are already calling it, Dems are going to choose a "safe" Candidate (By safe I mean Hillary-Lite and Corporate Backed), and the DNC is going back to it's old Tricks again. Shortlist: Tim Kane

[QUOTE=Judas;51673088]trump has literally nothing to do with this[/QUOTE] Well he is the figurehead of the shitcrew. The inspiration for these people to stoop to new lows.

[QUOTE=Propane Addict;51673079]They don't see anything in Trump. They only see the money going into their pockets from pharmaceutical lobbyists.[/QUOTE] This. Trump himself has nothing to do with this, this has simply been the state of American politics for decades. Those in power always serve corporate lobbyists first, and the people (or themselves, in the case of many Republicans) second. To blame Trump for this particular decision is mental gymnastics. To say, however, that this sort of corruption will only grow during his administration, given his own obvious corruption and that of his cabinet, is only logical.

[QUOTE=Megadave;51673492]Well he is the figurehead of the shitcrew. The inspiration for these people to stoop to new lows.[/QUOTE] Then how do you explain the genuine surprise twist of 13 Republicans choosing to back this, and 13 Democrats choosing to oppose this? Does Trump's evil also stoke the fires of evil in the hearts of his enemies as well? Does his mere presidency make sane men turn weapons on their own families? Who is safe from his corruptive aura? [B]DEUS VULT.[/B]

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;51673024]One of the top Senate democrats who voted against the amendment, Cory Booker, has a history of being funded by the U.S. Pharmaceutical industry.[/QUOTE] On behalf of NJ we apologize for having the most crooked politicians.

Fuck, we need the bad reading back for me. I can't read worth a shit.

trump literally wants importation. if anything the republicans that switched switched because of Trump, and the democrats that voted against it were swayed by big business or something, not because they like Trump