         
The Fight for Affordable Drugs Continues...
Caught up in a tide of opposition to the special election called by Governor Schwarzenegger, Californians today voted down both Prop 78 and Prop 79, the dueling prescription drug discount measures on the November 8 ballot. The pharmaceutical industry spent a record-breaking $80 million to promote Prop 78, the voluntary scheme sponsored by drug companies, and oppose Prop 79, the enforceable discount plan supported by consumer, senior and health groups.
Some things to point out, for the future fight:
* In order to defeat the consumer groups' prescription drug price reform, the drug companies had to spend a record-breaking $80 million and resort to dirty tricks.
* The drug companies may have won this battle, but they are losing the war against price reform. By sponsoring their own measure, the drug companies admitted that drug prices are too high.
* Yet the drug companies’ proposition failed, even though they outspent consumer and health groups by over 40-1. The public rejected the drug company's attempt to buy this election, including their attempt to prevent future price reforms by passing Prop 78, a phony voluntary program. Despite the confusion, more Californians were turned off by the drug companies' actions, and the voter anger will only build over unfair drug prices.
* Consumer, health, and senior groups will continue to fight for more affordable prescription drugs, in the legislature and elsewhere. Unless the drug companies want to spent another $80 million against reform in future years, they need to agree to an enforceable drug discount program that holds drug companies accountable for delivering more affordable medicine to those in need."
* Let's remember the problem: Ironically and tragically, uninsured and underinsured Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anybody else in the world. In their campaign, the drug companies have conceded that millions of Californians can't afford the prescription drugs they need. Drug companies will continue to face these bruising battles over prescription drug reform until this problem is solved.
Get involved in the ongoing fight: visit consumer groups' websites like:
Health Access California, at www.health-access.org
Consumers Union, at: www.prescriptionforchange.org
and the other organizations that supported Proposition 79.
Let's keep up the fight!
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/09/2005 12:52:00 PM
VOTE TODAY!
Today's the day... Many big issues are on the ballot, and so get out and vote, and bring a friend or three. Remind your colleagues at work to vote.
While at the polls, send a message to the drug companies that tried to buy this election, and win a meaningful benefit--affordable medications for millions of Californians.
Say NO to Prop 78 & the Drug Companies
Vote YES for Prop 79 & Cheaper Drugs
VOTE...
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/08/2005 01:19:00 PM
Mr. Pill's Excellent Adventures
 The Prop 79 campaign and its coalition organizations are working hard to get out the voter and inform all those undecided voters about the prescription drug initiatives, that 78 is too little, too late; and only 79 will keep drug prices in line.
We have phone banks by AARP and Consumers Union, door hanger parties by activists around the state, canvassing by CalPIRG and other groups, and we are also part of the massive field effort by the Alliance for a Better California.
And then there's Mr. Pill, who shows up from Bakersfield to the boardwalk, as we leaflet and get the word out. Above, the pill bottle tries to get some waves at Venice Beach. More pictures to come, in some unlikely places!
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/07/2005 02:22:00 AM
Santa Barbara: A Soap Opera of a Campaign
There used to be a show called Santa Barbara—a soap opera full of mystery and intrigue, which is not unlike this campaign. Prop 79 is fighting, against all odds, the forces of money and influence... of the prescription drug industry.
There was another article this morning about drug companies using their money to try to buy this election in the San Francisco Chronicle. But if our trip to the real Santa Barbara is any indication, Californians aren’t buying the drug company line.
In a city known for its beauty, we held our Sunday morning press conference in front of the Santa Barbara Courthouse, known as one of the most ornate courthouses in the US. Its pueblo-andalusian architecture made a stunning backdrop for the event.
 For a Sunday morning, it seemed like we’d be lucky to get a few speakers out plus a supporter or two, but Santa Barbara was one of the best crowds we’ve seen yet on the tour. Left is Assemblyman Pedro Nava leading a chant, with speakers Harley Augustine, executive director of Santa Barbara PUEBLO, Tim Allison, national chair of the Gray Panthers, Dr. Linda Phillips of the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, and Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access. Also in force was Health Care For All Santa Barbara
(thanks to Peter Conn for speaking) and Laborers, Local 220.
The media came, as they have done with every stop in this tour. Who didn't come was the drug company shills who have started to appear to provide counter-spin. Apparently, even the drug companies don't have enough money to get somebody to do their dirty work on a Sunday.
Not enough to rest on our laurels, we then stopped by a Get Out The Vote effort nearby, passing out leafets and door hangers. In attendance was Congresswoman Lois Capps, who gave an energetic presentation against the Governor's initiatives, as well as the drug companies' Prop 78, and she gave a hearty endorsement to Prop 79. Expressing her frustration at how the drug companies were able to get their way with the Medicare bill, she even stopped by the ambulance to talk with Health Access' Anthony Wright (right), about supporting Prop 79 and future efforts to expand health care.
Tomorrow is the last day of the tour, starting in the political hotbed of San Diego!
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/06/2005 02:10:00 PM
LA Story: "What do they think we are, idiots?"
 Kurtwood Smith, star of "The 70's Show," hosted our event in Plummer Park, since he has special insight into this year's initiatives of the 70s. He thought his TV character would also have insight: "If Red Forman saw Proposition 78, the drug companies' plan for lower prices that is voluntary for the drug companies to participate, he would say: 'What kind of dumbass idea is that? What do they we are, idiots?'" Here he is with LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo (who gave a great speech about the need for such reform and oversight over drug prices), Dr. Kavita Patel of California Physicians Alliance (who spoke forcefully that the "discounts" under Prop 79 are simply the fair prices that people in other countries get), and Joan Pirkle Smith of Americans for Democratic Action and Health Access California. Other speakers included Ernie Powell of AARP California, Marvin Schacter from the Commission on Aging, and Luke Asbury, a Californian who described the difficulty of affording even standard medications.  We had some confusion before the event, when a real ambulance showed up before the press conference, for a person who was sick among the crowd of seniors in the park. As the medics tended to her, we talked initiatives with the accompanying firemen. Ambulance-o-rama!
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/06/2005 12:06:00 AM
Bakersfield Basking
It’s a good day for your campaign when you wake up to find that the front page of the LA Times is exposing the drug company dirty deeds around Prop 78. It’s about time!!!
Folks had already gathered in front of the Kern County building when we pulled up in Bakersfield. A great crowd of retirees and union members showed up, who helped flyer, and they stood at the corner with a huge HONK for lower prescription drug costs banner and Yes on 79 signs! One member volunteered to be our pill bottle and stood out on the corner with the sign holders, making a great scene for the cars going by! They got lots of honks!
A side note about our giant pill bottle:
When we decided to have a pill bottle costume that--in addition to driving the ambulance--I would also become the default person to wear the costume at each event be cause no one else would want to. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I have yet to find one person (even a Senator!) who has refused the giant costume, and more than anything, it has brought out lots of smiles and been a great camera draw. Cheers to you, Dan Seneres, for making us such a great prop!
The press conference was successful, with speakers such as Camila Chavez (right), executive director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, as well as Carmen Morales, R.N, who snuck away from work between patients to come speak out for the drug discounts people will have access to under Prop 79. Other representatives were there from CalPIRG, League of Women Voters, Health Access California, and other key organizations.
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/05/2005 12:30:00 PM
Singing in Salinas, Dancing in Fresno
 In Salinas, Central Park fits into one square block with houses on 3 sides and Hartnell College on the other, but no coffee shop within sight. We pulled up to find plenty of space for Big Red and as we set up, Senator Liz Figueroa showed up ready to put in a full day with the Drive for Discount Drugs. The Senator had joined us in Sacramento, and was so moved by the stories of the people who testified, she volunteered to join the road trip! This campaign continues to get momentum and support each day.
Jessie Buendia from the Greenlining Institute and Senator Figueroa did individual interviews with the TV cameras, and Emily Clayton from CalPIRG (above) kicked off a press conference in which she and Senator Figueroa made statements, followed by Susan Brier, a local Salinas resident who brought a great song she had written about Prop 79 put to the tune of Ive Been Working on the Railroad!
 We all sang for the cameras (right):
Ive been looking at my ballot,
all the live long week.
Figuring out the propositions,
seeing through the double speak.
Can’t afford my medications,
which proposition should I pick?
79 will solve my problems,
78 is just a trick!
Onto Fresno!
Give Big Red a flat straight road and she cruises along nicely. We made it to Fresno in a couple of hours and looped around the County Courthouse a few times before figuring out where to park the ambulance. Our local speakers trickled in: Mary Savala of the League of Women Voters, Dr. Lawrence Levy with the California Physicians Alliance (CaPA), and Walt Parry of Fresno Metro Ministry (speaking below right). Kevin Hall, Campaign Manager for the Alliance for a Better California in Fresno, came to show support and brought his son Joey to be the pill bottle….. thanks Joey!
 We were about to kick things off when the Courthouse security showed up to make us relocate Big Red to a formal parking spot (I guess they didn’t like her on the sidewalk). Meanwhile, we noticed a dissenter amongst the ranks: our first protester! He had on a PhRMA/78 logo pins and held up t-shirts with an anti-Prop 79 message. ($80 million also buys you T-shirts!)He rudely invited himself into our group standing before the cameras (and, oddly, also tucked one t-shirt into the front of his pants, which, even aside from the message on the shirt, looked completely ridiculous). We blocked him out with our signs and in the end he was nothing more than an annoyance. In fact, he was so obnoxious the cameras ignored him and no one asked him for an interview. For those from the Prop 78/PhRMA campaign (and we know you are reading this along with the viewing public), your stunt backfired, just like your whole campaign.
 The speakers were fantastic and we were covered by CBS, Fox and Univision. They did individual interviews with Emily Clayton and Sentor Figueroa afterwards and got lots of shots of the ambulance.
Senator Figueroa, one of our champions, decided to take the big pill bottle (left, helped by Kevin Hall of ABC) for a test drive and donned the costume, even giving us a little bit of a dance number! We have many more elected leaders joining us on this tour... Let's see if we can get others legislators to wear the pill bottle?
Great events, great coverage, and even great weather! The Drive for Discount Drugs continues!
Tomorrow: Bakersfield!
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/03/2005 06:10:00 PM
Beware the Bought Slate Endorsements!
Today's Oakland Tribune story about slate mailers and the drug companies is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, disclosure documents at the Secretary of State indicate that the drug companies have spent over $1.5 million dollars to purchase the endorsements of 30 slate mailers. Unlike traditional campaign mailings or advertisements, NONE of these slates disclose that the drug companies paid for the mailing or the endorsement.
This is noteworthy, not just because of the record-breaking scale of the campaign, which is the most expensive ballot campaign in the history of the nation. In their attempt to confuse voters, they have bought slates with a wide range of ideological perspectives, including several which feature elected leaders who have taken an opposite position, against the drug companies' 78, and for the consumer groups' Prop 79.
In addition, these slate mailers allow the drug companies to promote their position without the damning disclosure that its the drug companies behind it.When voters know the drug companies are behind Prop 78, they oppose it, and join consumer and health groups in supporting Prop 79. So these slate mailers get them around that problem. For example, the recent mailing "The Black Woman's Guide to California Politics" (by GeM Communications Group) was entirely paid for by the PhRMA California Initiative Fund, and yet never includes the disclaimer that appears on other PhRMA campaign materials, that discloses the name of the campaign committee, as well as major funders like the Merck and Pfizer. This same tactic is also being used in other ways by the drug companies, which are engaging in "push polling," where no disclosure is given under the guise of "market research." The Yes on 79 campaign filed a FPPC Complaint yerterday on this issue. Here's a list of the organizations whose slates of which PhRMA has purchased the endorsement, according to documents filed at the Secretary of State's office. Don't be fooled! P.O.W.E.R. GeM Communications Group Citizens for Representative Government Valley Taxpayers Coalition Family Faith and Freedom Association Voter Information Guide Democratic Voters Choice Team California Citizens for Good Government Non-Partisan Candidate Evaluation Council California Club for Growth CRA Voter Guide United Democratic Campaign Committee Continuing the Republican Revolution Save Prop 13 The Council of Concerned Women Voters Coalition for Senior Citizens Security Our Voice Latino Voter Guide Voter Education and Registration Action ADF Networking Consultancy Republican Party of Orange County Team California San Francisco Republican Party Your Ballot Guide Californians for Quality Healthcare Republican Voter Checklist COPS Voter Guide Orange County Firefighters Voter Guide Jenlax Partners Schubert Public Affairs
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/03/2005 07:30:00 AM
Grandma's a Drug Smuggler...
Take a look at a great new video on the problem of prescription drug prices from Today's Special- Grandma's a Drug Smuggler.
(Best viewed in Internet Explorer)
Another unique take on the health care problems so many Americans face on a daily basis and why Californians need the cheaper medicine offered by Prop 79.
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/02/2005 11:47:00 PM
Sacramento: Capitalizing on Our Poll Results
 A friend of mine who lives in Sacramento and who likes it, said that "Sacramento is a great place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit." Actually, it's a fine town to visit, especially if you are promoting your position on a ballot measure. Here's the Big Red Ambulance in front of our state capitol. The legislators in that building actually passed prescription drug price reform last year, but it was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. He is the second-largest recipient of prescription drug industry campaign contributions, after President Bush. We had our event not in front of the Capitol, but in front of a nearby drug store, where people are deciding whether to get their medications, or buy other necessities of life.  The media was there in full force, as it should be, as the hottest ballot race in this special election (according to the Field Poll!) Talking with Mr. Pill are none other than Senator Liz Figueroa, Assemblyman Dave Jones, and former Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg--all legislators who have really championed healthcare in various ways. Assemblyman Steinberg (below, with Anthony Wright of Health Access California behind him) mentioned his uphill fight for Prop 63 last year for mental h ealth, when giving his support for Prop 79 this year.  We also had great turnout from local groups, including AARP California, Sacramento Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Medical Student Association, California Physicians Alliance, Resources for Independent Living, California Alliance for Retired Americans, League of Women Voters of California, Health Care for All, Congress of California Seniors, and Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. We announced at the press conference that the Yes on 79 campaign will be filing a complaint with the FPPC: the Fair Political Practices Commission, about the drug companies' deceptive tactics and dirty tricks. Apparently, we have learned that there is a call center in Iowa calling California voters under the guise of "market research," but giving voters scripted messages against Prop 79, and then NOT disclosing who paid for the call, which is against the regulations. The drug companies have said publicly that they would spend "whatever it takes" to defeat Prop 79; apparently, they will DO "whatever it takes" as well...
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/02/2005 09:30:00 PM
Field Poll: Prop 79 the Closest Race of the Special Election!
Some nuggests from the Field Poll announced this morning: PROP 79 MOST LIKELY TO WIN OF ANY MEASURE: In a much ballyhooed special election called by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote four of his proposals, the proposition most likely to win is not any of his measures, but Proposition 79. According to the new Field Poll, most voters are inclined to vote against all the measures, but Proposition 79 has the closest margin, and has the least percentage of voters committed to a "No" vote (43%), as opposed to the other seven, which have nearly half (49%) or more voters opposing. With 20% undecided, the Prop 79 fight is still wide open. DESPITE DRUG COMPANY OPPOSITION: This is remarkable, given that Proposition 79 has had the most money spent against it (ever)--over $75 million by the drug companies, setting a national record, far more than has been spent against any other single measure, including those supported by the Governor. It is even more astounding that the drug companies have spent their vast sums of money to also promote their countermeasure, Proposition 78, only to see support plummet by double digits. Very rarely does a proposition fall so quickly without a media campaign against it. The consumer group version, Prop 79, actually is now beating the drug companies' Prop 78, despite the funding mismatch.WHEN VOTERS FIND OUT MORE: The Field Poll also goes into depth exploring where voters are, and once voters know about the drug companies support of Prop 78, it loses even more support, whereas the support from consumer advocacy and labor groups bolsters Prop 79's chances. Having faced $75 million of false and misleading ads, Prop 79 can only improve its poll numbers and win the undecideds. The drug companies' Prop 78, by contrast, will continue to lose support as more people identify its drug company supporters.
posted by Yes on 79 @ 11/02/2005 09:24:00 AM
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Paid for by Yes on 79, FPPC ID # 1279270. Yes on 79, a
coalition of consumer, senior, labor and health organizations. Major funding by Proposition
79 is sponsored by Consumers Union of U.S., Inc., and the Alliance for a Better
California, educators, firefighters, school employees, health care givers and labor
organizations Committee. Also supported by AARP California, California Alliance for
Retired Americans, Health Access California, Congress of California Seniors, AIDS Healthcare
Foundation, and CALPIRG. It is supported by many health, consumer and senior
organizations. Click here for a full list of endorsers. |
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