Kay Bailey Hutchison's campaign for governor has just unveiled a new television ad slamming both Gov. Rick Perry and lobbyist Mike Toomey -- his former chief of staff. The ad notes that Toomey represented Merck, the pharmaceutical company that made the controversial vaccine against HPV (the Human Papiloma virus) that Perry tried to mandate to 6th-grade girls -- until the Texas Legislature intervened. We post the ad below, followed by the script and Perry's response.
Script:
Script For “New One” (TV:30):
CHYRON: “Perry To Name Lobbyist As New Chief Of Staff”
ANNCR: Perry names lobbyist as chief of staff.
CHYRON: “Perry’s Former Chief Of Staff…Is A Lobbyist For Merck”
ANNCR: Former chief of staff becomes HPV lobbyist.
CHYRON: “A Shroud Of Secrecy…Has Descended On The Governor’s Office.”
ANNCR: Shroud of secrecy descends on Governor’s Office.
CHYRON: “Lobbyists Revolving In, Out Of Perry Staff Positions”
ANNCR: Lobbyists in and out of Perry’s staff.
CHYRON: “Companies That Gave To Perry Got Road Contract”
ANNCR: Companies that gave to Perry get road contract.
CHYRON: “Perry Shakes Down Special Interests, Lobbyists”
ANNCR: Perry shakes down special interests.
CHYRON: “Perry's Top Donors Get Business”
ANNCR: Perry’s top donors get business.
ANNCR: There are two ways to get things done in Austin. Hire a lobbyist and donate to this governor. Or elect a new one.
Perry response:
“Senator Hutchison is using her federal office as an employment agency for Washington lobbyists,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Earlier this week Senator Hutchison was recognized by a national organization for her pork-barrel spending, and now we learn that the senator’s office has one of the highest numbers of former staffers who lobby, including her former chief of staff who lobbied for the $700 billion bailout on behalf of a Swiss bank.”