I questioned in an earlier column the veracity of Sen. Orrin Hatch’s assertion — during his dust-up with Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown — that he has spent his career sticking up for the little guy.
I noted that Hatch co-sponsored with Democratic icon Ted Kennedy the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides low-cost health coverage to needy youngsters, and his work with former Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman to make affordable prescription drugs more accessible to seniors.
But he has spent much of his time protecting the profit margins of large pharmaceutical companies, and they have rewarded his efforts with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.