OH, Canada!
July 13, 2010Well well, this is interesting. Much has been made in the past few days about the clandestine run north of the border for Democrat Senatorial hopefuls for a fundraiser with wealthy trail lawyers. Politico has the following from the opening of their story today, which understandably has Democrats running scared and Republicans licking their chops.
Ten top-tier Democratic Senate candidates jet to Canada over the weekend for a fundraising junket with trial attorneys.
No, it’s not the setup to a punch line.
It’s what actually occurred this past Sunday, when a batch of Democratic contenders ventured to Vancouver for a rare group fundraiser, hosted by the Committee for a Better Future, also known as the political action committee for the world’s largest trial bar.
Republicans could hardly contain their glee. The optics of a foreign trip to hobnob with attorneys from the American Association for Justice offered a made-to-order line of attack that they deployed with ease, placing a host of campaigns in battleground contests on the defensive.
Guess who also made the trip north? None other then one attorney Paul Hodes. The same Paul Hodes who has decried the Citizens United ruling and has made campaign finance reform one of the cornerstones of his campaign attended and was the beneficiary of the donations from the liberal trail lawyers. I would think that Hodes would be happy to tout adding a significant amount of money to his campaign’s war chest. Instead, his campaign is on the defensive and is not looking to explain why he would ever head to Canada to hobnob with trail lawyers. His office would only confirm that he made the trip.
Responding to Washington Examiner inquiries, a spokesman for Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes’ Senate campaign confirmed that “yes, Paul did attend” the weekend fundraiser hosted by trial lawyers in Vancouver, British Columbia.
I guess the question is, why would Hodes ever think that it is OK to make this kind of trip? His campaign has time and time again blasted his Republican opponents for traveling to Washington for fundraising events. Let alone, slamming foreign donations and special interests
This weekend run to Canada could be embarrassing for Hodes, given his claim (made while celebrating the DISCLOSE Act’s passage) that he “[fights] to end the influence that corporate and foreign special interests have in American elections.”
I guess the only person who is allowed to attend fundraisers outside of NH is Paul Hodes and you need to make sure that your passport is valid. Another question is, why would an American trail lawyers association even have a national event in Canada?
mer
Jul 14, 2010
I’m not sure the big issue is that the trip was to Canada. What I can’t seem to find is “were there Canadian lawyers there that gave money?”
DCarney
Jul 14, 2010
This is great! Paul Hodes goes to Canada for US trial lawyer dough because he is afraid to show up in NH with them? Since Hodes got his ideas on Health Care from Canada it only goes to figure, he should go to Canada to learn how to sue doctors who will get no protection from tort suits under the Obamacare scheme. Does it seem to you that Paul Hodes is really working to run the worst campaign in the nation this cycle?
Moe Lane
Jul 14, 2010
[...] Red Hampshire) It has been confirmed: Senatorial candidate Rep. Paul Hodes (D, NH) did in fact attend in person [...]
Hodes the hypocrite finally DISCLOSEs Vancouver junket. | RedState
Jul 14, 2010
[...] Red Hampshire) It has been confirmed: Senatorial candidate Rep. Paul Hodes (D, NH) did in fact attend in person [...]
Hodes the hypocrite finally DISCLOSEs Vancouver junket. | RedState
Jul 14, 2010
[...] Red Hampshire) It has been confirmed: Senatorial candidate Rep. Paul Hodes (D, NH) did in fact attend in person [...]
TimothyHorrigan
Jul 14, 2010
The main problem for Hodes’s critcism is that it was Hodes who made the trip. In the middle of a hardfought Senate campaign, it is unrealistic to expect those on the side of the campaign to view anything he says or does positively.
For her own part, Ayotte — even though she is beyond criticism— is a trial lawyer herself. She even argued a case all the way to the Supreme Court. She may not ever have been a private sector trial lawyer— and like I said, she is beyond criticism anyway— but she IS a trial lawyer. A prosecutor is a trial lawyer. So is an attorney general.
TimothyHorrigan
Jul 14, 2010
The main problem for Hodes’s critics is that it was Hodes who made the trip. In the middle of a hardfought Senate campaign, it is unrealistic to expect those on the other side of the campaign to view anything he says or does positively.
For her own part, Ayotte — even though she is beyond criticism— is a trial lawyer herself. She even argued a case all the way to the Supreme Court. She may not ever have been a private sector trial lawyer— and like I said, she is beyond criticism anyway— but she IS a trial lawyer. A prosecutor is a trial lawyer. So is an attorney general.
Matt Suermann
Jul 14, 2010
Tim,
Nice try. Mostly everyone in the “real world” understands that trial lawyers are vastly different then public sector Attorneys General or prosecutor. The fact is Paul Hodes went to raise money out of the country. If he is so proud to take their campaign contributions why did he run across the country and north of the border to hobnob with them? This is a story that looks bad for Hodes and you know it.