Update [2005-1-17 18:25:14 by dotpeople]: (make clearer point, per Feanor)
Ken Mehlman, chair of the successful Bush-Cheney campaign, has been chosen by President Bush to be the next RNC chairman. Ken's brother is a partner in a Washington lobbying firm with "tort reform" on its paid agenda.
Mary-Beth Cahill, the chair of the Kerry-Edwards campaign, hired her sister and brother-in-law to work on the Kerry campaign. David Castagnetti has just joined Ken Mehlman's brother as the newest partner of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti.
The defection of David and Ann Castagnetti sends a loud and public message that even the closest Kerry insiders can sell Democratic Party ties and knowledge to Republican interests. Why should Democrats in less inner circles even try to stand strong?
Did Cahill know a defection was planned when the Castagnettis were welcomed to the campaign? We hope not. When the Mehlman defection was proposed, why didn't Cahill stop it? If she could not prevent the defection of her own sister, what else did she fail to control?
nytimes.com :
Mr. Vogel opened his lobbying firm eight months ago, teaming with
Bruce Mehlman, a former assistant secretary for technology policy at the Commerce Department and
brother of
Ken Mehlman, manager of the 2004 Bush campaign, presumptive new chairman of the Republican Party.
... Their firm, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti, has other family ties to the political world. Mr. Vogel's wife, Jill Holtzman Vogel, is the top lawyer at the Republican National Committee. Ann Castagnetti, the wife of David Castagnetti, the firm's Democratic partner, is the sister of Mary Beth Cahill, Senator John Kerry's campaign manager.
Since the firm opened, it has grown into a multimillion-dollar company with a roster of more than 20 clients, including Yahoo, Nextel, Viacom, Amgen, I.B.M. and the United States Chamber of Commerce.
www.washingtonpost.com :
The up-to-now Republican shop of Mehlman & Vogel Inc. has added a Democratic name. With the arrival of
David A. Castagnetti, a Hill veteran and
director of congressional relations for the
Kerry-Edwards campaign, the firm now is known as Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc.
Castagnetti previously was part of a lobby shop then known as Bergner, Bockorny, Castagnetti & Hawkins and served as chief of staff to Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and then-Democratic House member Norman Y. Mineta (Calif.).
Among the boutique's lobbying clients: Amgen Inc., Red Hat Inc. and the Institute for Legal Reform.
www.cnn.com :
The Kerry campaign has also hired Peter Scher to manage the VP campaign. Scher's not an Edwards guy, he's a Mickey Cantor guy, having worked for Cantor at the Commerce Department. Ann Castagnetti, also a former Cantor aide and sister of Mary Beth Cahill, has been heading the VP staff for Camp Kerry, it's unclear whether she'll play a leading role once a running mate is announced.
www.instituteforlegalreform.org :
America's legal crisis is crippling companies, driving down shareholder value, putting employees out of work, raising consumer prices and making a handful of
plaintiffs' trial lawyers millionaires overnight.
Many plaintiffs' lawyers are exploiting flaws in the system, and in some jurisdictions, out-of-state defendants cannot get a fair trial; due process is honored more in the breach than in the observance. Frivolous lawsuits have become so plentiful that court dockets are clogged, and those most deserving of justice are being denied their right to a speedy trial.
The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) is fighting to make America's civil justice system simpler, fairer and faster for all.