LAT: A Trial Lawyer on Ticket Has Corporate U.S. Seeing Red

[DeepModem Mom]

THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
A Trial Lawyer on Ticket Has Corporate U.S. Seeing Red
With Edwards as their lightning rod, business interests see Nov. 2 as critical to 'legal reform.'

By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer

....These days, the people who bring personal injury lawsuits against corporations, insurers and healthcare providers have replaced "union bosses" as the group that corporate America identifies as its key public enemy. And this year, more than ever before, the war of words between corporate leaders and trial lawyers echoes in the battle for the White House....

***

"We cannot ignore what may prove to be a make-or-break election for legal reform at the national level," said Thomas J. Donohue, the chamber's president, shunning the business lobby's traditional neutrality in presidential races. "When voters go to the polls, they need to know lawsuit abuse destroys jobs, drives doctors out of business and forces companies into bankruptcy."...

***

"You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital and pro-trial lawyer at the same time," ("President") Bush said at a rally Friday in West Virginia. "You have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket."...

While business leaders have put their money behind Bush's campaign, the trial lawyers have put their dollars behind the Democrats. They say Kerry and Edwards will preserve the right to jury trials as a check on corporate power....

(The article quotes John O'Quinn, a Houston trial lawyer: "Corporate America is in charge these days. They control the White House, the Congress and the Supreme Court. But so far, they don't control the right to trial by a jury. That's the only place where ordinary citizens can go and have their complaints heard. Ordinary people can't hire lobbyists in Washington, but in the courtroom, they get an equal chance to stand up against a corporation.")


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lawyers13sep13,1,219941.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[trumad]

1. Meanwhile the RNC has a trial lawyer, (Mel Martinez) running in FL

But it's their trial lawyer.... LOL

[lapfog_1]

2. I wonder how corporate America

feels about a presidential candidate who sues a national car
rental chain in a nuisance law suit? And wins $2500. And what did
the car rental corporation DO that so bad? They rented a car to
the offspring of said presidential candidate... while the offspring
had a suspended drivers license! And then said offspring got
into a car accident. So the presidential candidate SUED the car
rental corporation. Cause like, the corporation was at FAULT for
renting a car without CHECKING to make sure the license wasn't
suspended.

I just wonder how they feel about such a nuisance law suit?

[Justice]

10. And I Say This As Gently As Possible

Did the Edwards sue the car company over their son's death?

No. That speaks volumes to me about character of the Edwards.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. Indeed, Justice -- nt

[0007]

3. Let's make a comparison of Dick Cheney vs. John Edwards

Who gave Cheney his license to award contracts, and to wheel and deal in the Pentagon? What big corporation did John Edwards rip off? It seems to me that John Edwards has performed a service for the people of the United States, while Dick Cheney helped himself and BIG corporations in the name of greed while making a fool of the decent man.

Of course we all know that junior talks out of his paper asshole.

"The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for State Courts track civil trials and verdicts in the nation's 75 largest counties. In April, the bureau reported that in the last decade, the number of cases had gone down, not up.

The number of general civil cases disposed of by trial in the nation's largest counties declined from 22,451 in 1992 to 11,908 in 2001, it reported"

[Dogmudgeon]

4. George Bush on Trial Lawyers

Here's the poop from Emily Gottlieb, Center for Justice & Democracy:

As Texas Governor, George W. Bush was one of the “tort reform” movement’s biggest proponents. One of Bush’s first acts as governor in 1995 was to meet with representatives of nine Texas Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) chapters in a salsa factory outside of Austin, after which he declared a legislative “emergency” on “frivolous lawsuits.” Over his two terms, Bush signed a series of brutal bills that severely reduced injured consumers’ rights to go to court.

However, when it comes to solving problems involving his own family, Bush heads straight to court. In 1999, Bush sued Enterprise Rent-A-Car over a minor fender-bender involving one of his daughters in which no one was hurt. Although his insurance would have covered the repair costs making a lawsuit unnecessary, Bush sought additional money from Enterprise, which had rented a car to someone with a suspended license (emphases bkl). In this case, Bush seemed to understand one of the most important functions of civil lawsuits — to deter further wrongdoing. The case settled for $2,000 to $2,500.

(see Burger, Timothy, “Bush sued Enterprise Rent-A-Car over daughter’s fender bender,” Daily News, August 26, 2000;
“Bush sued rental agency over fender bender,” Houston Chronicle, August 26, 2000.)

(found at http://www.kraftlaw.com/Articles/Hypocrites.htm)

Somebody with Lexis/Nexus access ought to print up the "Smoking Filing" for this case.

--bkl

[Democat]

8. This is only a piece of the puzzle - Dems need to link Bush to lawyers!

The American people will not make a distinction between trial lawyers and other lawyers if the Kerry campaign comes out with a strong message.

How many lawyers are there in Bush's campaign? How many in the Republican Party? It's time for Kerry to tie Bush to lawyers - they are all around him and he uses them often - including suing his way into the White House.

Kerry needs to point out the hypocrisy of a president who sued his way into the White House crying about lawyers and trying to stop average Americans from having the same rights that got Bush where he is today.

If Bush is against lawyers, then he should give Al Gore back the White House.

It's time for Kerry or the Democrats to slam Bush in ways that we have not yet seen. Take the gloves off and destroy Bush's campaign now!

[meow2u3]

13. We should get the DNC and/or the K-E campaign to run ads

suggesting that Bush claims to be for so-called "tort reform" to curb "junk lawsuits by trial lawyers", yet it's his own junk lawsuit that got him into the White House to begin with.
:think:

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Kerry campaign, DNC, 527 lurkers: see posts 2 and 4

n/t

[biftonnorton]

6. Vote Montgomery Burns '04

Harumph.

[Democat]

7. Kerry needs to slam Bush over hypocrisy - how many Repub lawyers?

How many lawyers are their on Bush's staff? How many times has Bush used them, including the lawyers who got him into the White House.

If the gloves are really off, it's time for Kerry to ask how Bush can think it's fair for him to sue his way into the White House, but it's not fair for average citizens to use lawyers.

This is the time to bring up class war - Bush wants one set of rules for the peasants and one set for himself. He uses lawyers every day - he sues and fights lawsuits from citizens with his lawyers, but he doesn't want you to have the right to do the same.

Kerry needs to really take the gloves off and slug Bush over this one.

Release a list of all of the lawyers on Bush's staff - all of the Republican lawyers in the House and Senate and in all of the state races. Show the American people what a fucking hypocrite liar Bush really is.

There is not time for being nice, it's time to destroy Bush's campaign right now.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. From the article: U.S Chamber of Commerce and $10 million ad campaign

"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is co-sponsoring a $10-million advertising campaign to 'educate voters about the devastating impact" these people are having on the American way of life.'"

[glitch]

18. Small business owners everywhere should quit the chamber of commerce

they are so rw pro-corporate now they should be boycotted.
Small business owners need to network together, get some kind of new
U.S. Chamber of Progressive Commerce going.

[KittyWampus]

12. So If A Doctor's Child Was Killed In A Poorly Engineered SUV

that flipped over due to that poor engineering... it's tough shit I suppose.

[depakid]

14. Gee, didn't GW Bush want to be a lawyer?

Nah- that's just a nasty rumor. He never applied to law school.

[AspenRose]

15. He was too stupid to get in

UT Austin.

[gratuitous]

16. Yeah, and the U.S. has been Shangri La redux

With two Texas oilmen running things. Let's see, we went from budget surpluses as far as the eye could see to record deficits under Bush. Tried to secure a business loan lately? You'd better be able to speak Chinese.

[napi21]

17. Wonder how many lawyers are running for election in 2004?

I also would like to know how many lawyers are currently serving in the House & Senate? I can only think of 3 that arent! Charlie Rengal, Ton Delay & Bill Frist. Sure there are probably a few more than that, but just listen to them when they are interviewed. Almost every one has a legal background!!!

I DON'T want any former Corp execs in any elected office! I didn't always feel that way! Cheney changed my mind!!!

[Democat]

23. It is very important that Democrats slam Bush over this hypocrisy!

How many of the founding fathers had a background in law?

This is something where the Democrats need to be strong.

If we don't fight back, the right wing will have American believing lawyers and terrorists too.

[progressivebydesign]

19. Semantics..

any lawyer that argues a case in a trial, is a trial lawyer. WHAT exactly ARE the LAWYERS that Bush hired to do his dirty work in Florida? Law Faeries? The use of the words "trial lawyers" is JUST another way for the right wing to attack more people... Wasn't Abraham Lincoln a trial lawyer?

[DeepModem Mom]

21. Abraham Lincoln was a damn good one!

"Law Faeries?" LOL!

[LynnTheDem]

20. Do they mean a trial lawyer like

Martinez, for Florida's Republican US Senate primary?

Such ignorance; such hypocrisy.

No wonder the world laughs at rightwingnuts.

GOP hypocrisy on trial in important Senate race

Cragg Hines wonders why the White House thinks some personal-injury lawyers are absolutely fabulous and others are simply rotten.

If trial lawyers are so bad, why has the Bush administration dispatched one to seek an open U.S. Senate seat in Florida now held by a Democrat?

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/2749848

[indie_voter]

22. I love the smell of Repuke hypocrisy in the morning. :p (nt)

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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[Democat]

25. Bush sued his way into the White House and some people support him

Some people in this thread even. :)