Lobbyist (Ed Gillespie) to Campaign For Bush Ct. Nominee: GOP Muscle

[DeepModem Mom]

Washington Post:
Lobbyist to Campaign For Bush Court Nominee
Gillespie Choice Marks Bid to Use GOP Muscle

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 8, 2005; Page A04


Ed Gillespie, who will help promote President Bush's future nominee to a vacancy on the Supreme Court, is a top-tier lobbyist who represents a host of clients with direct and indirect interests in the outcome of Supreme Court decisions.

Bush is expected to formally announce soon his designation of Gillespie, 43, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, to work with former senator Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.) to shepherd Bush's choice to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor through the Senate. Thompson, a television actor, will deal privately with senators and provide advice to the nominee on preparing for Judiciary Committee hearings, while Gillespie will help develop Bush's nomination message....

***

Quinn Gillespie & Associates represents corporations and trade associations with strong bottom-line interests in court rulings involving corporate liability, tort reform, antitrust and securities issues. The firm's clients, most of whom pay annual fees of $200,000 to $360,000, include the American Petroleum Institute, SBC Communications Inc., Tyson Foods Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., Microsoft Corp., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Realtors, Safeway Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co....

***

The designation of a full-time campaign manager for the as-yet-to-be-named nominee reflects a White House decision to aggressively challenge a major liberal campaign already underway to defeat any of the nominees described as having a place on Bush's "short list" of candidates. The Gillespie pick marks the first full-scale bid to mobilize the political muscle of the Republican Party and its allied networks of constituent groups in the business and religious communities.

Gillespie's assignment will be to use the tools and techniques of a presidential campaign to put together a conservative political machine equipped to take on the alliance of groups on the political left that defeated the 1987 nomination of Robert H. Bork and nearly defeated Clarence Thomas....The drive to win approval of Bush's appointment to the Supreme Court already has a television budget of at least $20 million, a research staff trained to counter attacks and discredit opponents, and many business and religious leaders ready and waiting to pressure wavering senators....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070701973.html

[noonwitch]

1. I don't hate Ed Gillespe

At least he has the guts to go on "The Daily Show" for interviews with Jon Stewart. Most repubs aren't that brave.