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The Attacks Begin

Press Release

Date: Aug. 12, 2008
Issues: Drugs

Labor Day is weeks away, but the political attack season has begun. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is nervous and they aren't wasting any time. The Advocate has reported on an attack ad by the DCCC that is being aired on the radio:

The ads, funded by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, say Cassidy stands with special interests, particularly drug companies.

"The special interests have their candidate. Don Cazayoux stands up for Louisiana," the advertisement concludes.

Cassidy, a Baton Rouge doctor, said Friday the ads are hypocritical.

"If you look at the money Don has raised, $200,000 came from special interests in Washington, D.C.," Cassidy said. "Ninety-nine point nine of the money I raised came out of Baton Rouge."

(…)

Cassidy said he makes no apologies for going anywhere to advance research in Louisiana, to promote the LSU medical school, or to benefit the state's patients. He said his only association with pharmaceutical companies for the last two years has been through research done at LSU, which has allowed patients' access to medicine they otherwise would not have.

"If people criticize that, it gives you an idea of who those people are," Cassidy said.

The Grassroots Know Better

A local blogger has taken a detailed look at the finance reports and breaks down where the money comes from:

if special interests have any candidate it's Don Cazayoux. As I wrote then, 73 percent of Cazayoux's total contributions came from PACs. Almost three out of every four dollars Don Cazayoux took in came from a special interest group. How much PAC money for Bill Cassidy? Zero.

But that's not all. Of Cazayoux's itemized contributions (excluding PAC money) almost 40 percent came from outside Louisiana (with almost all of that coming from DC). Cassidy on the other hand raised about 97 percent of his money inside Louisiana.

In total, Cazayoux raised $218,950 from special interests outside of Louisiana — 78 percent of his total. Cassidy raised $4,500 outside of Louisiana — 2 percent of his total, and none of it came from anywhere near the Beltway.

So which candidate do you think belongs to the special interests?


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