Cash Piles High for Stewart
Thanks to a little help from his buddies at Waller Lansden Dorch & Davis, which does the bidding of corporate polluters and tax dodgers in the halls of power, Mike Stewart is outspending Eric Stansell by a 15-to-1 margin in the race to succeed the esteemed Rob Briley in the state House. Waller Lansden attorneys have given Stewart 40 percent of his total haul. So we phoned Stewart and asked him a few questions about all this.
Q: Why are Waller Lansden lawyers giving you so much money? What do they expect for that?
A: I guess the simplest answer is that these are friends and they’ve worked with me or known me for many, many years, and so obviously people who have worked with me for a long time are going to be people that are going to give me campaign contributions.
Q: Do they want anything in return for giving you campaign contributions?
A: Absolutely not. Most of these people are not even politically involved.
Q: Are you saying that when these people come into your office asking for something, you’ll treat them like anyone who hasn’t given you money?
A: Well of course. I’m going to be a completely independent state representative. The reason I have so many well-known progressives supporting me is because my reputation as a progressive and Democrat is just very well established outside of my law practice.
Well, at least we asked.
Comments
"Well, at least we asked."
Is that new standard operating procedure for you? I thought you and Pulle were more "shoot first, ask questions later" kind of guys.
Posted 07/08/2008 at 04:24:47 PMIt’s kind of sad when editorialists, lacking something meaningful to say about an actual issue, manufacture a controversy and then make shit up to support an imaginary viewpoint.
You guys should hire the guy who wrote that.
Posted 07/08/2008 at 07:22:16 PMCatherine, you need to get your head out of the sand. This is one of the main issues facing American politics today. Large companies and their lobbyiing firms backing politicians and then the politician doing the corporations bidding once elected. Does Mike Stewart really think people believe that Waller will expect nothing in return for all of the cash he has received from them? Does he think we are all idiots? I would have been more likely to support him if he had just said, "yeah, I will support their issues." The legislature is full of representatives taking money from special interest groups and then sponsoring legislation for them in return. In this case, at least we know it before the election.
Posted 07/08/2008 at 09:30:39 PMJudicious, I don't know who you are, but I'm pretty sure I DO know who Catherine is. And we both know Mike Stewart very well.
I'll admit that it beggars the imagination, but he's exactly what he says he is -- an honest guy who wants to make a difference for his community. Yes, I absolutely believe him when he says he won't treat his donors differently than any other constituent.
I can't give you more than the benefit of my 12 or so years of friendship with him, and I get it if you think I'm just his buddy sticking up for him. I'm sure that's what it sounds like.
But I remain mystified by this apparent witch hunt from the Scene. Mike's one of the smartest, best-qualified candidates for office we've had around here in a long time -- and we tend to have excellent public servants in East Nashville. I guess he just had the bad luck to get hired by Waller however many years ago -- so unfortunate that the Scene's crusade against his law firm should coincide with Mike's run for office.
Posted 07/08/2008 at 09:38:58 PMStewart says he has a reputation outside of his law practice as a progressive and Democrat. One thing we know for sure, his reputation within the law practice is getting tax breaks for big oil companies and toxic polluters and then having that law firm give him a lot of money to run for office. Can't wait for this guy to get elected. Geez.
Posted 07/08/2008 at 11:57:03 PMI too am mystified by the "he knows lobbyists and therefore he's a pig" mentality. Mike Stewart is an honest man who can't be believed by Woods or Pulle because James Weaver gave him money? WTF? Tons of people donate to campaigns. Weaver donates to most democratic races in the state and county. And as one who file campaign finance reports for more than one East Nashville politician, I can vouch that the donor list doesn't set the stage. Hardly any lobbyists donated to Rob Briley's first campaign. See how well that turned out for us?
Posted 07/09/2008 at 08:51:31 AMPoliticians do not always do the bidding of their contributors, but large contributors do get more access. That's just reality. Ergo, these corporate lobbyists will have more access to Stewart if he is elected than the average citizen who cannot pony up $500 or $1000 for a state rep campaign. Stansell's donor list reflects that access will remain pretty even for rich or poor, big or small. That's a good thing.
Moreover, the idea that poor little Stewart is just getting picked on because he accidentally became hired by Waller is silly. There are infinite options for young attorneys. Waller is a big firm representing corporate interests, not the little guy. Stewart could have chosen to work on his own, for the state or for a firm that looks out for the little guy. He chose otherwise. He took the big money to work for the big money. There is nothing wrong with that choice per se, but there is also nothing wrong with questioning why Stewart made that choice and has stuck with it for so long.
Posted 07/09/2008 at 03:13:40 PM