Could this be John McCain's first Florida whoopsie?
high-ranking campaign staffer for John McCain lobbied for years on behalf of a major corporation in favor of repealing economic sanctions against Cuba, a position that is directly at odds with McCain's position, according to lobbyist disclosure forms.
The staffer, John Green, who has held the key post of chief campaign liaison to members of Congress since early March, lobbied members of Congress extensively on behalf of French alcohol company Pernod Ricard, in their efforts to get sanctions weakened or repealed. In the process, according to the disclosure forms, he also did extensive work with members of Congress who favor repealing the Cuba embargo entirely, a position that is also strongly opposed by McCain.
... McCain has argued in favor of keeping all sanctions against Cuba in place until they undertake various democratic reforms. What's more, he has aggressively attacked Obama for not taking as hard a line on Cuba. Obama argues in favor of easing travel restrictions with the country, something McCain says would "send the worst possible signal" to Cuba's leaders by unilaterally dropping travel restrictions.
McCain's employment of a lobbyist who pushed for the lifting of Cuba sanctions could also prove to be a controversial issue in the critical swing state of Florida, where many in the large Cuban exile community favor a hard line against Cuba.
Much of Green's lobbying, which he did for a firm called Ogilvy Government Relations, has involved pushing for a proposed bill -- never passed -- that would repeal a 1998 U.S. law that disregards Cuban trademarks. Hard-liners on Cuba, McCain included, bitterly oppose repealing that law, because doing so would essentially recognize the legitimacy of Cuba's seizure of private property and businesses from way back when Fidel Castro first came to power. ...
Let's see if this one hits the streets in Miami...
| Labels: 2008 election, Cuba, Cuban-Americans, John McCain, presidential candidates |
