Yes, But, However!

by John Romano

Down heavily in the polls to Republican Doug Forrester and facing scandal charges that even a Democrat couldn’t spin out of, Bob Torricelli abandoned his 2002 reelection bid for the US Senate.  However, there was a wrinkle.  New Jersey law stated at the time that all ballots should be finalized 51 days before an election.  Torricelli threw in the towel after this deadline had passed.

Normally, the withdrawing parties party would lose the seat.  Not if you are a Democrat, and not if you are in New Jersey.  In something that reads like a subplot of a “Sopranos” episode, the Democrats got a sympathetic judge to allow a circumvention of the law, allowing veteran pol Frank Lautenberg on the ballot just five weeks before Election Day.  Doug Forrester, the Republican upstart, who had already committed and produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in anti-Torricelli ads, was understandably caught off guard and unable to shift gears.  Forrester was defeated by the “luckily” out-of-retirement Lautenberg.  The lawyers by Mr. Torricelli’s and the Democrats’ side throughout it all were from the law firm of Perkins Coie, LLP.  Remember that name.

Fast forward to 2004 to the Washington state governor’s race.  Republican Dino Rossi ends Election Day up, by a narrow 129 votes.  After the state-mandated automatic recount, Rossi is still ahead.  In steps Perkins Coie.  Magically “missing” ballots are found in the Democrat stronghold of King County.  Perkins Coie works the system like John McEnroe at Wimbledon, arguing like banshees over every ballot for the Democrats and against every one for the Republicans.  When Perkins Coie is done, the Democrat Christine Gregoire is certified the winner and becomes governor.

I think most readers can see where this is going.

Minnesota 2008: Norm Coleman is ahead by 312 votes after the election.  Perkins Coie arrives on the scene.  Ballots show up again, this time reportedly in the trunk of a Democrat hack’s car, among other places.  Again, the majority of “found” votes are in Democrat strongholds and are overwhelmingly for Al Franken giving him the “lead.”  Perkins Coie is once again doing a great job of somehow getting Democrat ballots in and Republican ballots out.  Al Franken is poised to become the first US Senator with file photos featuring him wearing rabbit ears and diapers.  With Specter’s recent defection, Senator Diapers will hand Obama the super-majority making sixtieth Senate seat.

How does Perkins Coie do it?  My suspicion is that the firm is extremely adept at crossing its t’s and dotting its i’s in preparation for arguing before highly sympathetic courts.  In all three examples, the Democrats controlled some, if not all, of the counting or judicial mechanisms of each state involved. One thing is certain, when Perkins Coie gets involved in election disputes, Republican leads tend to disappear. Like Fed-Ex delivering packages or Starbucks roasting coffee, Perkins Coie is the law firm of choice when the Democrat Party needs election work done.

The 100 year old firm has offices in the cities of Beijing, Portland, Washington D.C., Anchorage, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles among others.  Over 700 lawyers work at the firm that was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list seven years running.  The company mainly works with big business, but has its hands in many pots.  They have successfully represented everyone from Gitmo detainees to wholesale giant Costco.  Other clients include Boeing and Microsoft.  Perkins Coie often partners up with the ACLU and groups like MALDEF on such issues as immigration.  Much of the political heavy lifting is done by former Kerry/Edwards 2004 General Counsel Mark Elias and Firmwide Chair, Political Law Practice Robert (Bob) Bauer.  Both gentleman’s resumes read more like that of DNC staffers than of lawyers at a firm with the motto “Legal Counsel to Great Companies.”

When you look over the Perkins Coie’s stated “Mission and Principles” nothing is mentioned about the ACLU or helping the Democrats steer elections to their column via the courts.  Yet, this is clearly what the firm does.  They seem non-ideological in the same way NPR or PBS is non-partisan.  I was unable to find any cases of them working in a meaningful way with the Republican Party.

Winning close elections for the GOP these days is akin to wagering on the the New York Giants.  Not only do they have to win, in most cases they have to cover the point spread as well. With the country so divided, 2010 looks fertile for more close races.  Perkins Coie will be right there fighting for the Democrats and making sure every close election or interpretation of electoral law is decided in the left’s favor.

The Minnesota race is as yet still undecided, with the Franken campaign outspending Coleman’s by a factor of six to one.  Perkins Coie has been trying its darndest to end that one since the day Freaky Franken took the lead.  If history is any guide, may I be the first to welcome you to the United States of Obama.  Hello Comrade, may I walk you to your new Chrysler-UAW Lemming?

 

Tags: Al Franken, Bob Torricelli, Dino Rossi, Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey, Perkins Coie
Posted May 7th 2009 at 9:39 am

Originally posted at Big Hollywood