As the Senate race tightens and charges of "special interest" money are being thrown around by nervous Democrats trying to salvage the flagging Coakley campaign, the timing of her Tuesday night D.C. fundraiser couldn't have been better.Thanks to Washington Examiner reporter Timothy Carney, we now know that the event at Sonoma Restaurant, a posh wine bar, was attended by a laundry list of Washington's most high-powered lobbyists.
Each of the 24 named "hosts" of the event raised $10,000 or more for Martha Coakley. Of those 17 are currently registered as Washington lobbyists and 15 of those have health-care related clients, including all the major drug companies, a number of major health insurers and medical device firms.
In fact, the prospect of rubbing elbows with the possible 60th Democratic vote for a new health care bill was so compelling it even brought out former Republican Rep. Jim Greenwald of Pennsylvania. Greenwald, of course, now heads the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), whose members would make out quite well in the current incarnation of the House and Senate bills. The bills both continue the ban on the reimportation of drugs and would give firms 12 years of exclusivity on all biologic drugs (before any generics could be produced).
Coakley told a reporter the Tuesday night D.C. schmooze-fest had been planned as a "unity event" after her primary win. Guess we now know a whole lot more about those with whom she intends to be "united."
She might have at least waited for the coronation.