You callin’ me a trial lawyer?

Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, Iowa, was called upon to deliver the Democrats’ response to a Republican alternative offered at the very close of the House health care debate last weekend.  As Braley talked, some of the Republicans yelled “trial lawyer” at him.  I just asked him about the episode.

Henderson: “You were ridiculed by some of the Republicans, they yelled: ’Trial lawyer.’  Do you think (being a trial lawyer) is like a scarlet letter to some people?”

Braley:  “Well, it was surprising to me because some of the people who were yelling at me were people that I considered my friends. It was a complete breach of the rules of the House and I don’t get it.  There’s plenty to disagree about on changing health care in this country, but I think it’s really demeaning to the institution of the House to engage in personal attacks directed at people on the floor.

“So I had no problem with people challenging the policy that I was advocating, which is promoting patient safety, but I was very concerned why people chose at that late hour to engage in personal attacks on me.”

Henderson:  “Were any of them trial lawyers?”

Braley:  “No, but one of them who was sitting next to a member of the Iowa delegation has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to have trial lawyers represent him in ongoing ethics investigations in congress…Don Young of Alaska.”