Terry Holt

Terry Holt is a partner in the Republican lobbying firm HDMK. Holt most recently worked as the National Spokesman for Bush-Cheney '04 Inc.and previously served as a senior adviser to the Republican National Committee.

Controversy

One of Holt's staffers, Susan Sheybani, caused controversy in late July 2004. A reporter overheard her saying of workers unhappy with their low quality jobs: "Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?" [1] The timing of her goof was unfortunate, coming shortly after the launch of a GOP-sponsored volunteering effort called Compassion Across America.

Career

According to a brief profile of Terry Holt on George Washington University's website [2], prior to joining the campaign:

• Holt was Senior Vice President and Director of Public Affairs at The Dutko Group Companies, Inc. He joined in January 2003 [3].
• He served as Director of Communications for Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• He was the Communications Director of Victory 2000 at the Republican National Committee.
• He worked for House Budget Chairman John Kasich (R-OH); House Education and Workforce Chairman John Boehner (R-OH); and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Richard A. Lugar (R-IN).

Terry Holt's work at the Dutko Group

According to the website whitehouseforsale.org, when Terry Holt worked for the Dutko Group, "he lobbied in part for the American Association of Health Plans, an HMO group, in favor of the Medicare bill, and on behalf of some of the same HMO's that have produced the Rangers and Pioneers" [4].

While at Dutko, Holt also helped run the Corporate Task Force on AIDS, a campaign funded by the pharmaceutical industry which lobbied to get President Bush's AIDS bill enacted. The task force was headquarted at the Dutko Group. In a May 2003 Washington Post article, Holt described the task force as a "shoe leather" lobbying campaign [5].

Terry Holt attacks John Kerry's Vietnam record

Terry Holt has made some strong attacks on John Kerry's record in Vietnam.

In March 2004, Holt was quoted by the Washington Post saying "John Kerry's campaign seems to be summed up this way: I went to Vietnam, yadda, yadda, yadda, I want to be president." [6]

On MSNBC's Hardball in May 2004, Holt said "But in John Kerry's case, he went to Vietnam. He took his own photo camera, by the way, so he could get some good pictures... As soon as he came home, after just a few short months, he began running for political office on an anti-war campaign" [7]. An outraged Kerry campaign reacted to the attack by demanding an apology [8].

Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Republican National Convention
• Compassion Across America

External articles

• Jim VandeHei, "Drug Firms Boost U.S. President Bush's AIDS Plan," Washington Post, May 1, 2003.
• "Textbook Example," WhiteHouseforSale.org, November 5, 2004. Briefly discusses Holt's connections with the HMO's.

External resources

• Official announcement of Terry Holt's appointment on the George W. Bush campaign website.
• President George W. Bush-Campaign Organization. A briefing document on the website of The George Washington University, DC.
• Race for the White House 2004 (Word document).