Finger pointing in the wrong direction
One of John Sununu’s TV ads accuses Chris Pappas of being a “millionaire” suggesting, I assume, that we should oppose his candidacy on that basis.
While some of the other claims in Sununu’s ads are of questionable accuracy, that statement is absolutely correct, and Pappas has made no effort to deny it. His net worth is reported to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million, largely based on his ownership interest in his family’s popular and successful restaurant in Manchester, some interest in real estate and investments. What the ads don’t tell you is that Sununu is also a millionaire, only the value of his current estate is said to be somewhere between $20 million and $36 million.
What is more relevant is the source of Sununu’s present finances, reportedly earned since the end of his first U.S. Senate term in 2009. Although a participant in several bipartisan efforts during his term, since then he has been associated with one of the largest lobbying firms in DC, a holding company that is connected to Bank of New York Mellon, a member of the governing council of Lloyd’s of London, and other board or executive positions that apparently have paid very well over the years.
So if being a millionaire is a bad thing, then Sununu would be three to six times more bad than Pappas, with all the attendant potential for conflicts of interest based on his long term work on behalf of clients. And if not a “bad” thing for Sununu, then what’s the point?