The anti-health care reform decision passed down by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson this week was complicated Thursday when a reading of his self-published memoir turned up clear signs of the Virginia judge's yearning for fame and a deeply rooted link to the Republican Party.
Political Correction did a speed-read of Quest for Justice, Hudson's autobiography, and found that much of his political history was defined by his proud admission of "twenty years of active service to the Republican party."
As HuffPost Hill wrote Thursdsay, Hudson's account shows him to be "an unremarkable, media-chasing paleo-Tea Partier with a wildly outsized sense of importance who failed in Hollywood, radio and TV before settling on a judgeship."
Considering the recent wave of Tea Party and Republican fury toward the individual mandate, a provision that would require individuals to buy health care insurance starting in 2014 (and their subsequent rejoicing over the Virginia judge's ruling), Hudson's display of unabashed conservative activism in his book is raising additional questions about his already tenuous decision.
Here's a passage from Political Correction's report about Hudson's ties to the GOP:
In Quest for Justice, Hudson writes: "Campaigning for a federal judgeship is almost as challenging as running for political office. Rather than court voters, aspirants solicit endorsements from influential political activists with close ties to the senators, particularly the activists who raise the big money. That is where twenty years of active service to the Republican party, and helping in the various campaigns of each senator, paid dividends and gave me the edge." [p. 322, emphasis added]
And another about Hudson's admitted desire for the limelight:
In Quest for Justice, Hudson writes: "[T]he White House offered me the position of assistant secretary of Labor, with responsibility for overseeing enforcement of the nation's labor laws. I spent a day with the incumbent in that job and decided it was not for me. Perhaps it was ego, but I enjoyed being in the public eye--sound bites and press conferences. The Labor Department job was too confining." [p. 249, emphasis added]
Read Political Correction's extensive examination here.