Corporate & Securities Law

Presidential Candiates On Antitrust

By Manfred Gabriel

Reuters is running a story on what the presidential candidates’ positions on Antitrust might be. The gist is: to the extent we can guess, significant change is unlikely. Here is a taste:

Overall, none of the leading presidential candidates is considered an antitrust maverick although Democrats have had a reputation for being more aggressive than Republicans in challenging mergers.

This party difference may even be disappearing. “This is about incremental changes for the most part, not a revolution,” said Bert Foer, president of the American Antitrust Institute.

Of the leading presidential candidates, most is known about Hillary Clinton’s views on antitrust because of her work as a senator and her role in her husband’s presidency.

If she is elected, “there’ll be a return to the Clinton era of antitrust, which was actually more centrist,” said attorney Mike Keeley of Axinn, Veltrop and Harkrider LLP.

Seems that only John Edwards, as far as is possible to tell at this point, would take things in a different direction.

Of the Democrats, former Sen. John Edwards, who is struggling after defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire, was the “most likely to be aggressive on antitrust,” said Keeley. Edwards has campaigned on a populist, anti-corporate greed theme.

And a shout-out to our friend Mike Keeley.

Full post as published by Antitrust Review on January 14, 2008 (boomark / email).