OR-05: Mike Erickson’s Havana Affair

If the GOP’s chances of winning the open seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Darlene Hooley took a big hit with the nomination of scandal-chased Republican businessman Mike Erickson (who was last seen harassing voters at county fairs), it looks like the dream is continuing to unravel further and further by the day.

In the diaries, skywaker9 picks up the scoop from the Oregonian: In his campaign materials, Erickson has been boasting of a heroic “humanitarian trip” that he took to Cuba in 2004, which he describes in detail:

Four years ago I was given an opportunity to make a humanitarian trip to Cuba, providing medical supplies and equipment to the disabled and Cuba’s impoverished. The Cuban American Alliance Education Fund was looking for donors to help raise money and deliver supplies and equipment to Cuba’s less fortunate. I was able to purchase badly needed medical supplies and equipment from the US and bring them to Cuba’s disabled and poverty stricken communities.

The trip also provided me the opportunity to see firsthand just how horrific Castro’s stronghold on the nation had oppressed and mistreated people. The living conditions and healthcare were horrible.

The only problem? A copy of Erickson’s itinerary, obtained by the Oregonian, suggests that the “humanitarian” aspect of the trip was merely a cover for a lavish vacation that centered on luxury hotels, sunny beaches, mojitos, and something called “Comandante Fidel Castro’s Annual Gala Cigar Dinner and Auction”. A sampling of the activities on his agenda during the seven-day trip included:

A tour of the Partagas cigar factory and a special reception with the company’s president

Rides in “vintage automobiles”

Dinner at the exclusive “Club Havana”

Dove shooting

A classy evening out “at the cock fights”

What’s more, the itinerary also indicates that the company sponsoring the trip (“Safari Clubs International”) was willing to provide travelers who could not obtain a humanitarian license to visit Cuba with forged papers indicating that they spent their time in Mexico instead. There’s no telling if Erickson himself was provided with this special treatment, but perhaps the Oregonian’s forthcoming article will shed more light on his totally excellent Cuban adventure.

Mike Erickson, you’ve just been nailed.

UPDATE: The full, damning exposé is available here. The best part? Erickson sputtering in his defense: “If that’s not a humanitarian trip, I don’t know what is!” Yes, because no humanitarian trip is complete without a wild and crazy night out at “a Ricky Ricardo-style nightclub with showgirls.”