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Right Wing Wackiness

Quote of the Day

"I work every day in this job, as I like to put it, to turn the elephant. Now, I don't know if you ever had to turn an elephant, but the end you have to start with is not necessarily the best place to start." --Michael Steele, RNC Chairman, leaving us with the best mental image of the day. [Political Wire] 

Posted 10:13 AM | Thursday, April 15th, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: rnc

Right Wing Wackiness

Teaming Up

Today, Sarah Palin will attend "a free, massive rally and a high-dollar fundraiser" to benefit Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and the Minnesota Republican Party. First, the GOP handed out 10,000 free rally tickets. Then, they sold tickets to the fundraiswer for $500, with prices skyrocketing to $10,000 for a "private reception with photo opportunity." That's right, for a mere $10k, you could have your very own picture with Sarah Barracuda and Michelle Bachmann. [Political Wire]

Posted 9:00 AM | Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: rnc

Right Wing Wackiness

Unsolicited Advice

Hey, RNC: When you make headlines for funding a trip to a lesbian bondage themed strip club, fire people over the incident, and look to staff up again? Maybe it's not the best idea to hire someone who has the same issue. Neil Alpert, the guy recently hired by Michael Steele as a RNC fundraiser, was accused in 2005 by a political action committee he chaired of improperly using PAC money on personal nightclub bills. This could only end badly. [TPM]

Posted 10:08 AM | Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: rnc

Political Junkie

No Money, Big Problems

The Republican National Committee has been spending big money lately on a number of controversial things, but it may be the not-so controversial that cost them.

Aggressive spending helped bring stunning victories in off-year gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia last November, and in the Massachusetts special election that broke the Democratic Party's filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate in January.  But apparently the RNC wound up outspending its own revenues by about the same margin as it has outspent the Democratic National Committee since last summer, according to financial disclosure documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Analysts say that fact, combined with new revelations this week about lavish spending, could hobble the RNC as an engine of Republican fund-raising in this year's battle for Congress. [Yahoo]

Posted 2:10 PM | Thursday, April 1st, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: money, elections, rnc

Political Junkie

You’re Fired

The RNC staffer responsible for the $2,000 tab at a bondage-themed West Hollywood club has been fired by the committee. According to an internal email, the staffer “was aware that this activity was not eligible for reimbursement.  Accordingly, that staff person has been terminated.” Somehow, we think it was less that the activity wasn't eligible for reimbursement and more that the RNC was embarassed. [Politico]

Posted 10:08 AM | Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: rnc

Political Junkie

Source: flickr/ajagendorf25

Steele Me a Dance

In case you missed it: "Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele evidently does not share the right’s disdain for Hollywood, a commitment to conservative spending practices, or discomfort with sexuality outside of traditional marriage." The Daily Caller reports that “FEC filings suggest Steele travels in style”: A February RNC trip to California, for example, included," among others, "$1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.  We can't make this stuff up.

Even Tucker Carlson is having a tough time with this one.  [Think Progress]

Posted 4:31 PM | Monday, March 29th, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: republicans, hypocrisy, rnc

Political Junkie

Hey Big Spender

Politico reported today that RNC Chairman Michael Steele "is spending twice as much as his recent predecessors on private planes and paying more for limousines, catering and flowers -- expenses that are infuriating the party's major donors who say Republicans need every penny they can get for the fight to win back Congress." During Steele's tenure, meal expenses alone have jumped from $306,000 to $599,000. Maybe it's time to go back to the party's roots of Chick-fil-A instead of hiring Wolfgang Puck. [Politico]

Posted 9:31 AM | Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 | Permalink

Tags: rnc