Lawmakers take fundraising to slopes
This weekend, donors to a political action committee run by Rep. Jeb Hensarling are invited to the Snake River Lodge & Spa near Jackson Hole, Wyo., for a ski outing hosted by the Texas Republican. The minimum donation: $2,500, according to the invitation, which touts opportunities to take sleigh rides to an elk refuge and snowmobile excursions to the Continental Divide.
Skiing also is on the agenda at a fundraiser this weekend in Vail, Colo., for Democrat Ed Perlmutter. Donations range from $2,400 for an individual to $5,000 for a political action committee.
Donors seeking warmer climes could have joined veteran Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii for a “Weekend of Aloha” fundraiser at a resort on Honolulu’s Waikiki Beach. Inouye’s event, held last weekend, started two days after lawmakers passed President Obama’s $787 billion plan aimed at jump-starting the economy. Lawmakers are on a week-long break and return Monday.
“Everyone is tightening their belts, but lawmakers are doing what they have always done: holding fundraisers in exotic locales,” said Nancy Watzman, who tracks political fundraising events for the watchdog group Sunlight Foundation. “This is the kind of thing that’s out of reach to most people, and it’s pretty much hidden from the public.”
Aides to the lawmakers said the events are driven by the need to raise growing amounts of campaign money. House and Senate candidates raised nearly $1.4 billion to fund campaigns in 2008, up from roughly $1 billion eight years earlier, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.
“Almost every member of Congress is fundraising all the time,” said Julie DeWoody, the finance director of Perlmutter’s campaign. “It’s the reality of running for office and how expensive campaigns are.”
Perlmutter, a Colorado congressman in his second term, opted to host the ski weekend to give “supporters a different way to interact with him and have fun,” DeWoody said. She would not say who planned to attend.
Hensarling’s fundraising event supports his political action committee — Jobs, Economy and Budget Fund, also known as JEB Fund. Hensarling aide Dee Buchanan said in an e-mail that the money goes to “conservative candidates who believe in limited government and unlimited opportunity.”
Buchanan did not respond to questions about fundraising goals and who was expected to attend the event. It was scheduled to begin Thursday night and run through the weekend.
Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, raised about $100,000 at last weekend’s event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, according to Helen Milby, his fundraiser. It was held in Hawaii so Inouye could raise money and carry out constituent work in his home state, she said.
It also “was a great way for people to support tourism in Hawaii,” she added.
About 20 donors, who each raised or gave $5,000, and their spouses came from Washington. “Some were lobbyists; some were not,” Milby said.
She said Inouye would “never” allow contributions from special interests to influence his policymaking. “He’s a great American, and he does what’s right for the country all of the time,” she said. “That’s his benchmark.”
Ethics rules approved in 2007 bar members of Congress from accepting most gifts, trips and expensive meals from lobbyists and organizations that employ them, but did not impose restrictions on campaign activity.
“The same person who can’t buy a meal for a senator can go to the fundraiser, have a nice meal … and give contributions,” said Stephen Weissman, of the Campaign Finance Institute. “This is a real problem.”
The posh venues aren’t restricted to fundraising events, either.
Earlier this month, House Democrats held their annual retreat at Kingsmill Resort & Spa near Williamsburg, Va. House Republicans headed to The Homestead, a mountain resort and spa in Hot Springs, Va., for their policy retreat.
The lawmakers used campaign funds to pay their expenses. But the non-profit Congressional Institute helped underwrite staff travel and overhead expenses for the Republican gathering, said Matt Lloyd, a spokesman for the House Republican Conference. He confirmed that participants included lobbyists who help fund the institute, which hosts seminars for lawmakers and conducts public policy research.
The getaway was approved by the House Ethics Committee, he said.
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| Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-19-fundraising_N.htm |
$500K spent on Dem caucus retreats
| Posted: 02/03/09 07:10 PM [ET] | |
| The House Democratic Caucus spent more than $500,000 in taxpayer money over the past five years for its annual retreats at resorts in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
On Thursday, Democrats will head to the Kingsmill Resort and Spa in historic Williamsburg, Va., for the three-day planning powwow. The resort boasts multiple championship golf courses, a full-service spa and six restaurants.
<!–
if (!document.phpAds_used) document.phpAds_used = ‘,’; phpAds_random = new String (Math.random()); phpAds_random = phpAds_random.substring(2,11); document.write (”<” + “script language=’JavaScript’ type=’text/javascript’ src=’”); <a href=’http://ad.thehill.com/adclick.php?n=a5f6dd33′ target=’_blank’><img src=’http://ad.thehill.com/adview.php?what=zone:33&n=a5f6dd33′ border=’0′ alt=”></a> Individual lawmakers pay for most of the expenses related to retreat lodging through their campaign committees, but the Democratic Caucus subsidizes some of the costs for what aides consider “official business” — to the tune of nearly $100,000 each year, according to a Democratic aide involved in retreat planning. Democratic leadership sources were reluctant to talk about any aspect of the trip, but they defended it as an important planning session for the entire country. “This retreat is strategic planning for the country,” said Democratic Caucus spokeswoman Emily Barocas. “The president, vice president and three Cabinet secretaries will be meeting with the caucus to plan the direction we are taking the country in.” The topic is particularly sensitive this year after several Democratic lawmakers slammed American International Group (AIG) executives for spending more than $440,000 at a company retreat in Monarch Beach, Calif., just days after the federal government bailed the company out with $85 billion in taxpayer funds. Several Democratic lawmakers also excoriated banking and financial companies for flying in corporate jets to Washington to testify before several committees about their need for billions more in bailout money. Williamsburg hardly compares to a balmy beach destination, but in the past five years, some of the retreat expenses jump off the page. In 2004, for instance, the caucus paid more than $27,000 to Executive Jet Management for a chartered flight for Bill Clinton, who addressed the issues conference. A Democratic aide said costs soared for Clinton’s travel because there was a “horrible blizzard” that caused his plane to become stuck two days longer than expected and the caucus had to spend extra money for de-icing and storing the plane. In 2005, the caucus cut a $1,100 check to retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s consulting firm for a speaking fee. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s firm received $864 in 2003 for her retreat address. Besides Obama, Biden and three other Cabinet secretaries, Democrats this year are hosting Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who will talk about stimulating the economy through technology and innovation. In the past, the caucus has also paid for food and after-hours entertainment. In 2003, for example, the Caucus spent $11,200 on food and $6,900 on entertainment. Costs for renting conference rooms at the resorts also make up a large chunk of the total. In 2004, the caucus spent at least $15,000 on space rental. Democrats spend the most money, however, on transportation. Since 2005, the caucus has chartered an Amtrak train to ferry members to the Kingsmill resort. It costs roughly $70,000 each year for the Amtrak charter. Democratic aides argue it’s necessary so that members can spend time together and not end up taking separate cars and arriving at staggered times. Traveling by train also helps ensure the safety of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is second in the line of succession to the presidency and requires constant security detail. In this case, the source said, security helicopters fly above the train. In 2003 and 2004, the caucus used chartered flights and rented cars and buses to transport members to the Nemacolin resort in Woodlands, Pa. The chartered flight cost more than $10,000 and the buses were $6,500, but the hassles weren’t worth it: One year, a Democratic aide recalls, the buses broke down and closed down an entire highway. Democrats and Republicans have criticized each other for the way each party pays for its annual retreat. Republicans huddled at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., last week. The Congressional Institute, a nonprofit that pays for activities at least in part through dues from lobbyists, subsidizes the GOP retreat. Republicans also allow members of the institute’s private sector advisory board, many of whom are lobbyists, to travel to the resort each year for a dinner with the members. Democrats don’t allow lobbyists at the retreat, but Republicans criticize the use of taxpayer dollars for expenses for retreats at resorts, especially during the economic downturn. Meredith McGehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, said she believes it’s useful for members to gather in a setting away from Capitol Hill once a year. Still, she said, when the economy is suffering and people are losing their jobs, members must be mindful to scale back and not use taxpayer dollars for luxury items. “I actually think there is utility in meeting together once a year to concentrate on getting everyone to row their oars in the same direction,” she said. “But how much money is spent this year and the scope of it and how many frills there are is important. It sends a message on how seriously members are taking the economic problems when people are being laid off left and right. Unlike Michael Phelps, [lawmakers] are indeed role models.” Common Cause’s Sarah Dufendach said she would rather have taxpayer money than special-interest money funding retreats. But she said this year, both Republicans and Democrats would have been better served by having their retreat locally at a place such as the Library of Congress. “It would have been really good PR for both sides to stay home and bring a box lunch,” she said. |
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From the Heritage Foundation Morning Bell: The Pelosi-Obama-Reid Trillion Dollar Debt Plan |
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Last Friday we warned you about some family planning provisions tucked away in the House stimulus bill. Some conservative lawmakers then took up the issue on the Sunday shows, and the provisions quickly became a symbol of how completely unrelated to “economic stimulus” the House bill really is. Being the savvy political operator he is, President Barack Obama has now instructed House Democrats to remove that one provision. But, like much of Obama’s presidency so far, this was a completely symbolic move. The family planning provisions are just one small loophole inside of a massive new permanent expansion of socialized medicine. Don’t believe us? Here is how the New York Times reports (not editorializes, a hard news report) on the bill:
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This is why long time advocates for socialized medicine, like Ways and Means health subcommittee chair Pete Stark (D-CA), have been telling reporters not to expect any other health care legislation this year. This “stimulus” bill is the left’s major down payment for socialized medicine. By making everyone eligible, the bill makes government health care the default option for the unemployed. Coupled with their SCHIP legislation that makes three-fourths of all American children eligible for Medicaid, this stimulus bill is designed to maximize the pushing of Americans off their current private coverage and into government run health care. The left’s power grab does not end with health care. As we noted last week, and the New York Times reports today, the bill will “profoundly change the federal government’s role in education, which has traditionally been the responsibility of state and local government.” The NYT continues: “The proposed emergency expenditures on nearly every realm of education … would amount to the largest increase in federal aid since Washington began to spend significantly on education after World War II.” And we haven’t even got to the Christmas tree like wish list of other long sought after leftist spending priorities, which include: $1 billion for Amtrak, $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts; $400 million for global warming research; $2.4 billion for clean coal; $650 million for even more digital TV conversion coupons; $600 million for new government cars; $7 billion for modernizing federal buildings; $150 million for the Smithsonian; and $54 billion for Economic Development Office and Small Business Administration programs that the OMB or GAO have already analyzed to be “ineffective.” All of this deficit spending has a cost. And the Congressional Budget Office confirmed yesterday that the cost of servicing the mountains of new debt of all this government expansion pushes the total price tag of just the existing House spending plans (before a single cent of Senate waste is added) to over $1 trillion dollars. In a letter to Rep. Paul Ryan (D-WI) CBO director Doug Elmendorf writes: “CBO estimates that the government’s interest costs would increase by $0.7 billion in fiscal year 2009 and by a total of $347 billion over the 2009- 2019 period.” In other words, the Pelosi-Obama-Reid Debt Plan already weighs in at $1.172 trillion. President Obama reportedly told Republicans yesterday, “I would love to not have to spend this money.” Every American is free to take Obama’s words at face value. Or you could believe the President’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Commenting on the left’s governing plans this November, he said: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.” Exactly. |
BY Herschel Smith
2 months, 3 weeks ago
So Obama wants to quit relying on the U.S. military alone to implement U.S. national security objectives. Okay, in contemporary slang, The Captain’s Journal is “down with that.” So he’s going to get the State Department playing on the same side as the military? Er … maybe not.
View the video vey disturbing
“Just as powerful, just as strong, and just as well funded.” So the astute observer and deep thinker might reflect for a minute and be compelled to pose several questions (although the MSM won’t).
At any rate, these questions seem to be compelled by the proposal. The best bet, however, is that the MSM won’t pose a single one of them (but we do get to add another snappy sounding category to our stable of articles – Civilian National Defense Force).
