(Tony Auth via GoComics.com)
Interesting numbers from The New Republic:
House Republicans’ newly created Benghazi Select Committee has attracted attention to their penchant for using investigations of the Obama administration as a fundraising tool. Most of the criticism, thus far, has concerned the National Republican Campaign Committee’s effort to collect email addresses from those who want to “become a Benghazi watchdog” despite committee chairman Trey Gowdy’s plea that they not do so.
It is no surprise, though, that the NRCC would use Benghazi to the Republican Party’s financial advantage. To understand just how lucrative these scandals can be, look no further than Rep. Darrell Issa. He has offered Republicans a clinic in the science of converting phony scandal into political cash.
For most of his career, Issa was a lackluster fundraiser. But through the first five quarters of the 2014 election cycle, his campaign committee has raised $2,573,258. This is an impressive haul, considering he has not faced significant opposition in more than a decade. The two Democrats vying to challenge him this year together have raised less than $50,000 combined. If Issa’s fundraising continues at its current pace, he will raise more this cycle than in his first four terms in Congress combined….
…[T]he Republican grassroots have padded Issa’s coffers: The key ingredient to his miraculous fundraising turnaround has not been high-dollar gifts from PACs and lobbyists, but ordinary Republican voters thanking him, through their contributions, for being the president’s number one antagonist. Issa has nurtured this relationship with the GOP base by cultivating an enormous direct-marketing operation. Four of his top six campaign expenditures so far this year were to direct mail firms and his third largest expense was $70,684 paid to the Post Office…
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Apart from Following the Money, what’s on the agenda for the start of the week?
raven
The swines.
OzarkHillbilly
Keeping dry. And keeping my maters (and peppers and eggplants) warm. Supposed to rain now thru Thursday with highs in the low 60s (Wed 56) and lows around 40. Should be fun.
geg6
Classes are over for spring and commencement was Friday night, so I spend this week wrapping up the last bits of student aid for the spring semester and checking grades for scholarship renewals for fall. Our first summer orientation isn’t until late June, so I hope to spend the next month on a bunch of projects that need completed but weren’t urgent. I want to redesign our student aid web pages and hope to get that done and put to bed before things get crazy in June.
raven
@geg6: UGA finished Friday as well and the public schools end this week. This town is great when all the lemmings leave!
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Show me the money.
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Having been on the quarter system as an undergrad and grad student; I’ve always find school getting out this early odd.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Cobia
BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: I’ve got a nice red/orange tomato on my plant, I hope the whole plant survives our next very hot week.
raven
@BillinGlendaleCA: Yea, when I moved here 30 years ago we were on quarters. I ran the university-wide intramural basketball program for 27,000 students. We had 6 courts in the entire university. Try to get in a season and playoff in a quarter with those numbers.
amk
which he and his fellow thugs are intent are destroying.
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: My interest in basketball is exclusively as a spectator, being 5’4″ has a great deal to do with that.
raven
@BillinGlendaleCA: I once ran a 6ft and under league that was incredible!
BillinGlendaleCA
The kid had fun playing with my new toy(Galaxy Camera 2) and took us out for Korean BBQ. Expensive but yummy.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Nice. Very nice.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: It sounds trite but we got one a good bit bigger right up to the boat and the captain missed with the gaff. It rolled, dove and spit the hook. I’ve very happy with what I got but it would have been nice to get them both. I also kept about a dozen black seabass, the fish tacos were killer.
OzarkHillbilly
@BillinGlendaleCA: Give it some shade. That’ll help.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: I poured my stinky fish cooler ice on plants yesterday, I’ll report back if they respond!
NotMax
Another day, another dime.
Schlemizel
@raven: Spud Webb would have killed :)
Thats abut it for my basketball knowledge.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Here in the hills and hollers, the cricks don’t make our fish quite so big of course ;-) A couple years ago a buddy of mine and I spent a weekend on an island in the Mississippi and I did catch a blue cat that was almost as big (2/3s?) as the one in the pic. I put him back as they are a pain to clean at that size and besides, I really prefer bass and goggle-eye. And walleye. Oh yeah, love them walleye.
Fish tacos… I got a recipe I’ve been wanting to try, you got a good one?
Central Planning
I added this to my list of things to read: What Is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with It?
Should be interesting.
Iowa Old Lady
@BillinGlendaleCA: One time it snowed on the first day of “summer” vacation here.
The Thin Black Duke
It always comes back to “follow the money”, doesn’t it? People who vote for Republicans are a herd of obedient sheep, and they’re going to be the ruin of this country. Yeah, it must be Monday.
Baud
@Central Planning:
Even simpler.
Ash Can
Am I the only person who thinks Trey Gowdy is full of shit with his “pleas” that Republicans not fundraise off of Benghazi, and in fact plans to do so himself? It sounds more to me like he’s attempting to put a figleaf of legitimacy on his circus by saying this, and knows full well that the GOP, and he, will be shaking the rubes down for all they’re worth over it.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: You nail the big catfish to a tree, cut around the head and peel it with pliers (cut the spike off). I do simple fish tacos. For small filets saute in olive oil, season with cajun spices and squeeze lime in. For big chunks I smoke them on a cajun water smoker. Soften corn torts, two per taco, and add shredded cabbage mixed with mayo and tabasco chioptle sauce.
JPL
@raven: You lost me at You nail the big catfish to a tree. ugh
How’s Joe this morning. No morning updates?
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Thanx!
danielx
Mmm…finishing a consulting gig by Wednesday evening and then scraping paint, always a favorite activity. Except that it’s supposed to rain for the next four days so the paint scraping bit may be right out.
Elmo
@OzarkHillbilly:
Want a soooper simple recipe?
Make the frozen Gortons blackened filets. Cube.
Line steamed flour soft taco tortillas with baby spinach, and put cubed fish on the spinach. Top with mixed mayo and dill relish (not sweet), and garnish with cilantro and a bit of lime squeeze.
Instagood.
Hal
Trey Gowdy, the answer to the question; just what type of work did Draco Malfoy pursue after Hogwarts?
OzarkHillbilly
@Elmo: Sounds good too!
Patricia Kayden
@Baud: True. We know quite well who conservatives are and what they want for this country and the world. We just survived 8 years of Bush/Cheney.
Raven
@JPL: I’m at lil bits eye vet.
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: yea , you know if you look around you might be able to find canned old El Paso torts too!
Paul in KY
@raven: Boy, that’s a nice one! Lots of meat there.
WereBear
I am stuck on the conundrum in the ad up top. What rhymes with Mitch? And also makes sense?
That last part must be where I’m puzzled. Knowing who the ad is aimed at.
Raven
@Paul in KY: Yea, I filled two gallon sized zips with big chunks after we ate a mess on the beach.
Paul in KY
@The Thin Black Duke: We have to find a way to reach the ‘single issue voter’ that the Repubs use.
Why is it better to vote Democratic (a party that doesn’t agree with your pet issue) than to vote for the Repubs, based only on their lip service to your pet issue.
If we can pull away their ‘poor folks who are anti-abortion’ voters (for example), they are doomed.
big ole hound
Issa was arrested for fraud and theft as part of his car alarm business and somehow got off, then the big law firms in LA liked his style and “voila” he’s a congressman. This mobster investigating others is beyond the norm.
What’s up with Gowdy’s hair. It is a very spooky color, oily and worn in a 70s lady style.
eric
@JPL: i thought that was the update
Iowa Old Lady
@WereBear: The ads often confuse me. There’s one that says someone supports concealed carry. I had to squint at the teeny print to realize I was supposed to see that as a good thing.
JPL
@eric: Wishful thinking.
rikyrah
Rachel Maddow 05/09/14
Green energy opposition traced to Kochs
Kansas State Representative Steven Becker talks with Rachel Maddow about groups funded by the Koch brothers trying to influence energy policy and the energy market in Kansas by opposing laws that encourage the development of renewable energy.
on.msnbc.com/SK5MXB
Jay in Oregon
So I assume that all of these investigations are supposed to get to the bottom of the Administration’s response to the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
Remind me what Bush and Cheney were doing on their 9/11? Bush read a book to grade schoolers and Cheney tucked tail and ran off to Undisclosed Location. But Obama was supposed to be awake, wide-eyed and leading the charge?
And what’s the over/under on the Select Committee of Benghazi investigating who was responsible for cutting the funding for our embassies?
C.V. Danes
Apparently, racism pays. Who coulda known.
balconesfault
Glad to see Issa getting all those contributions … among GOPers with leadership positions, he’s probably the most likely to be spending most of his time figuring out how to channel most of that money back into his own pockets, instead of spreading around for other wingnut campaigns.
Morzer
@big ole hound:
He sleeks it back with freshly milked bull sperm every morning. After he rises from his coffin.
Hillary Rettig
Some Maine Coon abuse going on right here:
cuteoverload.com/2014/05/12/erin-h-heres-yer-cotd-4-today/
ruemara
Another busy day. New product launch, half the team will be off to shoot in Europe next week and we’re still editing the second new product launch. But, so far, we’ve kept things together. Today is also a short day for me, I have a second interview at a gov agency. Way less to do outside of filming and running filming but far better (98%) pay. But I’d give up walkable commute and working with a friend for a still not bad commute and strangers. I don’t think I’ll be offered the position, since I’ve gotten to this stage many times, but if I do, I’d have to choose. Not that my bruised ego wouldn’t mind having to pick and choose opportunities.
Paul in KY
@ruemara: Hope you get the position you want. With more money!
Not Adding Much to the Community
@ruemara: Good luck! Or, break a leg if you prefer.
WaterGirl
@Paul in KY: @ruemara: Or if you are offered the new position, see if the current position could meet the salary of the new place. :-)
Also, just like guys who are interested in dating you when you’re with someone else, potential employees also seem more apt to offer a job if you aren’t out of work, or soon to be out of work. So don’t be shocked if you get offered this one, too. :-)
Mnemosyne
@ruemara:
The one thing I’d say is, money is important, but it’s not the only thing. If you get a bad vibe from the better-paying one, don’t take it just because there’s more money, because people who don’t respect your skills won’t mind screwing you over.
(What can I say? Those government offices in your town have screwed you over so many times that I just don’t trust them not to do it again and leave you back at square one. Your sanity matters, too.)