CREW’s Handiwork
CREW, the Soros-funded liberal attack organization, recently whined about the preferential treatment politicians have given to their relatives. This Dallas Morning News story highlights the tenacity with which they pursue Republicans:
Ms. Sloan hopes that Congress bans campaign nepotism. Her group studied six years of campaign records from 337 of 435 current House members, those who hold a party leadership post, plus the chairman or senior Republican of any committee or subcommittee. About 93 of 100 senators fit the criteria.
That sounds tame enough. That isn’t where it ends, though:
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, spent $7,000 in campaign funds two years ago to buy his mother’s car, which his campaign now uses. The former House energy chairman paid his wife, Terri Barton, $57,759 and his daughter Kristin Barton $12,622 in the 2006 election cycle. Four years earlier, his campaign sent son Brad Barton $5,000 when he ran for Congress.
Here’s my response to that paragraph: Yawn. Spending $7,000 on a car that the campaign uses doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy. Paying his daughter $12,000+ for a year’s work isn’t exactly exorbitant, either.
Here’s what Mrs. Barton’s duties are:
Mrs. Barton’s duties as “outreach director” include publishing a quarterly newsletter, designing a Web site and Christmas card, fundraising, event planning, managing correspondence and direct mail, promoting her husband’s visibility and recruiting volunteers, Ms. Modlin said, adding that she has years of experience in marketing, fundraising and communication.
That’s alot of work. Getting paid $57,759 isn’t exorbitant by any stretch of the imagination. This information leaves me asking why this qualifies as newsworthy. The simple truth is that it isn’t newsworthy.
In Tyler, GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert has paid his wife, Kathy Gohmert, nearly $96,000 since early 2004, when she quit a full-time teaching job. He’s defended the arrangement, noting that she has an MBA and has devoted long hours to his campaigns since then.
Paying someone $32,000 per year isn’t a big deal, especially when you consider the long hours that were involved.
GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson has paid his daughter Lori Pyeatt nearly $161,000 in six years, and $11,000 to the in-laws of another daughter. Spokesman Jesse Benton said it’s hardly excessive to pay $27,000 a year to a full-time campaign treasurer.
Y-A-W-N
Frankly, this story was planted to imply that Republican politicians were making their relatives rich. CREW wanted this Soros infomercial to drive voters away from these Republicans. I’d seriously doubt that that’s what will happen, though. This won’t even slightly dent the support of these politicians.
Technorati Tags: CREW, Scandal, Corruption, News, Ron Paul, Louie Gohmert, Joe Barton, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
July 17th, 2007 at 3:58 am
[...] Cross-posted at California Conservative Categories: Corruption, Investigations, Scandals, Democrats, Internet, Special Interests, Election 2008, Ethics | [...]
July 17th, 2007 at 8:29 am
True, 7,000 isn’t a lot of money. Hell 70,000 isn’t a lot of money to these guys.
It IS a lot of money, however, to the Joe Sixpack who just might look up from his, self absorption and toys long enough for Soros to make his little point.