A boatload of dough for House Republicans

A leisurely two-hour cruise in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend proved highly lucrative for the House Republican leadership. With a three-story yacht and House budget chairman Ray Sansom, R-Destin, as the big draw three days before the start of the session, the party raised $3-million for use in House races in the 2008 cycle. (By comparison, the GOP took in $4.3-million in the fourth quarter of '07). 

"It takes money to run campaigns," Sansom said. "I always say, when the press stops charging money for ads, we'll stop raising money." Among the lobbyists who embarked from a Destin marina with Sansom & Co.: Rich Heffley, Woody Simmons, Steve Uhlfelder, Travis Blanton, Greg Turbeville, Chris Dudley, Chuck Hinson and Paul Hamilton. The donors and the amounts don't have to be reported until April 10.

Comments

Sleazy.

How is that sleazy? Its what any other political party does to raise cash!

The GOP is a real grassroots supported organization.

[scott]

Money to pay for advertising is the only way conservatives can counter the FREE message conveyed by all of the liberal news media.

[PFG]

Leave it to a Republician to waste tax payers money. Or waste money on the rich!

Do you think that this fundraiser was financed by taxpayers? Get a life.

[PFG]

No you get a life .. there are plenty of other things this $$$ could have been used for!

so are you going to complain about the dems raising money? also, this is peoples personal money they are DONATING to the party. what should they spend their own $$$ on?

[AJS]

Should they give their hard-earned money to you PFG?? I'm sure you would be much better at managing their money. You and Karl Marx have all kinds of great ideas for wealth distribution don't you?

PFG - you might need to go back to UF and take politics 101 over and reread fundraising.

[America]

"It takes money to run campaigns," Sansom said.”

Sooner or later the voters will figure out that it may take “money to run campaigns”… but it takes integrity to run a government… and hopefully, that will be the end of these scumbags and the beginning of a better tomorrow.

Dear America - it will also take money (not tax payer dollars of course PFG) to run Democratic (or any other) candidates against these "scumbags" to get folks with integrity elected. Not sure I see your arguement. Campaigns = MONEY regardless of your moral values.

[America]

"Campaigns = MONEY regardless of your moral values."

Classic; and we wonder why we're our country is a mess.

That boat ride is usually $10,000 per person unless it went up this year.

hey liberals, didn't Obama raise $30 million last month?

Of course the special interest lobbyists who paid or raised $3 million will expect NOTHING in return from the House Republicans. Riiiight!

Get off your high horses. You guys are acting like lobbyists conribute only to Republicans. You do know this is a two way street dont you?

I didn't see you there Steve...or was that you in the life boat rowing next to us?

How absolutely disgusting. They should use the money to fill in the budget cuts for health care and education. I am so sick of this.

11:25 - Why on earth would the candidates who raised the money that was donated to them for their reelections use it to "fill in the budget cuts for health care and education?" What a completely stupid idea.

Would the democrats "fill in the budget cuts for health care and education" if they raised $3 million? Absolutely not.

Obama and Hillary raised a combined $85 million LAST MONTH. Why don't you ask them to use their campaign money to "help the kids?" Give me a break!