Pimp My Congressman
Now, HOH is not saying that Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) resembles a practitioner of the world’s oldest profession. Nor are we saying the 40-year-old bachelor is desperate for a date.
[IMGCAP(1)]Nope, HOH would never in a million years even imply such things.
But if a lady were to, say, shell out a cool grand, well,
she just might have a shot at winning the Congressman’s heart.
Davis is the big prize in a Feb. 14 fundraiser in which attendees are urged to pony up big bucks in order to get up close and personal with “the most eligible bachelor inside the Beltway,” according to the invitation, sent by Heather Podesta of the government relations firm Heather Podesta + Partners.
The invite goes on to note some highlights from the Congressman’s résumé that would impress any prospective date. Davis, for instance, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and cum laude from Harvard Law.
Davis spokesman Corey Ealons says the event is just a “creative way to take advantage of the day,” devised by some of Davis’ supporters. But, alas, Ealons is officially mum on his boss’s dating status.
Here’s what would-be donor/girlfriends really want to know: How does the Congressman feel about long walks on the beach?
Case of Mistaken Identity. Life in the minority isn’t easy, what with having to fight Democrats on taxes and earmarks and in a nasty presidential election. And then there’s the plummeting approval ratings for Congress that are putting Members in the same class as real lowlifes, like journalists and used-car salesmen.
So when House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) got a heap of praise from a constituent recently, he was feeling pretty good, he told attendees at a session of the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
“We just think you are doing the best job,” Blunt said, paraphrasing a fellow plane passenger. But after giving himself a pat on the back, Blunt told the group, he received a somewhat crushing blow.
“And I think you’re the best governor we’ve ever had,” the constituent followed up. Unfortunately for Blunt, his big fan had confused him with his son, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R). Once the Minority Whip explained who he was, all he got was a, well, “You are doing OK, too.”
Still, Blunt says he didn’t take offense. “That’s fairly high praise,” he told the crowd, given the current environment.
Willey’s Back. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton may have been doing her best to woo Virginia Democrats last week, but, surprise, surprise, she’s not going to get Kathleen Willey’s vote. The former Democratic White House volunteer who famously alleged that then-President Bill Clinton sexually harassed her in 1993 has resurfaced of late, promoting her recently released book “Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.”
“It’d be déjà vu all over again,” Willey told HOH on Friday before a book-signing at CPAC, about a potential Hillary Clinton presidency. “Everything [Clinton] just reeks of corruption.”
And Willey’s not just letting her book do the talking. Although she considers herself an independent, Willey says she’s voting for Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), for whom she volunteered in 2000. She even went so far as to send an open letter to Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign warning them to watch their step with regard to Clinton.
Third Time’s the Charm. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) might want to think twice about accepting the endorsement of fellow GOP Sen. Thad Cochran (Miss.). Cochran notes to HOH that McCain is the third candidate he’s endorsed this year. Before announcing last week he was part of the McCain camp, Cochran backed former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.) until Thompson left the race; then he got behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who dropped out last week. “If this goes on any longer, I might set a record,” Cochran says. “I don’t recall ever endorsing three candidates for one election.”
Cochran issued a statement last Thursday endorsing McCain that read like words coming from a guy with his nose pinched firmly shut. Cochran’s one-sentence, milquetoasty mention of McCain — “I am supporting John McCain for the Republican nomination for President” — was followed by several far more laudatory lines about Romney.
The lack of enthusiasm on Cochran’s part might just have something to do with the rather nasty recent back-and-forth between the two men. Cochran told The Boston Globe that the prospect of McCain in the White House “sends a cold chill down my spine.” McCain countered by insinuating on NBC’s “Today” show that Cochran and other Senate critics were “not the most respected Members of the United States Senate.”
Cochran, though, insists the hatchet has been buried. “I support him. I assume he’s going to be the nominee and I want to help him win the election,” Cochran says.
Briefly Quoted. “Are Republicans going to get back our mojo?”
— Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), using Austin Powers-speak during a Friday CPAC session, on the big question facing the GOP in the 2008 presidential election.
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