In one of those things which make life worth living here in Your Nation's Capital, the Democratic National Committee got the national press corps all atwitter about a fundraising appeal by the Republican Congressional and Senate campaign committee which offered donors three pictures of President Bush for a donation of $150.
One picture is of the President taking the Oath on Inauguration Day; One is of the President addressing a Joint Session of Congress, and; The third is a photo purportedly aboard Air Force One on September 11, showing the President on the phone with the Vice President.
Swallow your coffee, because if you don't it will come out of your nose when you read what Terry McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe, who is the chairman of the Democratic National Committee said the use of that third photo was , "nothing short of grotesque."
See? I warned you.
Here's today's lesson in multiculturalism: The "Ch" sound in the word "Chutzpah" is pronounced like you are trying to clear peanut butter from your soft palate (the top of your mouth, way in the back). The "u" sound is like the "oo" sound in "hook." The "pah" sound is pronounced like the "pu" in "puff" (actually, known to speech majors worldwide, as a "schwa").
Let's try it together. Chutzpah. Very good. You can come to the Seder next year.
Chutzpah used to be defined as the person who, having been found guilty of killing both of his parents, appeals to the court for mercy on the grounds he is an orphan. It will henceforth be defined as: Terry McAuliffe, the Fundraiser-in-Chief for Clinton, Inc. saying ANYTHING negative about ANYONE's fundraising techniques.
The amazing part of all this is how serious the press, the Democrats AND the Republicans pretended this issue is. On the Secret Decoder Ring page is an excerpt from yesterday's White House press briefing dealing with this issue. You will note the standard "I'm-shocked-projectile-sweat" nature of the press corps' questions.
Return with me now to the afternoon of September 11. After the initial shock of the events were over, what did we see on television? Reporter, after reporter, after reporter talked to Democrats who wondered aloud whether, because the President did not hop on a Space Shuttle to get back to Washington immediately, Dick Cheney was actually running the government as they had suspected from the very start.
The Democrats - at least those who had not been spirited away to "secret undisclosed locations" of their own - couldn't wait to try and make political hay out of the attacks. In fact, their first instinct was to use the attacks for political gain.
Only after the President got home that evening, and demonstrated that he was in firm control of our county's future - and at last count, 72 percent of Americans are glad he still is - did the Democrats realize that was not their best possible strategy.
If you would like copies of these photos, e-mail me and I'll send your request along to the appropriate folks. They cost $150 - none of which, unfortunately - sticks to the Mull-fingers.
Last week (Mullings 5/8/02) I wrote that there was a move afoot in Congress to double the amount each passenger would pay for airport/airline security. I also wrote, "According to an AP piece by Alan Fram, the plan seems "all but dead ... as airline lobbyists sprang into action."
I actually ran into some airline lobbyists at a fundraiser for Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) as the guest of the AlaskaUSA Credit Union folks and they provided me with the following info:
-- Federal taxes on a bottle of rum: 11%
-- Federal taxes on a pack of cigarettes: 18%
-- Federal taxes and fees on a $200 airplane ticket: 26%
And, as one pointed out, the Federal government uses high taxes on alcohol and tobacco products to DISCOURAGE their use.
Coincidence? Or influence? You be the judge:
Mullings (5/13/02): "Selling weapons and undies on the same page is not a good marketing strategy. Unless you're Wal-Mart."
Associated Press (5/14/02): "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Tuesday its first-quarter earnings were up 19.4 percent from the same quarter a year ago, beating Wall Street expectations."
On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: The applicable portion of the transcript from the White House briefing by Ari Fleischer, and a pretty good Catchy Caption of the Day.
If you are working at a lobbying firm, a government affairs office, a coalition, or a PAC you should take a
look at this page to see how advertising in Mullings might serve your organization very well:
� 
