RNC spent $1946.25 at sex-themed nightclub Voyeur West Hollywood.

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress

RNC spent $1946.25 at sex-themed nightclub Voyeur West Hollywood.

Michael SteeleRepublican National Committee chairman Michael Steele evidently does not share the right’s disdain for Hollywood, a commitment to conservative spending practices, or discomfort with sexuality outside of traditional marriage. The Daily Caller reports that “FEC filings suggest Steele travels in style”:

*****Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent (update: the amount is actually $1,946.25) at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

“There are topless ‘dancers’ acting out S&M scenes throughout the night on one of the side stages,” a rave review of Voyeur on Yelp.com describes. “There’s a half-naked girl hanging from a net across the ceiling and at one point I walked to the bathroom and pretty much just stopped dead in my tracks to watch two girls simulating oral sex in a glass case.” Although Steele’s high-flying ways have angered GOP donors, RNC communications director Doug Heye explains, “It takes money to make money.” (HT Oliver Willis)




Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/29/rnc-voyeur/

[Christa]

1. Hypocrisy, thy name is RNC. nt

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheEuclideanOne]

52. I would surely overlook the money he spent at the strip club if....

I could have a tape of Michael Steele rapping to the strippers. :)

[trusty elf]

108. How about a pic?

[MisterP]

112. who's that on the right, Jack Ryan? nt

[TheEuclideanOne]

120. The pic was removed

do you have another link?

[CubicleGuy]

71. Hey, it's a 'stimulus' program...

... that doubles as a 'stimulation' program. Spreading the money around is bound to help the economy, right?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

127. ...

:spray:

[sudopod]

74. When a problem comes along

you must whip it. =D

[Moosepoop]

88. Whip it good!!

:spank: :evilgrin:

[LiberalEsto]

2. Please don't send Steele back to Maryland!

We don't want him.

[Raschel]

45. What will the Republicans do? Do you think they'll get rid of their token?

[LiberalFighter]

54. There must be someplace in MD that you would approve for him to return.

[Botany]

3. Man of Steel?

"That's How We Roll In The Northeast"

[barbiegeek]

4. Rec it up

[shotten99]

5. I'll miss that dirty man! No one else is quite as entertaining!

[YOY]

6. Mike Steele doesn't hate puppies...in fact he like to watch sweater kittens.

Then again...so do I...but I don't play cam'n Moral Majority, do it?

[whathehell]

99. Um....I'm almost afraid to ask but..

What are "sweater kittens"?

[whathehell]

101. Never mind, YOY...I just googled it.

[glinda]

7. K&R n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. 'It takes hypocrisy to make hypocrisy'

[AlbertCat]

9. “It takes money to make money.”

..... when you don't really WORK.

[golddigger]

10. The "Family Values Party!"

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sakabatou]

11. Those are some values you hold, RNC

[KamaAina]

12. When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton replied, "That's where the money is."

And when it comes to repuke campaign donations, we now know where the money is. :eyes:

[RedstDem]

13. Lol

Stay Classy RNC

[Democat]

14. What will the children think?

Did they ever get all that designer clothing back from Palin, by the way? :headbang:

[Incitatus]

15. $1946.25?? It sounds like someone went to the VIP room.

[Yavin4]

18. See My Reply at 17

No matter what a stripper tells you. There's no sex in the champagne room.

[Ganja Ninja]

16. That's just how the GOP rolls baby.

After a long hard day of mingling with the gullible unwashed teabagger types you gotta blow off steam somehow. Viva Viagra!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

134. GAH!!!

;rofl: ;rofl: ;rofl: ;rofl: ;rofl:

[Yavin4]

17. There's No Sex in the Champagne Room

No matter how much you spend. No matter what a stripper tells you. Aint no sex in the champagne room:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSLeUTpwFjI

[stlsaxman]

113. Chris Rock is still one of the funniest men on the planet!

[Oldtimeralso]

19. K & R for "Good Time Mikey" n/t

[HopeHoops]

20. Serious question: are Republican men REALLY that hard up?

I mean, a lot of them are married - don't they ever get any?

[Yavin4]

22. Yes. They Are That Hard Up

No. They're not getting any which goes a long way towards why they are such asshats.

[AlbertCat]

23. I mean, a lot of them are married - don't they ever get any?

Can you say.... Married for the money?

What's love got to do--- got to do with it?

[pitohui]

51. there's no "married" that puts S/M bondage babes acting lesbian sex scenes in yr face

i'm enjoying how delicious this scandal truly is but to pretend that getting married is going to meet THIS kind of need (for democrats or republicans) is ridiculous

i'm married, and i'm into bondage/SM, nonetheless, i'm just one woman, i can't be a whole club full of babes in glass cages whipping up on other babes to make them eat me out (or pretend to) right there in front of you

group/performance/public scenes -- including those involving bondage/SM -- are not so easy for most people to find, without spending money, as you seem to imagine...

[h9socialist]

21. Well, at least they're following in the footsteps of . . .

. . . other great Republicans like the Reverends Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart! I can't wait to hear the confessional: "I have sinned against you, Lord."

[Kali]

24. LOL

best comedian working, these days! You go, Mikey!
What a clown.

[FlyByNight]

25. How's Mikey "wearing his hat" now?

Sexual repression thy name is Republican. I actually think he's trying to get himself canned from his, uh, position.

This is awesome.

:evilgrin:

[perdita9]

26. It's not the Sex Shows....

...it's the hypocrisy.

Adults are free to participate in all kinds of kinky entertainment but it's annoying to see the head of the RNC partaking in pleasures his politicians preach against.

[AlbertCat]

63. the head of the RNC partaking in pleasures his politicians preach against.

And charging it to the party! Party on the Party!

If a Dem wants to go there, fine.... just not on my dime. And then don't preach about the Sanctity of... anything.


Sanctity.... he said tity...hu... huhuh....huhu...

[Enthusiast]

89. tity

[progressoid]

27. "a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex."

Thank GAAAAWD it was imitating lesbian sex. If it were real, that would be a crime against our core moral values. :crazy:


Jeebus H. Cripes, you just can't make this shit up.

[Zambero]

57. What? No Youtube link?!?

WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

:mad:

[edbermac]

28. I'll bet Clarence Thomas is pissed.

They didn't even have the courtesy to invite Justice Long Dong Silver. :grr:

[fatbuckel]

29. That`s the amazing part....

I like boobies but I don`t go around telling people it`s not moral or right.

[patrice]

31. Bingo!~

These folks think they are God, going around telling others who can live and how and who should die and when, but NONE of their judgements apply to themselves. That's Blasphemy.

[maxrandb]

66. Our using the "Company Dime" to indulge

as one poster said...I don't give a crap if he like to have hot candle wax spilled on his naughty bits...JUST USE YOUR OWN DAMN MONEY, or be honest with your spouse about what your needs are...you'd be surprised!

[DeSwiss]

30. Michael would be the first to tell you.....

...that it may seem uncouth and smarmy, but it's all a part of his Major Outreach Program to turn simulated sex workers into Born-Again Republicans.

- It's the sort of hands-on job he's good at. {fap, fap, fap, fap, fap, fap, fap, fap, fap......}

K&R!

[AzNick]

32. Watch the "lame stream" media completely ignore this...

And yet, it's got what makes people watch: SEX!

At the very most, they will have a "Political sex scandal? <= take note of the question mark" topic at 10pm and then will cut to Palin insulting them because they're spineless corporate slaves.

[anigbrowl]

73. They're not - even Fox is reporting it.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/rnc-asks-member-return-reimbursed-bondage-club-visit/

[AzNick]

94. Ok. Sex sells. And trumps party affiliation.

Which is why I find Bachmann strangely attractive.

[awoke_in_2003]

98. Don't forget

Katherine Harris.

[AzNick]

115. Meghan McCain...

I totally dig Meghan McCain.

Katherine Harris... too much make up. I don't mind mature women but that's a lot of makeup, dude.

[awoke_in_2003]

117. Yeah, she needed to take some of it off. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

118. And I will admit one more...

there were times when Hillary was a Senator when I said "Damn". But then there is a different kind of sexiness (not the cheap kind) about a confident, intelligent, and powerful woman (don't get me started on Rachel Maddow, it breaks my heart :) ) I am married to a strong woman- she has to be, she tolerates me :)

[jmowreader]

133. Bachmann is strangely attractive

Which she HAS to be to sell the crap she's peddling...if Serena Joy over there was just average-looking, or even unattractive, no one would listen to her.

[sabra]

33. RNC investigating money spent at L.A. bondage club

Source: The Hill

A Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson said the committee is looking into a large expenditure at a Los Angeles club known for simulated bondage scenes and nudity.

A Daily Caller report Monday pointed out the expenditure, which was for almost $2,000 at Voyeur West Hollywood.

An RNC spokesperson said the committee is looking into the matter, but said the expenditure was made by a non-committee staffer and added that the report erroneously hinted that RNC Chairman Michael Steele attended the club.

"The chairman was never at the location in question; he had no knowledge of the expenditure, nor does he find the use of committee funds at such a location at all acceptable," the spokesperson said. "Good reporting would make that distinction crystal clear. The committee has requested that the monies be returned to the committee and that the story be corrected so that it is accurate.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/campaign-committees/89611-rnc-looking-into-money-spent-at-club-featuring-simulated-sex

[sakabatou]

34. And now, a look at the pervs who dwell inside the RNC

[Cirque du So-What]

37. Not only pervs, but incredibly stoopid ones at that

Who in their right mind adds a trip to a strip club to their expense account? These are the best & brightest that the RNC can find to carry out their work? It's alright with me if the RNC continues to hire pinheads of this sort, but I hope incidents like this make it abundantly clear to the public that the repuke party is staffed with idjits.

[Demeter]

35. I'd Pay Money to See GOP Tied Up and Chained

as long as it wasn't simulated....

[old guy]

36. After a thorough investigation

it has been determined there is nothing to see here, so just move along.

[xultar]

38. Riiiiiiight.

[tomm2thumbs]

39. sounds like a call for an official 're-visit' - for inspection, of course!

[SoapBox]

40. BUT...it's OK for them! Just not you!

...it's just another part of the Flippy-Floppy Hypocrisy.

GOPeers/Rushpublican'ts/TeaScumBaggers...anything and everything is ok for them...but not you.

Last evening the roommate was watching G4 TV, which was showing the Adult Entertainment carnival in Las Vegas.

We were laughing...tramps and goofy goobers.

So why isn't St. Sarah the MediaWhore and the TeaScreamBaggers outside the convention center protesting the "immoral" porn industry? BECAUSE...they would rather pick on the black guy in the White House...'sides, those "good old boys" in Vegas need some fun.

*Winky-Winky*

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

41. What, pray tell, is a "non-committee staffer?"

Can ANYONE charge things to the RNC?

Does the RNC just walk into a sex club and say, "Give us our money back?"

Geez, their non-denial denial is laughable. Sounds like Michael Steal wrote it himself.

[Tarheel_Dem]

42. Stories like this will make it more palatable when they dump Steele.

And believe you me, that's what this is all about. They're gonna dump Michael Steele. And I say YAY!

[spotbird]

49. But they might replace him with someone competent

I like him where he is .

[Tarheel_Dem]

77. Ah, that's the rub. But can you imagine the fallout, and the media tour he'll take?

It should be fun to watch, if he's forced out.

[kestrel91316]

43. For those who aren't in the know: re this type of club.

This is BDSM-for-hire. There are individual rooms where the client goes with the girl of his choosing, maybe she's a dom, maybe she's a sub. In private, they engage in whatever BDSM fantasies the client's little old heart desires as long as she agrees (presumably all legal acts, but some clubs cross the line into prostitution). Maybe she beats him, maybe he pees on her, whatever. If the client wishes to pay double, he can watch two girls doing BDSM to each other.

Standard rates for with one girl are about $180/hr. $360/hr if two girls are involved.

I know someone who used to work at another of these clubs in town, she has given me the scoop on this. $2000 made her drop her jaw - that's MANY HOURS.

Oh, and that's ALL that goes on at Voyeur. There's no band, no food and drinks, it's not a dance "club" like comes to mind when I hear the word. The ONLY reason you go there is for BDSM.

My bet is, the person whose name is attached to the expenditure in RNC records is not who it was really for. They probably put someone else's name on it to cover for who was REALLY involved.

[brooklynite]

44. Not sure this is the case...

Not disputing that these places exist, but Voyeur (which has a full website) appears to be "themed" but not "active". I'm reminded of 15 years ago in NYC where there was an equally themed restaurant ("La Nouvelle Justine"), which apparently had surprisingly good French cuisine and drinks (which you could have out of a baby bottle, sitting in a high-chair...).

[kestrel91316]

50. Hmmm. I wonder if my source is confused about which place is under discussion.

[caseymoz]

56. So, bring out some red-shirted guys and behead them for their sins.

Ref. to Star Trek.

[awoke_in_2003]

100. We just need someone

to photoshop this:

[Moonwalk]

86. Don't you just love how the Repukes kavetch about bad reporting when it hurts them? I love this--

"Good reporting would make that distinction crystal clear. The committee has requested that the monies be returned to the committee and that the story be corrected so that it is accurate.”

:crazy:

This from the party that thrives and relies on Faux News! Complaining about "good" reporting? :puke:

[BlancheSplanchnik]

135. Waaaaa!! Make that bad media apologize!!!

Goddammit, they sure love it when it's the other way around (which it usually is)

[bondwooley]

46. Steele is easier to understand when you find out who's coaching him.

Scroll to 0:48 of this video to get a better insight into Michael Steele's behavior:

http://bit.ly/3ppyiu

(disclaimer: link is to a satire video)

I hope he keeps his post. He's the most reliable source of entertainment in party politics.

[indy legend]

53. The Party of Jeeezus strikes again.

I think most of these ass hats are going to be stunned when they arrive in hell and see how many of their "morally superior " friends are there waiting for them.

[Zambero]

55. Is this the new face of "Family Values"?

Yes, I belive it is. The new term replacing the old one is "Focus on the Fantasy".

[caseymoz]

58. Don't mind the venue, but the GOP is generating credibility issues.

Just like the RCC.

I'm waiting to find out that Pope Benedict was in attendance as well with several minors.

[waiting for hope]

59. Michael Steele is a gift that keeps on giving ...

Would someone please give him a mirror?

[alp227]

60. So I guess that the Republican Party should stop supporting abstinence education

Because the head honcho can't stay away from the temptation.

[BrklynLiberal]

61. They should DEFINITELY be called the HNC..Hypocrites National Committee

[Jester Messiah]

62. Wait, I'm confused...

A Republican sex scandal, with a male Repub at the center of it... and it involves women?? That's a first...

[Supersedeas]

65. Family Values

[yurbud]

64. k & r

[DeSwiss]

67. Okay, so Michael's hanging-out with some GOP donors.....

in BDSM night-clubs....

while Sarah's making the pages of the tabloids strutting in the latest of animals skins...


- Is it me, or are we beginning to see the outlines of a trend here???

[Kali]

116. fine grain, republican leather!

snap!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

68. This is the "trickle down" theory at work.

.

[TheCowsCameHome]

69. He should be charged extra because he's a flaming asshole.

Rates subject to change if the client is a loser, like Steele.

[BumRushDaShow]

70. K&R!!!

The GOP has a complete disconnect between what goes on in their pea brains, what comes out of their mouthes, and what happens between their legs.

:rofl:

[anigbrowl]

72. Even Fox News is covering this one...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/rnc-asks-member-return-reimbursed-bondage-club-visit/

They do quote the RNC's claim that Steele himself had no involvement in or knowledge of this escapade, but that's legitimate reporting IMO. They didn't try to obscure the fact of the funds being misspent, or the sordid details of where.

[NewJeffCT]

96. well, they probably want Steele gone

as head of the RNC.

[Botany]

75. Ken Starr where are you now?

[Rosie1223]

76. Must resist urge to post this on conservative boss's facebook wall.

:rofl:

[johan helge]

78. Deleted (nt)

[Quezacoatl]

79. Who is Erik Brown

A friend of Cheney and Steele?

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2010/03/republican-national-committee-expenditures-of-1900-at-voyeur-west-hollywood.html#tp

[johan helge]

80. Interesting, from the original source:

From http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/29/high-flyer-rnc-chairman-steele-suggested-buying-private-jet-with-gop-funds/, about Michael Steele:

Complaints, almost always expressed off the record, have been bitter. “This is not somebody who is out recruiting candidates,” said an aide who worked closely with Steele. “He is not meeting with donors. He’s not asking for money. The guy is writing his book or doing his speaking gigs, or whatever the hell else he fills his days with. Those are his priorities.”

[Techn0Girl]

81. I'm guessing they asked someone in West Hollywood where to find Teabaggers and ...

[FreeState]

84. LOL,,, except women cant do that:) n/t

[Quezacoatl]

82. Something's up

Before Erik Brown was named it looks like the National Legal and Policy Center was trying to give him a heads up

http://twitter.com/NLPC

[kpete]

83. Steele and the 'bondage-themed club that features topless female dancers imitating lesbian sex'

Welcome to Voyeur, a lavish new nightspot suggesting that highbrow elegance and a bit of S&M are not mutually exclusive. Gotta say, you couldn't agree more.
http://www.americablog.com/2010/03/gop-chair-michael-steele-and-bondage.html

[Hawaii Hiker]

85. This is the best story ever, lol!

Beverly Hills Hotel AND The Four Seasons, wow, they don't stay cheap at the RNC...

Can't wait to hear more about Republican adventures at Voyeur WH, :woohoo:

[Wizard777]

87. It's your birthday! Get your freak on! It's your birthday! Get your freak on!

:rofl:

[True_Blue]

90. A Republican into bondage and sadism?

Is this really news? It's not like we haven't been able to figure this out already.

[troubledamerican]

121. 1999 Onion News: Orrin Hatch (R-UT) mistakenly left hanging in sex dungeon

http://www.theonion.com/articles/orrin-hatch-mistakenly-left-dangling-in-bondagefet,3940/

[rurallib]

91. $2000 bucks and I bet there wasn't even a tip in there

Republicans are lousy tippers. Or so I have been told.

[Name removed]

92. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[indy legend]

93. It's just a cover. You know Republicans are smarter than the rest of us. Ya betchya.

[Hubert Flottz]

95. About all the republicans that I know, are Buysexual...

So ugly they have to Buy Sex!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

97. It's those damned Democrats fault!

If they hadn't passed the HCR then Steele wouldn't be forced to go to bondage sex clubs. That's the kind of excuse the GOP is using for the Teabaggers, anyway. The "Party of Personal Responsibility" at its best.

Is Jon Stewart doing new shows this week? He'll have a field day with this story!

[L. Coyote]

102. Big Change from spending 100s of thousands to dress their candidate.

Obama was right, things are changing!

[underpants]

103. I read this headline at work today and cracked up. Any mention on the MSM?...

or is that just wishful thinking?

[Dj13Francis]

104. HAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
I haven't stopped laughing since I heard this.

[pundaint]

105. The Fierce Audacity of Rope!

[BEZERKO]

106. Beautiful!

and so wrong!

[smoogatz]

107. Two thousand bucks

to watch simulated lesbian sex? This is what's wrong with Republicans: totally disconnected from reality. For two grand a Democrat would insist, at minimum, on an actual three-way, preferably an all-nighter, preferably with twins.

[Endangered Specie]

109. shit, if the RNC would let me spend $2k on a sex club, where do I sign up to be a Republican?!

;)

[AzNick]

110. Check the review Steele himself entered

http://www.yelp.com/biz/voyeur-los-angeles

Wow, now he's not even ashamed of it!

[flyarm]

111. they are ALL DAMN HYPOCRITES!..ALL OF THEM!! eom

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

114. The important question is...

who's the cheapskate who tipped a quarter?

[Initech]

119. Dude, the RNC knows how to fucking party!

BUSTED!!! :rofl:

[Liberty Belle]

122. Was Ron Nehring, state party chair, there?

Anonymous emails sent to media claiming to be from a party insider have long suggested he frequents bondage sights and allegedly beat up an ex-lover.

[AtheistCrusader]

123. Only 2 grand? Are they cutting back? Danged economy!

[704wipes]

124. Steele unreachable for comment : "All tied up at the moment."

nt

[EJSTES2005]

125. He was funny while he lasted

[grahamhgreen]

126. Link to club's website - must see! NSFW

[TomCADem]

128. RNC expense report renews criticism about Steele's spending

Source: Washington Post

The Republican National Committee and its chairman, Michael S. Steele, were engulfed in controversy again Monday after new financial reports showed that the party used tens of thousands of donor dollars for luxe hotels, private jets and other questionable expenditures.

The disclosures, some of which stem from Steele's travels to California in January and a subsequent RNC retreat to Hawaii, reignited criticism from fellow Republicans who are troubled by the chairman's financial stewardship of the GOP's main committee since he took over more than a year ago.

Although it is not unusual for either party to spend money in tony settings to cater to wealthy donors, the RNC's latest filings captured widespread attention for one expenditure at a risque nightclub: $1,946.25 for "meals" at Voyeur in West Hollywood, which features topless dancers wearing horse bridles and other bondage gear while mimicking sex acts.

The committee fired an unidentified staff member as a result of the disbursement and emphasized Monday that Steele had not visited the club and was not aware of the expenditure. The reimbursement went to Erik Brown, a Southern California GOP donor who has spent time with Steele in the past and whose marketing firm has earned more than $160,000 from the RNC and other Republican committees, according to campaign disclosure records.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903822.html?hpid=topnews

[chollybocker]

129. And there it is.

The WP headline, including Steele's name, and faux outrage over fiscal bungling. "He's no conservative!/He's not like us!/He's just like Obama!"

Steele will soon be toast, and the RNC's well-executed Coup-by-Scandal will be complete, and the RNC selection process will dominate headlines for weeks to come.



Hi, KKKarl! :hi:

[ShortnFiery]

130. Michael Steele + The RNC = The Gift that keeps on giving to democrats.

:evilgrin:

[quakerboy]

131. Im pretty sure they just admitted to using government office for political fundraising

Isn't that somehow illegal?

The OP article linked to another, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33324.html

In that article, we have the following "Louis M. Pope, who chairs the RNC’s Budget Committee, defends Steele’s expenses, arguing that a bump in costs is unavoidable for a party that lacks control of any of the levers of government."

Or in other words, it costs more to be a Republican now, because they can no longer divert as many government resources to pay for their party fund raising and administration costs. Or did I misread that?

[Hubert Flottz]

132. Better check Mike's diaper!

Family Values = A Frequent Fu*ker's Discount Down At The Cat House.

[what0now0toons]

136. "Republican Family Values In Action!"

Hey;
This story about a GOP Michael Steele staffer blowing 2 grand in one evening at a west Hollywood, Lesbian, bondage strip club was just too priceless to not draw a cartoon for, I knocked one out last night and it's up on my website now http://www.whatnowtoons.com I call it "Republican Family Values In Action!"