Major DC Lobby Firm Throwing Fundraiser For Wisconsin GOP Leaders

[undeterred]

From Wisdems:

March 15, 2011
Wisconsin GOP Heads to DC to Collect Corporate Cash From Mega-Lobbyist Haley Barbour

MADISON - Having rammed through Scott Walker's extreme power grab to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights and make Wisconsin more like low-wage, low-benefit Mississippi, Wisconsin's Republican establishment is headed to Haley Barbour's D.C. lobbying firm Wednesday to bag lobbyist cash.

Barbour is renowned for his ability to raise huge sums of corporate cash, including 7-digit checks from the likes of Koch Industries and Fox News parent company Newscorp. These huge corporate special interests are the same ones to which Scott Walker and the Republicans have catered shamelessly, offering no-bid contracts to their political benefactors like the Koch brothers and tax breaks to the wealthy.

The Republican mission to answer to their fat cat masters will include Scott Fitzgerald, who has run the Wisconsin Senate like a Banana Republic in trying to shut down dissent to the most divisive piece of legislation in Wisconsin history - legislation that 74% of Wisconsinites opposed.

"When it comes to the Republicans in Wisconsin like Scott Walker and Scott Fitzgerald, we know they heed their master's voice," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Tuesday. "Millions of Wisconsinites are fearful for their communities, their jobs and their standards of living following Walker's divisive power grab, and with their trip to "Big Daddy" Barbour's lobbying lair, it looks like Wisconsin Republicans are going to cash in on Wisconsin's misery."

http://www.wisdems.org/news/press/view/2011-03-wisconsin-gop-heads-to-dc-to-collect-corporate-cash

Report: Major DC Lobby Firm Throwing Fundraiser For Wisconsin GOP Leaders

On the heels of their 18-1, Democratic Senator-free vote to roll back collective bargaining rights for thousands of state workers, Republican leaders of the Wisconsin state Senate will head to a high-price fundraiser in their honor in DC.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel key players in the Wisconsin GOP will gather at the downtown DC headquarters of lobbying firm BGR Group March 16 for an event that donors "are asked to give at least $1,000 to the state Republican Party's federal account" to attend.

It takes $1,000 to get you in the door, but "sponsors" are asked to pony up $2,500 and "hosts" 5,000.

Some of the names on the list of elected Wisconsin Republicans scheduled to attend, according to the Journal Sentinel:

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau; Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon; Rep. Scott Suder of Abbotsford; Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend; and Joint Finance Committee co-chairmen, Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills and Rep. Robin Vos of Burlington. ... All five Republican congressmen and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are listed as invited guests.

Wisconsin connections to BGR run deep. The president of government affairs for the firm is Bob Wood, who the paper reports was a "former chief of staff and campaign manager" for former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. On the national level, BGR couldn't be more connected to the national establishment. The firm's original name? Barbour (as in Haley) Griffith Rogers.

The state GOP says the event "was scheduled well before" Gov. Scott Walker's (R) controversial budget was introduced.

"While we'll be doing all we can on various fronts to try to counter some of the millions that national union bosses and Moveon.org are now pumping into the state to influence Wisconsin elections," state GOP Executive Director Mark Jefferson told the paper, "this particular event doesn't really play into it much."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/report-wisconsin-senate-gopers-headed-to-high-dollar-dc-fundraiser-next-week.php

[sybylla]

1. Time to collect a little quo for their quid.

This was out last week - the day after they voted in the senate this trip made news. It only goes to show, like Mike Tate says, they have owners and now they're going to sit up and beg and get their treats.

[undeterred]

2. Can the local GOP afford to support them like this?

I don't think so.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

3. I sure hope they are given a proper WELCOME

We should have chartered buses and gone to DC to meet them

[undeterred]

5. There's a protest being organized in DC..

I just hope they will feel the contempt we hold them in.

[plumbob]

4. GOSH! Does this mean they're ABANDONING the state? OMG!

Shouldn't they be found in contempt???!! Fined??!!! Pilloried??!!


I prefer drawing and quartering, but apparently, there are some sort of regulations against that. Why, I cannot imagine.


Hmm, Republicans and money - there's bound to be some photo ops with whores and drugs! Someone needs to take a camera and follow these folks around. Illicit sex, bad behavior, drugs just naturally follow Republican bucks....