Did you hear the one about the federal government that believed spying on Americans was so critical to national security that they forgot to pay their wiretap bills? That would have been bloody frightening, were this actually about keeping anyone truly safe.
But it's time to bring our friend Nelson back from the image gallery and enjoy his hearty laugh as we enjoy a moment of schadenfreude not for the feds but for the Oregon GOP, also down on their luck with no intervention in sight:
The Oregon Republican Party has debts of $264,000, a federal disclosure report shows - the latest blow to a party still licking its wounds from losses in the 2006 election and which has yet to field candidates for three statewide offices this year.
The party's debts include $35,000 it owes the Internal Revenue Service for about two years' worth of payroll taxes it failed to pay for its employees.
Things are so tight the state GOP is preparing to move its headquarters from a 3,000-square-foot rental office in a south Salem strip mall to smaller quarters somewhere else in the city.
"It's been a tough season for Republicans to raise money," GOP spokeswoman Brianne Hyder said Tuesday.
It's also a continuation of dispiriting times for Oregon Republicans who are hoping to catch a break this year by capturing an open congressional seat and re-electing the lone Republican to hold statewide office in Oregon - U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith.
Besides the $35,000 the party owes the IRS, the party's report with the Federal Election Commission lists unpaid debts to various businesses and vendors, such as the $67,180 that AT&T Wireless is demanding for providing cell phone service to the party. The party has less than $50,000 cash on hand.
Oh man! In hock 60 large to AT&T? Mama (Bell) don't play that. Honestly though, this sounds more like the state Libertarian Party, or the Utah Democratic Party or something. This is a major state party in a state where until very recently they'd been very competitive...and it's supposed to be the corporate moneybags party. They don't run out of money at the GOP. Being poor among Republicans is like wearing fur to Democrats: you can get away with it in some places or for a little while--but it's definitely not cool.
So while the Democratic Party of Oregon has been active and energetic, constantly serving up the party's message at every opportunity and being smart about keeping up with current political events, the Republicans have been, shall we say, a bit phlegmatic. And in the future as we enter a big Presidential election cycle, the DPO will stand ready to assist get out the vote and party-marshalling operations across the state. The Republicans, on the other hand, apparently will be sending teletype messages from Portland to Pendleton, and deploying their resources all over the area around the strip mall their new offices will be in.
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