GOP Chairman Michael Steele spends $1,946.25 of RNC money at sex-themed Hollywood nightclub
Oh, like I wasn't gonna photoshop THAT. Original marketing image from Voyeur Nightclub, West Hollywood, found here. Attempts to reach the actual Voyeur website resulted in "server busy" errors.
Changing the image of the Republican Par-tay, Chairman Michael Steele spent almost two grand at a nightclub designed around a less-than-family-values theme, ahem.
Via Daily Caller:
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....
Steele himself declined numerous interview requests, though his defenders point out that luxurious accommodations are sometimes necessary to attract big-time donors, especially since Republicans remain in the minority in Washington.
Still, the nature and size of Steele’s expenses are likely to reignite persistent complaints from high-end donors and key party figures that the RNC is bleeding cash in the months before a pivotal midterm election.
Several sources indicate that one must reserve a table well in advance at Voyeur, which anyone with a web browser could research as being "bad for publicity with the Christian wing, if you know what I mean":
West Hollywood’s newest corset, leather, and other trap door lingerie-inspired den, Voyeur, has an inescapable link to Eyes Wide Shut – women in various states of undress line the club, some hanging from the ceiling above you in nets (equipped with whips, so watch yourself), and a photo booth to document the whole thing are just the tip of the iceberg. Around the room, you can catch men and women undulating (er, dancing) in cages, the décor distinctly feels as if you’re unveiling something naughty, and you’re met with a constant stream of various erotic multimedia like film clips and risqué photography. Sorry to have gotten you all worked up at the office.
Did they go on Gay Night? Honestly, I can't decide which is worse: that some GOP fundraiser committee thought the way to reach big donors was to spend two grand at an S&M-sex themed bar, or that GOP big donors are actually courted this way, in complete disregard for the "family values" planks in the party's platform.
And did they think the word "Voyeur" in the FEC filings would go overlooked by us bloggers? Just how stupid are they? Nevermind.
UPDATE: RNC releases a statement; Steele has "no knowledge" of expenditure.
The party of Family Values and Fiscal Responsibility once again shows that they have neither.
At least he was sticking bills in the garter of an adult woman and not the diaper of an infant.
okay, there is a need, as it fits the modus operandi, continue
So Steele says it actually wasn't him in the club. So...let me see if I get this right: Steele didn't spend the RNC money on a club with topless women imitating lesbian sex; a "non-committee" staffer did.
OK ... 1) what is a "non-committee" staffer anyway? You're a staffer for the committee or you're not. You work for the RNC or you don't. Right? And 2) RNC money was still spent on the club, right? The item showed up on the RNC books, right?
What am I missing and why isn't the vaunted liberal media (and for that matter, the conservative media) all over this.
I keep tellin' ya, it's the conservatives who keep having weird sexual problems. They hate those of us who are comfortable with ourselves.
Normal adults don't have insecurities about their sexuality. Can we round up all these people and plunk them in front of Dodson and Ross or something?
Read the readers responses at the end of the article...hilarious.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/0...
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
for $1,946.25 i sure hope that the RNC chair was able to get one of the strippers to touch his little man of steele, or talk about a bad investment
/snark
That's just the going price for a lap dance, since Kellog, Brown and Root have taken over the club.
sounds like we need a pubic option to bring the price down some
Bada-BING!!
When David Vitter heard about this he crapped himself but it's OK because luckily he was wearing his diaper.
Trust me you can get a LOT more B&D fun than a lap dance for a lot less money than $1,946.25 in LA.
Of that I'm sure. I just never had any luck getting someone else to pay for it.
You know a white RNC chair would only have to spend about half that.
/snark with a supremacist tint
As long as he gets his soup, instead having to send Grover back to the kitchen over and over.
Looks like it wasn't Steele, but a staffer - who was reimibursed by the RNC. Not quite as fun a story - and people should be able to go to any club they want to (it is after all a free country...) - but still, gotta love them family values, and the fact it was on the RNC dime...
Your facts do not support the photoshop.
It was still payed for by RNC funds and to me that is no small deal. And even if he didn't know when you are the boss its your responsibility to hire trustworthy people and supervise what they did. Not that I expect a Republican to know anything about basic management.
So...let me see if I get this right: Steele didn't spend the RNC money on a club with topless women imitating lesbian sex; a "non-committee" staffer did.
OK ... 1) what is a "non-committee" staffer anyway? You're a staffer for the committee or you're not. You work for the RNC or you don't. Right? And 2) RNC money was still spent on the club, right? The item showed up on the RNC books, right?
What am I missing and why isn't the vaunted liberal media all over this.
I don't know how the RNC works but my assumption was that there are a bunch of rich and famous big shots on it who use their connections to reach out to other rich people and raise money. The big shots are the people who actually make up the committee (including Steele himself the chairman) kind of like a board of directors, but there are also staff people, assistants, writers, etc. So a non-committee staffer would be one of those staff people.
Reslug morals and values died long ago with the many Reslug sex scandals and cheating bastards.
...has got to be into bondage, submission, torture, and slavery.
..but for the party of the righteous right, "What, me tapping a foot in the airport men's room?, What, me sleeping with an aide's wife? What, me having sex with a prostitute while wearing a diaper? What, me flying off to South America to be with my mistress on the State's nickel?", par for the course.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Hypocrisy can not be called out enough with these people who are trying to pass legislation telling us how to live our life and spying on our phone calls and internet use. Fuck them and their hypocrisy.
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
..base. You know, the 20% of the nation that identifies themselves as tea-bagg..er, republican'ts.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Bet the teabaggers are happy they scraped up whatever donations they could for the RNC... To help fight the socialist devil... So Steele could have a good time....
Wow, this could make those loonies even more angry!
.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ-IPXpvRaU
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Will some genius parse the grammar of that phrase?
I guess "Getting jiggy with it" doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
Party Animal!
while returning Palin's campaign wardrobe?
http://stellastapleton.files.wordpress.com/20...
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
Where are those J Edgar Hoover files when you need them?
http://www.truthdig.com/images/eartotheground...
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
Might we know who those big donors were who needed to be taken to a strip club such as this one? How much money do they donate after you spend this kind of money on them.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
..class trip for donors. What if was just a goparty party?
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
And when you use the money from 200 donors to wine and dine a single donor for much more money... Who do you then owe your allegiance to?
You owe your allegiance to the guy who promised to deny he ever saw you at that club.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
The stripper with the biggest ta-tas, of course.
We have a winner.......
..Steele's removal or for him to get a raise for creative thinking?
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
that night. Rush can get jealous.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
you are personifying ricky, donkey's don't get jealous
with the dangling participle.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
"...to get a raise for creative thinking?"
Happens to me all the time when I visit a club like that!
..it does sort of stiffen my resolve too!
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Michael Steele, the best entertainment the republican party ever gave the democratic party. We should send them a note of thanks.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
I am happy that the Republicans are out there trying their best to "stimulate" the........"economy"?
Yeah, the club story is funny but the rest of the spending is pretty big too.
"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,..."
That's not chump change either.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
I guess Steele had to go where all the GOP donors hang out , makes sense , right ?
"The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."
that is more entertaining than this guy.. If he were to get kicked to the curb by his brethren, I would seriously miss his hilarious daily boobery.
..the Aristocrats.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
They don't really believe their own BS, it's just what they say to get the religious nutjob vote. They had 8 years to change all kinds of laws the pious and holy want changed and what did they do? Nothing.
..isn't that what they always do? NOTHING? except party like its scenes from Caligula or Eyes Wide Shut.
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
they know that republicans have no morals. they're in it for the money, pay tribute to republicans, they give them "faith based initiatives" money.
stupid democrats carry on this tradition now but will never get any credit for it. wake up Obama
they were confused, thought it was a Safe and Moral place to go.
I know someone can can up with something better than that
Now, we all know by now that the Grand Obstructionist Party is the party of the rich, sexually kinky (why didn't he invite me along for opposition research) and wasteful big spenders.
But they are so desperate to have a minority as party (ha, ha, literally) head to attract minorities, that they will put up with all sorts of over the top behavior from Mr. Steele. Like they do with the white guys.
When Michael is questioned about this you absolutely know he's gonna say "Because that's how I roll". I'd bet money on it.
I read this earlier on HuffPo, but I think there was an update saying that it was a non-board staffer who was reimbursed, not actually Steele who was the patron. Doesn't erase the expense, but it does seem to belong to someone else within the party...
party of OH-La -La? Or the party of "OUCH, you're hurting me... safe word"?
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
I had a stripper over for halftime entertainment for me and nine friends on Super Bowl day. She didn't a great job, allowing us to film and take pics(great for possible legal protection), and it only cost us twenty a head(tips not included). Everything was cool until she demanded cab fare(not part of the agreement). Pissed, I pointed to my brother who was there(a cop), when he flashed his badge I told her to get out or I'll get her arrested for criminal trespassing.
i will need to see all the photo evidence from the halftime entertainment in order to accept your description of the events...
the cab fare was tax deductible.
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
nuts to them
Trust me Samson...I cleaned up the story.
Thank you for tidying things up. So she didn't strip, she just had a total wardrobe malfunction?
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
She was a good return dollar.
oh, i trust that. but, sorry L&L, i will still need to see the uncensored photos. this is still an open investigation of the events that transpired that evening.
:)
"it only cost us twenty a head(tips not included)."
$20 for head? Sounds like a deal. But how did she exclude the tip?
That's why her cabby demands were so outrageous. I told her to start reading the economy section of the newspaper before asking for extras.
Oh, you're talking about excluding a MONETARY tip, not the tip of a guy's.....never mind.
I wonder if Steele would invite Dems and progressives to their conventions how many of us would be tempted to switch parties? It looks like they have the most fun.
I thought MS would surely be toast by Christmas. Guess the GOP has determined they need their token.
With Michael getting all this for free, it must make Vitter feel like a "pay toilet".
If they decide to replace Steele, please call Victoria Jackson. She's crazy as a bat and funny too. I just listened to her speak and sing at the tea party this past weekend. I couldn't help but laugh at her even though I know it isn't nice to laugh at someone in her condition.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
in her condition???
Do you mean "ignorant Republican wingnut?"
Well that and the fact that she's bat shit crazy.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
..they arrested someone for threatening cantor http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100329/pl_nm/us_...
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
too much to compare tea party to the kkk?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NMfc8Mqe34
They're saying it wasn't Steele but rather a staffer, but who cares? The RNC approved the expense; it was taken out of RNC funds which came from a donor. And, over $9,000 for the Beverly Hills Hotel and over $6500 at the nearby Four Seasons? Jesus, wish I had that kind of money. What the heck do these donors think of these spending sprees in this economy?
It would be kind of funny if it were Steele, though....."steele" chains and whips.....fits kind of nicely, don't you think?
Spank me!
First sign of humanity I've really seen in Michael Steele. But seriously - don't they pay him enough to spend his own loot? The only problem I see is him spending money that wasn't his own, but if a grown man wants to hit up a titty bar now & again then good for him. I'm all for politicians, GOP or Dem who aren't pedophiles.
I swear I'm gonna be the first person to run for public office on a platform of yes, I've had sex already (a lot!) and I've even watched porn on purpose. Vote for me, sex is awesome - that will be my campaign slogan.
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with that either. The problem lies in the fact that he apparently spent money which doesn't belong to him -- his little trip to the titty bar was funded by donors who gave that money to the Republican National Committee in good faith with the natural expectation that it would be used to advance the Republican Party agenda rather than Steel's personal party! Also, even though the Religious Right faction of the Republican Party usually objects to adult entertainment in general, this was apparently no ordinary titty bar. This was a place which has a BDSM theme and where topless female dancers supposedly simulate lesbian sex acts -- but the Religious Right does not accept homosexuality and generally views the BDSM scene as an obscene, abnormal, and unhealthy perversion. (And let's face it -- saying that a nightclub has a "bondange-related theme" is most likely a very polite and tactful way of saying that it's a fetish club.)
So not only was Steele reportedly spending money which wasn't his a a titty bar -- and a hell of a lot of money at that, when the party supposedly believes in financial responsibility and at a time when many Americans are losing their jobs and being forced to cut back -- he was spending money at a venue glorifying acts (kinky sex and homosexuality) which many Republican voters view as being incompatible with their values.
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbYtqAWDF2U
"That's fu*#ing retarded."
Big City Mayor
Gosh. I'd have thought a prayer meeting would have been the appropriate venue.
I think the GOP might be about to further compromise its much-trumpeted 'family values' and 'abort' Mr Steele.
"Oiled up his bald head and rubbed it all over my body"
Work that solar sex panel you big man of Steele.
"To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And,
at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between,
plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big "thing."
This is truth, to me. "
-Jack Handy
is there any 'there' there.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
I'm sure it's an excellent place to take the spouse when you can leave the kids overnight at their cousins' place...
An oversexed black man is spending your hard earned racist money on freaky lesbian strippers(probably virtuous white women).
Just thought to let you folks know.
Hmm, two wasters of republican party money, travelling all over...
Sarah Palin + Michael Steele = Michael Palin?
That doesn't quite work, does it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjio-F47IfM&fe...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUspLVStPbk
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Why wasn't I invited?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
When I see a really sexy woman, one thing I definitely DO NOT get is a raging "Republican."
The last thirty years! I mean really how do these people end up with any credibility on anything?
They are liars, very bad at handeling money, too stupid to make good decisions.
I really hope the people wake up and come back to reality. Republicans have almost totally destroied the country.
God damn the GOP!
If this hadn't been put up on Yelp.com today, I'd think it was too much of a coincidence. I copied and pasted.
"Hi I really love this place its not only the new trendy place on the strip but offers a really kinky slant on nightclubs, The price is the real problem - My friend Michael and I spent $1946 dollars on bottle service and tips for dancers - lucky we were on an expense account !!!!!! We are from out of town and dont get to see this back east. We always new LA girls were hot and kinky but this was just too much. Its a great place to let loose when your on a business trip and no one knows who you are. Sometimes you have to drop your conservative ways and let loose - this is the perfect place - as long as its not on your dime!!
Darn, I hope he doesn't lose his job over this, he is so perfect in that position. Lets work to keep him there...
he is almost as good as having grandpa crappy pants and nanook of the north to run against!
I do love watching the repigs whine and cry.
He's really going for broke on this one, isn't he? He's already betrayed the party stance on family values by going to a fetish club which features topless dancers, their stance on fiscal caution by spending so much money (money which didn't really belong to him in the first place), the stance against homosexuality since the dancers in this club reportedly simulate lesbian sex acts -- and now the stance on personal responsibility by claiming that it wasn't him and that he wasn't responsible.
Steele will be very lucky indeed if he manages to wriggle out of this one without the print of either a boot or a bus tire on his backside...
Never trust anyone who insists that patriotism requires you to blindfold yourself with the flag.
...republicans didn't care about poles.
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