Interesting bit on politico today (aside from Gabe's peice on the crazy amount of money being thrown out against bank reform, of course). I'm copying it below in full, since its not too long and its impossible to get directly to it on the politico page.

 

Check it out:

 

SCOOP -- On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Joe Scarborough said RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart "should be fired" over the PowerPoint that rocketed around the blogosphere yesterday after POLITICO posted BEN SMITH's story, "RNC document mocks donors, plays on 'fear'":

"The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on 'fear' of President Barack Obama and a promise to 'save the country from trending toward socialism.' The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how 'ego-driven' wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and 'tchochkes.' The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said. In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party's donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives. … 'What can you sell when you do not have the White House, the House, or the Senate...?' it asks. The answer: 'Save the country from trending toward Socialism!' … One page, headed 'The Evil Empire,' pictures Obama as the Joker from Batman, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid are depicted as Cruella DeVille and Scooby Doo, respectively. The document, which two Republican sources said was prepared by the party's finance staff, comes as Chairman Michael Steele struggles to retain the trust and allegiance of major donors, who can give as much as $30,400 a year to the party. …

"The 72-page document was provided to POLITICO by a Democrat, who said a hard copy had been left in the hotel hosting the $2,500-a-head retreat, the Gasparilla Inn & Club. Sources at the event said the presentation was delivered by Bickhart and by the RNC Finance Chairman, Peter Terpeluk, a former ambassador to Luxembourg under President George W. Bush. The RNC reacted with alarm to a question about it Wednesday, emailing major donors to warn them of a reporter's question … The most unusual section of the presentation is a set of six slides headed 'RNC Marketing 101.' The presentation divides fundraising into two traditional categories, direct marketing and major donors, and lays out the details of how to approach each group. The small donors who are the targets of direct marketing are described under the heading 'Visceral Giving.' Their motivations are listed as 'fear'; 'Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration'; and 'Reactionary.' Major donors, by contrast, are treated in a column headed 'Calculated Giving.' Their motivations include: 'Peer to Peer Pressure'; 'access'; and 'Ego-Driven.' … A major Republican donor described the state of the RNC's relationship with major donors as 'disastrous,' with veteran givers beginning to abandon the committee, which is becoming increasingly reliant on small donors."

Ben's story, with links to seven slides from the RNC's "Tools for Success" PowerPoint presentation "The Evil Empire" slide

EXPLAINS THOSE NPR TOTE BAGS: Slide saying that low-dollar and major donors are both by motivated "Tchochkes!!!!!!!!!!" (correct spelling is "tchotchke," btw: "an inexpensive souvenir, trinket, or ornament."

--Slide saying a major-donor motivation is "Wall of Fame" (grip-and-grin shots with pols)

--RNC Communications Director Doug Heye, in an e-mail to Ben: 'The document was used for a fundraising presentation Chairman Steele did not attend, nor had he seen the document. Fundraising documents are often controversial. Obviously, the Chairman disagrees with the language and finds the use of such imagery to be unacceptable. It will not be used by the Republican National Committee – in any capacity – in the future."

--"Statement from DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse on RNC Fund Raising Document: 'If you had any doubt, any doubt whatsoever, that the Republican Party has been taken over by the fear-mongering lunatic fringe, those doubts were erased today. … This revealing document proves what the Republican party has long denied. But now, by their own admission, the express strategy of the Republican party is not to offer new ideas, but "fear." Republicans can no longer deny that they are peddling fear when they are literally selling it as their path back to power. It is a sad commentary on the state of the Republican Party that, devoid of ideas and solutions to our nation's problems, problems created on their watch, that they would resort to these type of tactics. It's sad. But true."

 

I'm unsurprised at the content, but this level of sloppiness is new. How many times do the repubs have to massively screw up before they start loosing whats left of their support? we may just find out...

 

hey, a girl can dream.