From Drudge
While most of the nation was stooped in silence Thursday morning to commemorate the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Sen. Patty Murray was holding a $1,000-a-plate fund-raising breakfast in the nation’s Capitol. The event, which raised $10,000 for Murray’s campaign against George Nethercutt, was denounced by Republicans as tawdry. Even some Democrats privately questioned the wisdom of holding a fund-raiser on what is still a mournful day. A Democratic strategist said he would have strongly recommended against holding any event — either fund-raising or political — on Thursday because of the public’s sensitivity to the anniversary.
Fundraising for the victim’s families would have been OK by me.
"It’s hard to believe that anybody could forget the two-year anniversary when there were so many remembrances being held to mark the solemn occasion," the Republican strategist said. But Murray defended the event, pointing out that she attended a candlelight ceremony in Seattle Thursday evening and stressing that she has worked hard to improve the nation’s security in the wake of the attack. "I woke up (Thursday) morning with a sense of sadness of what happened two years ago," she said in an interview. "Certainly I weighed everything I did (Thursday) against that, as I’m sure every American did. Every American works through that day in their own way. I think any attempt to try pinpointing this as something else is politicizing the day."
| Raising money for your campaign isn't political? |
The fund-raiser took place at the Monocle, a restaurant frequently used by senators and lobbyists because it is only steps away from the three Senate office buildings. An aide to Murray would not provide a guest list, but said it was a small group ever dwindling of supporters and that $10,000 was raised.
| At $1000 a plate, that comes to... ummm... (divide by four, carry the nine)... ten people. |
The breakfast was reportedly held from 8:30 to 9:30, which spanned the time two years ago when the two Boeing jetliners crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center.
| She's a sentimental gal, that's all... |
Whether the episode will harm Murray is impossible to know. Democrats said they doubt it will register with voters.
| I doubt it will. Her constituents appear to reside on the lower end of the bell curve... |
"This is an issue that plays in Washington, D.C., but it’s just not playing in Washington state," said Cathy Allen, a Democratic strategist in Seattle.
Maybe that bozo who peacefully fishes in Minnesota has relatives in Washington.
"With all due respect to the tragedies, there is a saturation point where the heart can’t bleed any longer. I think most people are trying their best to move on. Most people now, when it comes to news of fund-raisers, most people’s eyes just glaze over."
Message to all: 9-11 is in the past. Get over it.
Critics, she said, "will find 150 reasons for calling disrespectful attention to Patty Murray. Most people out here are likely to think it’s all in the game of the people who are against her anyway."
Pointing out her actions sounds like a dirty trick by the right-wing conspiracy. Will they stop at nothing?
Others, however, aren’t as sure. As well as the timing of the fund-raiser, they point out the comments Murray made in December in which she suggested that Osama bin Laden was popular in some countries because he was building schools, roads and other needed facilities while the United States and its allies were not.
Thought her name sounded familiar. OBL is an excellent fundraiser also. She says we can learn alot from him.
Although the remark triggered an uproar, political analysts said Murray could survive it unless subsequent missteps created a pattern, which could raise doubts among voters.
| Nope. She represents her constituents, obviously... |
Republicans also have been involved in controversy over raising money and the terrorist attacks. In May 2002, Democrats bitterly complained about a plan by the Republican National Committee to sell pictures of President Bush making a phone call during in the hours after the Sept. 11 attacks. Democrats said the idea was "grotesque." The photo of Bush calling Vice President Dick Cheney from Air Force One just hours after the terror attacks is part of a three-picture set the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its House counterpart promised to anyone who donated $150 or more.
| That's a pretty weak attempt at even-steven... |
The controversy over Murray’s fund-raiser also spilled into the state’s Republican apparatus. Murray supporters condemned Vance for making telephone calls on Thursday to sell tickets to an awards dinner that doubles as a fund-raiser. A spokeswoman for the party dismissed the criticism, saying the few calls made by Vance Thursday afternoon do not compare to Murray holding a formal fund-raiser in the morning.
Lots of folks taking the high ground in this one. Washington State is an odd place.
| I don't think I'd like to live there... |
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