# Huh. \[RNC spent $2,000 in Hollywood S&M Strip Club\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219 "2010-03-29T15:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/21 "2010-03-29T19:12:36Z")
And then there’s this correction issued by the [Washington Post](http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/panelists/2010/02/from-service-to-skepticism.html) when one of their “guest writers” quoted that $100k figure about Pelosi: > [@](#): > > **Correction:** The following guest post incorrectly claimed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi squandered $101,000 on “in-flight cocktails.” The author acknowledges mischaracterizing a Judicial Watch report that claimed to have calculated spending on a number of Pelosi-led trips for all food and all beverages, not just alcoholic beverages. The Speaker’s press secretary, Drew Hammill, says the Judicial Watch report overstates the amount that was spent on the trips, and that some of the costs included would have been reimbursed by members of Congress. Hammill notes that the Speaker doesn’t drink alcohol. The Post could not confirm the Judicial Watch report. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/22 "2010-03-29T19:16:37Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > So it wasn’t Mr. Steele himself who breached the general concept of fiscal responsibility, just one of his RNC staffers. Whew. Yes, whew. Steele spending RNC money at a bondage club is dramatically different than some anonymous, soon-to-be-fired staffer doing the same thing is. No organization can guarantee that every single person it hires will perform correctly. What a well-run organization must do is not reach that mythical zero-defect level, an impossible goal, but respond appropriately when malfeasance is found. As, apparently, the RNC is. > [@](#): > > You’ve mentioned in the past you have donated to the RNC, **Bricker**. Do you think the RNC has stewarded your donations well? In general, yes. There’s nothing irresponsible about buying a private plane, if that saves time and money over commercial or chartered flights. I haven’t heard anything to make me feel that there’s poor stewardship afoot. Have you? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/23 "2010-03-29T19:19:52Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Yes, until they name the idiot that did it and make him/her come forward and confess at a press conference with spouse stone faced in the background that he/she is the fool who blew (ha!) $2,000 of donor money at the S & M club we have to assume that they are covering up for someone more important. Like Steele. Or Bricker. If we have to know the names of Justice Department lawyers who consulted pro bono for Gitmo detainees, shouldn’t the family valueless crowd have to open its closet? > > Now, can we all yell “Sex Scandal!” like Animal House fans yelling “Road Trip!” and get this media feeding frenzy on with, or shall we just let it go, because it was done by a Republican? Except… where is the evidence that Steele did it in the first place? We seem to have settled on a standard of, “Steele must prove his innocence,” and it’s unclear to me how we got there. By the way, I notice Obama has not yet denied the funneling of taxpayer money to Hamas, which I have just now accused him of with absolutely no evidence. When will he set the record straight? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/24 "2010-03-29T19:22:12Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I haven’t heard anything to make me feel that there’s poor stewardship afoot. Have you? Well, there’s the whole “$3.9 million in the red” deal. Plus the fact that it wasn’t an internal audit that uncovered fiscal malfeasance, but a sharp-eyed FEC outsider. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/25 "2010-03-29T19:36:33Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Well, there’s the whole “$3.9 million in the red” deal. Plus the fact that it wasn’t an internal audit that uncovered fiscal malfeasance, but a sharp-eyed FEC outsider. The RNC is entitled to borrow; they’ve raised over $90M and will undoubtedly continue to raise more, and the results of the races they’ve spent on, Virginia, New jersey, and Massachusetts, have been positive. There’s nothing irresponsible about a campaign or a political party borrowing money to address cashflow issues. And as to your latter observation: cite? My understanding is that the FNC was already aware of the issue, but the FEC made it public. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/26 "2010-03-29T19:37:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > So it’s not clear to me how this incident breaches the general concept of fiscal responsibility. Well, then, let’s clarify things for you: **RNC Staffer:** $30.72 paid to Yellow Cab… $1,946.25 paid to Voyeur West Hollywood… $9,099 paid to the Beverly Hills Hotel… yawn… when’s quittin’ time? **Article Writer:** $30.72 paid to Yellow Cab… $1,946.25 paid to Voyeur West Hollywood… $9,099 paid to the Beverly Hills Hotel… whoa… when’s deadline? Amusing as the image of Mr Steele personally partaking of the club’s attractions may be, the more likely explanation that he is “merely” inept and incompetent, and under him thrives a culture of negligence in which party members confidently submit bills for this sort of thing expecting them to be paid without question. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/27 "2010-03-29T19:38:42Z")
I didn’t say it was Steele, only that it could possibly be. It’s someone at the RNC, and Steele is at the RNC. Steele having a spokesman deny that it is not him is not entirely convincing. Someone was authorized to have a credit card and misused it. Steele is the only one that I know of at the RNC that has a credit card for expenses. Now I don’t think that this person is entitled to the presumption of criminal innocence because he/she is not accused of criminal misconduct, but rather, having a penchant for S & M clubs and being a member of the RNC. I am not going to exclude Steele just because he or some spokesman give a routine denial. This is a juicy scandal, full-fledged hypocrisy, from the par-tay of family values. Let’s get to the “bottom” of it and mete out some punishment! In the meantime, let’s make the whole par-tay suffer for the idiocy of one “staffer”. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/28 "2010-03-29T19:40:01Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And as to your latter observation: cite? My understanding is that the FNC was already aware of the issue, but the FEC made it public. Probably would have been better for all concerned if the RNC owned up first, right? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/29 "2010-03-29T19:53:11Z")
Personally, I just think it’s nice to see a top Republican who’s not anti-gay politically, and secretly in the closet himself. A lesbian themed bondage club seems very mainstream and wholesome by today’s standards. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/30 "2010-03-29T19:53:53Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And as to your latter observation: cite? My understanding is that the FNC was already aware of the issue, but the FEC made it public. I don’t know about that. From the [RNC’s statement](http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/rnc-spox-were-investigating-expenditures.php), it sounds like the “staffer” used the credit card, submitted the expense, was reimbursed and, only now that this is making headlines, the RNC is “investigating.” And they’re requesting that the employee repay the money. So, it doesn’t sound at all like the RNC was on the case and just happened to be outed by the FEC. If this was something they were already aware of and taking care of, certainly they would have made that clear in their statement. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/31 "2010-03-29T19:54:16Z")
> [@C3](#): > > Months? You’re very generous! True, but I’ve become so used to gettin’ it regular that a short dry spell seems like forever! ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/32 "2010-03-29T20:02:20Z")
They just updated the link I posted in post #30…we have a name! The guy who dropped $2000 in the strip club is Erik Brown, owner of a direct mail firm, pal of Steele. He says he’ll repay the money. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/33 "2010-03-29T20:07:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > All you need is an invitation [from Pelosi](http://www.businessinsider.com/nancy-pelosis-in-flight-food-and-drink-costs-101000-2010-1) to ride “Air Force Two” and you can drink your way from coast to coast on the finest booze tax money can buy. Nitpick: Air Force Two is the Vice President’s plane (or whatever A.F. plane the VP is on that POTUS isn’t on). It does not refer to Pelosi’s plane. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/34 "2010-03-29T20:11:29Z")
I have to agree with **Bricker** here. We’re gearing up for an election cycle - this is typically when cash is low for a party. Particularly when they have had to deal with off-year and special elections. I would be upset right now had they been sitting on tons of unspent cash and had lost the Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts races. And that needs to be said even as I point out that I am not sold on Chairman Steele. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/35 "2010-03-29T20:51:21Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Particularly when they have had to deal with off-year and special elections. And PARTICULARLY when they had to hold their winter retreat in Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/36 "2010-03-29T21:25:58Z")
Well, their purpose is to raise money. Salesmen working big accounts have to do what they have to do. If someone who is a likely quarter million dollar donor comes into town and wants to go to a 2 grand strip club, you take them to a 2 grand strip club, and put it on the business card. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/37 "2010-03-29T21:39:37Z")
Erik Brown has saved Michael Steele’s ass. From a severe spanking. Mikey is not pleased about this whole episode. So Brown is the direct mail goon who is helping trick old teabaggers out of their pensions? Will the RNC continue to do business with his company? ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/38 "2010-03-29T22:14:34Z")
> [@C3](#): > > They just updated the link I posted in post #30…we have a name! The guy who dropped $2000 in the strip club is Erik Brown, owner of a direct mail firm, pal of Steele. He says he’ll repay the money. I always love how in these sorts of scandals, the person always says they’ll repay the money, as if it’s something they had intended to do along, but just hadn’t got around to doing yet when the expenses were uncovered. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/39 "2010-03-30T04:54:32Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Well, their purpose is to raise money. Salesmen working big accounts have to do what they have to do. If someone who is a likely quarter million dollar donor comes into town and wants to go to a 2 grand strip club, you take them to a 2 grand strip club, and put it on the business card. Private companies don’t typically do that if they are required by law to publish the line items. This was picked out of a Federal Election Commission report by a blogger-journalist (Daily Caller, run by the conservative Tucker Carlson). That the RNC permitted this to happen suggests weak internal controls: “Voyeur West Hollywood” should have sent up a flag. Then again, I don’t really have a problem with this: if the RNC wants to blow their donations at high priced hotels, restaurants and strip-bars, that’s fine by me. Anyway, the OP got the story from a blog. By the time the MSM got to it, they had worked out some of the details: > [@Dan Eggen of the Washington Post](#): > > The Republican National Committee gave nearly $2,000 to a Southern California GOP contributor for meal expenses at Voyeur West Hollywood, a lesbian-themed California nightclub that features topless dancers wearing horse-bits and other bondage gear, according to newly filed disclosure records. > > …The RNC spent more than $17,000 on private jet travel in February as well as nearly $13,000 for limousines and car services, and also ran up tabs at luxe hotels including the Beverly Hills Hotel ($9,000); the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons ($6,600) and the W Hotel in Washington ($15,000). The GOP’s controversial midwinter meeting in Hawaii ended up costing the party $43,000 in expenses, not including airfare, the records show. I’m curious about the details of that other stuff: how big of an entourage did it cover? How many nights? > [@Bricker](#): > > You know, when some people are hired in positions where they must spend company assets, they are given credit cards. There’s no easy way that I know of to restrict a credit card’s use in such a way that it can be used at swanky restaurants and not at places like this club – which, I suspect, bills credit cards somewhat discreetly to avoid irate spouse attention. Wha? If there’s an improper charge made on a company card a company can could demand reimbursement, right? After all, that’s what the RNC claims it did today. Furthermore, why do you believe that Erik Brown of Dynamic Marketing, Inc. would have an RNC credit card? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219/40 "2010-03-30T05:25:37Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Yes, whew. Steele spending RNC money at a bondage club is dramatically different than some anonymous, soon-to-be-fired staffer doing the same thing is. No organization can guarantee that every single person it hires will perform correctly. What a well-run organization must do is not reach that mythical zero-defect level, an impossible goal, but respond appropriately when malfeasance is found. > > As, apparently, the RNC is. Yes, but the malfeasance should have been found right after the staffer submitted his expense report or the CC statement came in. Thus, their stewardship and internal management are to blame. The buck stops at Steeles desk, he’s the top guy. It’s his lax management that allowed this to get overlooked until outsiders found it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huh-rnc-spent-2-000-in-hollywood-s-m-strip-club/534219.md?page=3)