RNC and DNC Both Spend Most of Their Money on Extravagant “Wining and Dining”

A month ago, when news broke that members of the Republican National Committee had spent $2000 dollars of donor money at a lesbian bondage themed nightclub, RNC spokesperson Doug Heye didn’t so much deny the allegations as point out that the DNC does the exact same thing (not a terrific defense). Now that the monthly committee spending reports have come out, it appears that he was right; both committees spend exorbitant amounts on luxurious parties, food, and travel. And, since the incredibly intriguing phrase “lesbian bondage themed nightclub” has brought the expenditures to the public’s attention, both the RNC and the DNC are going to be under a lot more scrutiny, starting with an article in the Washington Post that analyzes both of the reports.

We all know that it takes money to make money, which is the goal of both the RNC and DNC, but the main take-away of the WP article is that it really shouldn’t take this much money. The reports show that the DNC spent 59% of their total revenue on “administrative and fundraising expenses” while the RNC spent 68%. Both of these numbers are way above where a nonprofit organization should be.

“The two political committees are not typical nonprofit organizations, and such high spending for overhead is almost unheard of in the nonprofit world. A rule of thumb among nonprofits is that administrative and fundraising costs should consume no more than 20 to 25 percent of income.

Ken Berger, who runs Charity Navigator, a New Jersey group that monitors nonprofits across the country, said that “the most critical measure is effectiveness.” He said his advice for prospective donors to any nonprofit group that spends as much as 60 to 70 percent of revenue on overhead, including fundraising, would be to ‘run away.'”

These figures have to make you think, where is all that money going to? The article doesn’t disappoint as the second half of it basically turns into a list that resembles an older, maler version of Sex and the City. Most of the worst items come from the RNC which probably just means that the DNC is better at hiding their more ridiculous spending sprees in the books. The Republicans, on the other hand, are flat out blatant, listing alcohol as an “office supply” (by the by, they spent $773,000 on “office supplies”). Neither group seems the slightest bit apologetic about any of this either.

“Doug Heye, the RNC spokesman, declined to reply to most questions about committee spending. Hari Sevugan, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, did not take issue with the Center for Responsive Politics’ calculations but said that ‘fundraising is a core function of a national party.’
…
Heye, at the RNC, declined to name who had used chauffeured cars or limos costing more than $131,000 since January 2009, or who flew on private jets costing more than $184,000. Sevugan said the DNC, which spent nearly $35,000 at limousine and car service firms in the same period, needed them to reach the airport ‘at off hours,’ to bus staff members to official events or to reach the office during snowstorms.

Patricia Maureen White, the DNC national finance chairwoman from 2001 to 2006, similarly said she considered hiring a car ‘to pick you up or take you someplace’ a normal expenditure.”

Hopefully this exposure will cause both organizations to clean up practices that have clearly been going on for years. Anyone reading the article is bound to reconsider giving money to either committee. They will, though, definitely consider applying for a job there.