Ron Paul

If Capitol Hill was like high school (isn't it, though?), Steny Hoyer would be class president while Barbara Mikulski would be with the bully who takes your lunch money.

Truth is, 'Strangebedfellows' was neither -- it was typical and it was partisan, and it will not have the intended impact.

U.S. Rep. Steny HoyerA coalition of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) supporters and leading liberal bloggers are unleashing a "Moneybomb" on Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) and two other Democratic U.S. House members today in an effort to punish them for supporting the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act compromise earlier this summer.

The group, 'Strangebedfellows,' is comprised of BreakTheMatrix.com bloggers Trevor Lyman and Rick Williams, who organized huge online fundraising days for Paul's Republican presidential candidacy, have teamed up with the Democratic-leaning Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com and Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com on this issue they share a passion for. U.S.

Paul's online fundraising had already raised eyebrows in political circles when Lyman, largely independent of the campaign, organized a single day push that raised $4.2 million from more than 37,000 contributors in about 24 hours. He scheduled it on Nov. 5, 2007 to coincide with Guy Fawkes' Day, famous for the plot to blowup Great Britain's Parliament that day in 1605. On Dec. 16, 2007, the same day as the Boston Tea Party, they set a new record with $6.04 million.

The group chose Aug. 8 for the big push because it's the anniversary of President Richard Nixon's 1974 resignation for "his lawbreaking and surveillance abuses."

Collins Bailey: Campaign PhotoU.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.), who’s presidential campaign turned heads with its fundraising and online energy, has endorsed Fifth district Republican Collins Bailey of Waldorf in his challenge to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville).

"Collins Bailey is a man of dignity who stays true to our principles,” Paul said in a statement released earlier this week. “He has the utmost respect for the rule of law and our Constitution.”

“As a believer in a constitutionally limited federal government, sound monetary policies, civil liberties, and a common sense foreign policy, Collins understands what the real issues are and how they are affecting our country.”

Hey, I love good spin anywhere I can find it. Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Ron Paul – anywhere. In the marketplace of politics the good stuff is interesting and educational.

But the worst is usually a product of what psychologists call “transference.”  That’s sort of like when you’re covered in mud and start pointing a finger at the other guy shouting in horror: “Look everyone, he’s dirty.”

Shout long and loud enough and someone will even believe it.

SAVAGE--Times have changed for Dr. Mike Hargadon (R-Woodstock).

Dr. MIke HargadonBack in December, the career dentist told PolitickerMD.com that he did not “intend to raise money or make a serious challenge” to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Baltimore) in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. Six months later, with a small campaign team behind him, Hargadon is moving forward, and held his first significant fundraiser before a crowd of a few dozen supporters Friday night in Savage.

“This is the first time we’re trying to do something on this scale,” Hargadon told PolitickerMD.com.

Asked about his previous comments, Hargadon said, “At that time I did not have a committee. I didn’t expect that I would be able to raise money.”

Last night, North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones easily won in a Republican primary challenger based his candidacy on Jones' opposition to staying in Iraq. Similarly, Texas Rep. Ron Paul bested a Iraq-oriented primary challenge.

Yet Wayne Gilchrest did not.

In today’s Washington Times, Rep. Ron Paul complains that the Republican Party is not doing enough to reach out to his supporters and bring them in to the fold.

"I don't think they want them," said Paul, whose campaign raised $32.6 million in small dollar donations, including a one-day $6 million online haul, and received 803,217 votes (4.5%) this primary season – more than Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson.

But some Ron Paul supporters are reaching out on their own, as Fifth District GOP nominee Collins Bailey will meet with the St. Mary’s Republican Club tomorrow night.

Paul did note that only National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole called him about retaining his supporters, but their worries are too big for challenging someone like Steny Hoyer.