Chalk another one up to “bipartisanship.” David Dewhurst, the lieutenant governor of Texas, spent time in November hanging out with his left-wing friends in Washington D.C. to raise a little scratch for his run for the Senate. One of those friends was Tony Podesta, a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, who held a fundraiser at his townhouse for Dewhurst.
The hosts of the party were all typically fundraisers for Democrats. Podesta himself heads up the Podesta Group, which earned a whopping $27.4 million in lobbying fees last year. Salon.com, no right-wing outlet, labeled the Podesta Group a firm with “close ties to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration.” Tony and his brother John are frequent visitors to the White House. Podesta has worked for political campaigns for Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, and Michael Dukakis. He was a founding member of the radical liberal group People for the American Way.
Tony Podesta’s brother, John, actually co-founded the Podesta Group and acted as Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton, as well as helping form up the core of the Obama Administration. John now runs the Center for American Progress, a group closely linked with Obama.
The last few politicians for whom Podesta had fundraised: Steven Horsford (D-NV); Sanford Bishop (D-GA); Peter Visclosky (D-IN); G.K. Butterfield (D-NC); Patrick Murphy (D-PA); Allen Boyd (D-FL) … and the list goes on. He does fundraise for Republicans from time to time, but only ones with deep ties to the oil lobby, like John Barasso (R-WY).
So what was Dewhurst doing with all these Democratic bigwigs?
He was doing what he always does: reaching across the aisle. He’s not a Washington insider yet, and he’s already a Washington insider. No wonder the Texas press has so often labeled him “bipartisan.”
There is a real conservative running against Dewhurst for the GOP nomination in Texas: Ted Cruz. Cruz is a star in the making, but Dewhurst has raised more cash, thanks to his connections with folks like Podesta – Cruz’s average donation has been $319, while Dewhurst’s has been $2,286. Plus, Dewhurst can write himself huge checks.
This is a critical race for the Tea Party and for conservatives across the country. If Dewhurst wins, we’ll have yet another squish on our hands – and a squish who is only too eager to rub elbows with the liberal establishment.
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