The 50 Richest Members of Congress
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on August 19th, 2011 4:38 am by HL
The 50 Richest Members of Congress
Topping the latest Roll Call list: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) at $294 million, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) at $220 million and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) at $193. million.
A Strange Election Shaping Up
Charlie Cook: “The 2012 presidential election is shaping up to be one of oddest in memory and potentially far more dramatic than one might guess… On one hand, we have an incumbent president with dismally low job-approval ratings; his signature legislative accomplishment of health care reform remains very unpopular, and he is presiding over an enormously weak and worsening economy. This is a combination sufficiently bad to prevent any president’s reelection.”
“On the other hand, we have an opposing party whose center of gravity and energy levels have swung so far to one side of the ideological spectrum as to have been designed to alienate the independent and swing voters, the people who will effectively decide this presidential election. To put it more simply, this election is the Republican Party’s to lose, and yet, they may pull it off, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.”
Perry’s Gifts
Politico digs through Rick Perry’s financial disclosures and finds he’s received “over 90 personal gifts — many of them from top donors and political appointees — during his 11 years as Texas governor.”
Among the gifts: “Cowboy boots — 22 pairs. Stetson hats. Belt buckles. Cuff links. A TV. Medical tests for him and his wife. Nine hunting trips. Dozens of tickets to sports games and concerts.”
Texas ethics rules allow officeholders to accept gifts, provided they disclose them.
