That was how Seventh District Comedian, make that Congressman, Billy Long introduced himself when he made his comedy debut at the Tampa Improv August 28. Long was featured along with other Washington notables trying their hands at stand-up comedy, including Grover Norquist.
Long also was not too proud to use money donated to his campaign to pay for his trip to Tampa during the Republican National Convention. While the GOP convention website notes that delegates pay their own way to the convention, apparently, that does not apply to a non-delegate like Long, who simply tapped into his campaign bank account.
His October quarterly report shows Long paid $438.41 at the LaGuardia Marriott in New York on August 27, then had two identical payments of $1,250.40 to the Marriott Hotel in Tampa. The report does not make clear whether both payments were for Long himself, for a staffer or for someone else. They are both simply listed as "hotel."
All of that occurred during the convention, but the convention was over on September 4, when Long recorded yet another $1,586.25 bill at the Marriott in Tampa, according to the quarterly report.
On September 4, Long also paid $1,586.25 to Dollar Rent-a-Car, the report indicates.
Long, who describes himself as a fiscal conservative spent far more than he took in during the quarter, according to the report. Though he faced only token opposition in the primary and is running against a Democrat in a district that never elects Democrats, Long received $130,861.76, but he spent $239,787.42.
On his website, Long talks about those who spend more money than they are talking in. "It’s simply criminal to allow the government to continue to spend money that we don’t have. As Americans, it is criminal to ask someone to pay for our debts just so we can live extravagantly today."
Fortunately for Long, he still had a comfortable $280,583.10 in the bank at the end of the quarter.
This is far from the first time Billy Long has stuck his campaign contributors for the tab for his expensive trips.The Congressman billed his campaign contributors four times for trips to Las Vegas this year, as I noted earlier in the Turner Report.
His 30 days after the election report, showed Long reported $936.32 for a stay at the Venetian Hotel. The date listed on the item is July 5. Apparently, earlier that day Long spent $609.29 for a meal at Tortilla Coast in Washington. D. C., a place where one reviewer wrote, "The food is great; the drinks are perfectly strong, but not too strong."
It is not clear what campaign event Long was attending in Las Vegas, but if he stayed at the Venetian Hotel on July 5 as the disclosure report indicates, he certainly picked a busy day at the hotel. On that same day, according to the hotel website, things were hopping at the Venetian Poker Room, especially in the "high-stakes area, featuring seven high-limit tables, two relaxation areas, butler service, and gourmet dining."
And as part of the poker room's "Deep Stack Extravaganza," a tournament was being held July 5, No Limit Hold 'Em with a $2,375 buy-in, a $125 entry fee, and a prize pot of $382,200.
Long's July quarterly report, filed on the 14th, indicates he made two trips to Vegas. The report appears to show two trips to Vegas for Long since he has a listing for Allegiant Air, Las Vegas, $451.58 on May 21, and lists a meal at Mars Retail, Las Vegas, on April 11, with a cost of $303.74.
The first quarter disclosure report also shows a Vegas trip paid for by Long's campaign contributors, $241.26 for a flight with Allegiant Air, Las Vegas, on March 5.
Long's reports have also indicated a large number of meals paid for with campaign contributions and an incredible amount of money spent on travel, not just to Las Vegas or other outward destinations, but one gas refill after another.
Those patterns are continued in his October report, which shows 13 more meals, including a $30.07 meal at Jim's Steakhouse in Springfield and a $36.28 meal and a $127.50 meal at the Capitol HIll Club in Washington on the same day, September 17.
Other meal reimbursements include $603.25 August 13 at the Capitol Hill Club and $853.30 at the Monocle restaurant in Washington.
Long's biggest expenditure, $81,994.18 went for a television advertisement, in which the Congressman, who was elected in 2010 with the campaign slogan that he was "fed up" with Washington, said he was "fed up" with President Obama for his reckless spending.
Slightly deviating from what Ronald Reagan once said, I offer this: "Better a comedian who becomes a politician than a politician who becomes a comedian." At any rate, the current state of affairs in America is hardly a laughing matter, and the sad thing is, the joke's on the American people. It's time to get to work, Mr. Long!
ReplyDeleteObviously he's a big eater.
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