The Republicans Continue to Astonish

The official republican stuff was wildly imaginative in terms of gorgeous paper stock; personalized certificates; plastic membership cards; autographs; gold embossing; photographs; and red-white-and-blue tchotchkes. The most outrageous was the Inner Circle, a private, hand-calligraphed formal invitation with a gold seal mailed to high rollers. It contained an invitation to come to Washington for a weekend of briefings, private dinners at the homes of senators and cabinet members, and a dinner with the president. The lift piece was an official Secret Service questionnaire to be filled in for clearance at presidential and vice presidential affairs. Ya gotta love this shameless sale of access to the powerful.