July 31, 2007 4:41 AM
A 'Capitol' offense? UPDATED
If someone offered you "a tour of the U.S. Capitol," would you expect to get a guided tour of the building where Congress does its business, or a tour of the city where the U.S. government resides?
That's a key distinction that's at issue as Rep. Tom Tancredo's presidential campaign defends itself from anonymous charges alleging that it violated House of Representatives ethics rules with a July 14, 2007, letter to supporters.
In recent days, an anonymous e-mail writer has been trying to get various Iowa news outlets to investigate the letter sent by Tancredo's senior adviser, Bay Buchanan, to Tancredo supporters, encouraging them to recruit their friends to attend the Iowa Republican Party's non-binding but closely-watched Ames Straw Poll on Aug. 11.
That contest is a critical test of campaigns' organizational skills -- one that's considered a make-or-break day for many second-tier candidates. The rules encourage candidates to offer free tickets, transportation, entertainment and other incentives to lure as many Iowans as possible to show up at the festival-like atmosphere and cast votes. (It is a GOP fundraiser, afterall.) In the past, the event has been a good predictor of the real Iowa Caucus result five months later, and poor showings in Ames could cause some candidates to drop out of the crowded GOP field.
In the July 14 letter, Buchanan outlined various incentives for folks who help build Tancredo's "Army Against Amnesty" that night.
* Those who help bring six straw poll attendees are to get autographed copies of Tancredo's book, plus a t-shirt.
* Those who bring 12 people, get a book, a t-shirt and dinner with Tancredo in Iowa.
* And those who bring 25 folks, according to Buchanan's letter, are to get an "autographed book, T-shirt, and an all-expenses paid trip to DC to meet Tom for dinner and get a tour of the U.S. Capitol!"
The last line, referring to the U.S. Capitol, is the issue.
If it's a reference to the building (or the greater U.S. Capitol complex where Congress does its work), then using it in a campaign-related solicitation could raise issues under House ethics rules, which have a strict prohibition against using official congressional resources for political purposes.
The rules, linked HERE, state:
"The House buildings, and House rooms and offices – including district offices – are supported with official funds and hence are considered official resources. Accordingly, as a general rule, they may not be used for the conduct of campaign or political activities."
In an interview, Buchanan confirmed that her letter offered a "tour of the U.S. Capitol" as one of the campaign incentives, but she said that merely referred to a tour of the capital city, Washington, D.C., including various public museums.
"We will be touring with Tom to his favorite spots in Washington. We'd just be giving the same tour they could be getting publicly. The tour is of Washington, D.C. There's certainly no prohibition."
Asked if the letter could be seen as an offer of special access to the U.S. Capitol building where Congress does its official business, Buchanan said: "It can be interpreted that way, but that's not what it means."
So far, no rival presidential campaigns have voiced public concerns about the letter. Over the past several weeks, Tancredo has been involved in public spats with various Republican rivals, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, all of whom, like Tancredo, are hoping for surprising showings at the Ames Straw Poll.
Watch this space as the sprint to the Aug. 11 straw poll continues.
UPDATE: The Associated Press followed-up on the Capitol/capital story HERE. Plus, IowaPolitics.com has a story HERE on Tancredo repeating his threats against Muslim holy sites.
August 2, 2007
10:04 AM
voxpop writes:
Actually, I could see how this could be an honest mistake. It's undeniably true that our congressional delegates (and their staffers) often have a poor grasp of basic English grammar, usage, mecahnics, syntax, and spelling. The same could be said of the current resident at 1600 Penn, and also, to be honest, with many if not most adult Americans, regardless of the level of education. Americans have always been sloppy stewards of English. But we have given it verve and life and a healthy sense of play.
As for capitol/capital: it does get tricky on the ground, if not in the 3rd grade rulebooks. I notice variant spellings of Capitol Hill and Capital Hill, of The Capitol City and The Capital City, of The Nation's Capitol and The Nation's Capital. I live in DC and see the mistake in The Washington Post and other major newspapers. (Never, however, do I see it in the golden prose of ME Sprengelmeyer.) The problem is simply that the mistakes--and they ARE mistakes--aren't really treated seriously. Every night I hear some moron on television misuse the word "enormity". Of course, it doesn't mean "really big." (Full disclosure: I make mistakes with English all the time, even though I try my best to eliminate them. I hope there are no egregious blunders in these comments.)
What I think is shocking about the story isn't the spelling "mistake" but the fact that a candidate can so brazenly pay off potential voters. That's outrageous!
July 31, 2007
9:26 AM
jflansburgh writes:
OK, I learned this in the third grade:
Capitol, with an "o," is the building. "Tom Tancredo works in the U.S. Capitol."
Captial, with an "a," is the city. "Washington D.C. is the U.S. capital." (Also - note how in proper usage, "capital" is not capitalized?)
And everybody in politics knows and understands the importance of the spelling distinction, regardless of where you work. It's like a starting pitcher claiming not to know what WHIP is. Or a physicist not knowing the difference between neutrons and electrons. I cannot wait until they go the next step and explicitly claim "typo."
What a fool. Perhaps immigrants aren't the only people Tancredo should be worried about properly using the English language.