"Buddy, Can You Spare $50?"

There's been a challenge with the current federal stimulus plan. Which was more remarkable: Watching the GOP claim that stimulus bills are bad while trying to forget about their own bank-bail out bill, or watching them vote against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act but then claim claim credit for millions of dollars in investment?

Now there's a new conundrum: Why exactly in a stimulus-bashing email does the Texas GOP refer to Rosemary Edwards as a "long-time conservative and GOP grassroots leader," rather than what she is, which is chair of the Travis County Republican Party?

According to the press release, Edwards "came by our headquarters yesterday. She worked with us to record a simple radio spot that is going up on stations around the state starting tomorrow." Seemingly, she just dropped by and, lo and behold, there just happened to be a broadcast-quality microphone and a radio script.

Only problem is that the GOP seemingly can't afford the money to broadcast it. "Can you chip in $50 to help us air this radio ad?" the email plaintively asks? "Came by"? "Chip in"? Whatever happened to the sturm und drang GOP of old? Maybe they don't have the campaign resources to ignite that fire in the belly in this economy.