Washblog

And there's a whole passel of contributions to the Midnight Sun PAC from executives and mining interests in Arkansas, as handily explained in an Anchorage Daily News review of Rep. Young's pay-to-play tenure as chair of the transportation committee:

... Young, famous for his annual pig roast fundraiser at a Veco executive's home and his crab feed in Washington, D.C., has no trouble stacking up checks from Alaska to Arkansas.

In fact, road builders, doctors and others in Pine Bluff, Ark., are among the most generous donors to Young's re-election campaign. Looked at by ZIP code, the list shows that more money comes from two sections of Pine Bluff than from any ZIP code in Anchorage, Fairbanks or anywhere else in Alaska.

... Just months after a flurry of donations from Arkansas reached his campaign account and his separate Midnight Sun political action committee last year, Congress passed a six-year transportation bill with more than $415 million set aside for special projects in that state. Alaska got about $1 billion for earmarks in a transportation budget bill unusually fat with money for special projects.

... In Arkansas, the earmarks included $72 million to extend Interstate 530 in the southeastern part of the state from Pine Bluff toward Wilmar. There's also $35 million to widen the street leading to Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, in the state's northwest corner. ...

And, of course, Midnight Sun also took in over $27,000 from a Bill J. Allen, now CEO of VECO.

Reichert's first campaign took in $2000 from Midnight Sun, while in 2005, they contributed over $4300 to his re-election fund. That's quite a cast of people to be taking money from while playing the silver-haired Boy Scout. But that shouldn't be surprising either. Dave Reichert, as his advertisements claim, has had plenty of experience. He just doesn't seem to have developed good judgement from any it.