Three months after elections, GOP celebrations continue

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http://washingtonscene.thehill.com/in-the-know/36-news/8085-three-months-after-elections-gop-celebrations-continue-

February 2, 2011, 9:15 am by Christina Wilkie

Even Democrats admit that 2010 was a pretty good year for the GOP.

But judging by the lineup of parties surrounding next week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Republicans are not quite finished celebrating. And of course, what better way to raise campaign cash than throwing a party?

In a savvy example of the old adage “Make hay while the sun shines,” at least 31 political fundraisers for Republican members of Congress will be held during the first 48 hours of the three-day CPAC gathering.

According to data compiled by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, the fundraisers will range from an elegant birthday reception on Feb. 11 for Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) (whose actual birthday was Jan. 18) to a “Laser Shoot Out and Hard Times Chili” party for Granger’s Texas colleague, Rep. Michael McCaul, at the National Rifle Association’s Washington headquarters. And while the annual conference officially begins on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 10, the party schedule starts the night before.