This is how much ass Politico thinks it kicks:
There is nothing we like better than ass-kicking coverage of Congress. It's the one institution open enough, transparent enough to let enterprising reporters bring government figures and action to life almost every day. One of the main reasons we started POLITICO was because we knew in our guts - and from our experience - that there was a set of reporters who had the right moves, the right instincts, the right values to do just that. And we knew if we pulled it off, POLITICO would be indispensable reading for everyone who works in Congress - or cares about the institution.
We have been accused of hyperbole once or twice, but we can safely declare: we have officially pulled it off. We can not recall a more talented and relentless group of congressional reporters in all our years of Congress-watching. You guys rock - and the past few weeks amplify why.
Witness one such ass-kicking:
Politico's Glenn Thrush ("Breaking news and insights on power, politics, and Congressional leadership") takes a look at a National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraiser invitation and points out:
The bald eagle amulet on the letterhead was interesting. I'm told it's been on NRSC missives for years, but it looks an awful lot like the Great Seal — which reminds me, in turn, of the Obama presidential seal deal.
Senate rules don't allow the use of official U.S. symbols/images, including the seal, in fundraising, but no one's filed a complaint and none seems in the works, I'm told.
Shades of the RNC's census document mailings, as well. But while it's welcome to see Politico applying that level of scrutiny to Republicans, there's just one thing: The NRSC's seal is old news. The progressive blogosphere was all over it -- over them, actually, since there are multiple versions -- when the right had its collective knickers in a twist over Obama's seal.
So, yeah. Congratulations, Politico. You're just a little more than a year and a half behind the curve. That totally wins the morning.