 Will this crap ever end?
Oh my, not another conservative Republican kink-meister ensnared in the web of his own tortuous deceit. Craig L. Schelske is a 2002 Republican congressional candidate in OR-5, executive director of the pro-theocracy organization American Destiny (“an educational organization that seeks to reeducate the American population and students in particular, as to the philosophical and religious origins of the American Civilization”) and the founder of the preciously named CRAIG PAC (Conservative Reform Agenda In Government Political Action Committee). But his day job is President of Gingerdog, Inc, “specializing in guiding the entrepreneurial aims for Sara Evans' entertainment career.” Which makes sense because he is married, for the moment, to Sara Evans.
If the name Sara Evans doesn’t sound familiar, that means you don’t listen to Christian music, didn’t hear her sing the national anthem at the 2004 Republican National Convention, and don’t watch “Dancing with the Stars.” Good for you. You probably also didn’t know that disgraced former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay blast-emailed all his friends and supporters, urging them to vote for Ms. Evans on “Dancing with the Stars,” because she “has been a strong supporter of the Republican Party and represents good American values in the media."
But that won’t be necessary because Evans has dropped out of the “Stars” competition to focus on her children during her and Craig’s impending divorce. It’s shocking. According to Evans’ filing, Schelske is “abusive.” (More abusive than “Dancing with the Stars”? Doubt it.)
Details of the abuse? Well, recently one of their kids – they have three, ages 2 to 7 – caught Schelske pounding the pulpit in front of the TV, watching an X-rated episode of Values Voters Gone Wild. This revelation led Evans to do a little snooping on her husband’s computer where she discovered “more than 100” photos of Schelske naked, and others that depicted him “having sex with women.”
It seems the pics were for Schelske’s Craig’s List postings, which advertised for anal sex and threesomes. Maybe a right-thinking Christian conservative would argue that if his wife wasn’t submitting to him at home, he had a duty to go looking elsewhere. But earlier this year, Evans told Country Music Television, "It's most important to keep marriage and family together. I am a child of divorce, and it's devastating. I have a 12-year marriage. And the way I see it, the way to an amazing marriage is having sex ... lots of sex. Sex keeps the marriage young. And a woman should maintain herself for her husband and stay attractive. I like to put the kids to bed, have a glass of wine on the patio or by the fireplace, and I ask Craig, 'What do you need of me?'"
Maybe she should have said, “Cowgirl offers hind quarters and tandem cowpokes to favorite stud.” Or something like that.
Craig’s counterclaim to his wife’s plea for divorce denounces her as the adulterer – a fact he learned the day before she filed against him. He said…She said.
Anyway, that’s the sordid part of the story.
The interesting part of the story takes us back to CRAIG PAC. In its June 30 FEC filing, CRAIG PAC shows receipts of $98,405, and expenditures of $87,202. Of that, CRAIG PAC donated $8,800, or roughly 10% to candidates for public office – including Duke Cunningham’s successor Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), and Sen. George Macaca Allen (R-VA).
Of the remaining $78,402, roughly $16,000 was paid to David Avella of Alexandria, VA for “travel and concert tickets.” Party on dude.
Another $35,000 went to “fundraising consulting services” to Donatelli Avella, a Republican consulting firm owned by David Avella and Frank and Beccie Donatelli. Donatelli Avella is one of many spawns of The Donatelli Group of Alexandria, VA – the shop that gave us Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. A very abbreviated list of DG’s clients include, Bush-Cheney 2004, McCain for President, Friends of Katherine Harris (FL), Sen. John S. McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Gov George E. Pataki (R-NY), and Gov Matt Blunt (R-MO).
CRAIG PAC also paid its accounting firm, Huckabee, Davis, Lisker, also of Alexandria, roughly $5000 – presumably to file this sketchy and incomplete report.
Why was David Avella going to so many expensive music shows on CRAIG PAC’s nickel? And was it in fact David Avella taking those trips? And why so many fundraising consults – most for the nice round figure of $2000? Is this what the people who contributed to CRAIG PAC expected their money to be used for – Toby Keith concerts and 1st class plane tickets?
Schelske, who attended Middle Tennessee State University for courses in “Recording Industry Management,” might have some clue as to the relevance between front row seats and “electing fiscal and socially conservative Republicans with financial and political support,” as his PAC’s webpage promises. But I don’t see it.
Does any of this figure in with Schelske’s extra-curricular activities? And if so, does that pass FEC muster?
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