It Was Only a Matter of Time

Politico's Kenneth Vogel reports that the Republican National Committee has fired the staffer who visited the West Hollywood "Eyes Wide Shut"-themed club with a group of young donors, which was uncovered yesterday by the Daily Caller and has caused a gigantic headache for the RNC. The donor who spent $2,000 there and was reimbursed by the RNC has reportedly agreed to pay it back to the committee.

This is a wholly unsurprising move; rumblings were heard in the political commentariat yesterday that RNC Chairman Michael Steele can't keep his house in order--which has become something of a recurring theme since Steele took over as chairman, as Steele has taken heat every time controversy has arisen at the RNC, most recently, before yesterday's Daily Caller story broke, for the leaked fundraising PowerPoint presentation that depicted Democratic figures in rather base caricatures.

Marc wrote yesterday that that sad truth of this controversy, and Steele's situation in general, is that he lacks the power and stature, and the GOP lacks the organization, for him to actually be censured. The question about the swift firing, then, is: will firing the staffer and recouping the money be enough to satisfy the RNC's donor base?