Ambassador Atrios

Atrios is running a pledge drive this week. Meanwhile, by way of Mark Kleiman, I find this in today’s Washington Post:

Of the 246 fundraisers identified by The Post as Pioneers in the 2000 campaign, 104 — or slightly more than 40 percent — ended up in a job or an appointment. A study by The Washington Post, partly using information compiled by Texans for Public Justice, which is planning to release a separate study of the Pioneers this week, found that 23 Pioneers were named as ambassadors and three were named to the Cabinet: Donald L. Evans at the Commerce Department, Elaine L. Chao at Labor and Tom Ridge at Homeland Security. At least 37 Pioneers were named to postelection transition teams, which helped place political appointees into key regulatory positions affecting industry.

… When Kenneth L. Lay, for example, a 2000 Pioneer and then-chairman of Enron Corp., was a member of the Energy Department transition team, he sent White House personnel director Clay Johnson III a list of eight persons he recommended for appointment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Two were named to the five-member commission.

Since Atrios has raised $161,705 (and counting) for John Kerry, by the Bush Pioneer standards, he should be entitled to an ambassadorship of Kerry’s choosing or a seat on a regulatory committee of his own choosing.

Here at Angry Bear, Kash and I have raised $5,161.78 to date, well on our way to the $10,000 cumulative goal (donate here). If we hit $10,000, Kash or I might be entitled to the unpaid internship of our choice.

AB