A Windfall for Tampa Strippers

Just when I thought that the GOP might get just a little cautious over their ongoing multiple sex scandals, Michael Steele, the gift that keeps giving, has done it again.

Man, the comedy keeps writing itself:

Breaking news on Twitter from Politico’s Mike Allen — the 2012 Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa.

Florida has been a fiercely contested “swing state” in recent presidential campaigns, and Barack Obama’s victory there in 20[08] was the Democratic Party’s first since 1996.

The Politico is right–Florida is a critical “swing” state. There are some high visibility and politically strained battles going on there (I’m looking at you two, Crist and Rubio). But somehow I suspect that there was another element factored in to the choice of Tampa:

A reputation can sometimes be hard to shake and the city of Tampa has a reputation it would probably like to eliminate. For the past decade some have called Tampa the lap dance capital of the world.

Paul Allen, the founder and publisher of NightMoves magazine, says he hears about the city’s reputation all the time. He believes the shear number of strip clubs in the Bay area has undoubtedly contributed to the city’s rep.

“In greater Tampa Bay, I think the last count is around 56 different clubs that are adult-oriented,” he said.

Another reason for the reputation is the city’s role in the adult industry. “If you own a club in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and you want to book a feature (dancer) to come to your club, there’s basically four people you can call. Three of those four companies are based right here in Tampa,” Allen said

… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

When I lived in Phoenix, I had a good friend who worked as a high-end call girl.  I knew her platonically only.  😥

Once she explained to me that, whenever a Republican or a religious right convention was in town, the local girls imported more girls from Las Vegas, because the demand exceeded the local girls’ ability to meet it.

We can be sure that there are going to be a bunch of exhausted lap dancers in Tampa.

I think local bloggers would be well served to position themselves outside Tampa’s kinkiest strip clubs, with cameras, during the convention.

GOP family values only apply when they are telling everyone else what to do.