Our old friend, Rep. Patrick McHenry of N.C.’s 10^th congressional district, likes to pass himself off as a good ol’ Tea Party-lovin’ man of the people, bound and determined to change Washington’s crooked ways. Astonishingly, people in his district seem to believe him.

This week, though, Lil’ Pat shows his true colors again, by schmoozing and rubbing elbows (maybe in the hotel spa!) with some of his biggest financial backers, the slimebag payday lending industry. McHenry, who is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, will be a featured speaker at the yearly conference of the Community Financial Services Association (CFSA), held at the Hollywood, FL. Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa. On the bill with McHenry will be the equally distinguished FoxNews commentator Dick Morris, most known, perhaps, for letting his toe-sucking prostitute listen in on a consulting phone conversation with then-Pres. Clinton. As NC Policy Watch put it, “talk about your high-class events.”

While some members of Congress, notably Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), have fought the payday lenders’ exploitative rates and practices, McHenry has been busy taking the industry’s money. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McHenry took in a total of $52,000 from the Online Lenders Alliance in the 2010 cycle. Keep in mind that McHenry is in bed with an industry that has, for all intents and purposes, been banned from the state of North Carolina. Kind of breathtaking, isn’t it?

• Rep. Patrick McHenry: Cozying up to the bigwigs for the cause of the little man