Money, the old saying goes, is the mother's milk of politics.

And like everything else in this record-setting budget impasse, it turned sour on Friday.

Democrats lobbed accusations against Republicans for being "out of touch" for hosting a lobster-and-golf campaign fundraiser in Nevada next week.

Republicans countered that Democrats should "check their own backyard" as Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, flew to Southern California on Friday evening to speak at a five-figure fundraiser herself.

Though the budget is nearly three months past the June 15 constitutional deadline, lawmakers of both parties and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have continued to pound the fundraising circuit.

In August – when legislators decided the fate of hundreds of bills – there were more than 80 fundraisers for sitting legislators, most with a minimum of $1,000 to attend.

Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines and Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill are the listed co-hosts of the Tahoe event, where big donors will be asked to fork over up to $15,000 to the California Republican Party.

The timing of the GOP lobster-and-golf affair – as some health care clinics face closure and public schools are being shorted billions of dollars because of the missing budget – drew outrage from across the aisle.

"It just shows for the umpteenth time now just how out of touch the Republican leaders are from the real-life implications of the stalemate," said California Democratic Party spokesman Brian Brokaw.

To woo potential contributors, the state GOP and its top lawmakers had promised donors a "sunset cocktail reception" and lobster barbecue on Monday night, followed by Tuesday golf where an 18-hole round regularly costs $174.

"You'll experience an incomparable mountain escape," entices the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Web site, where donors will sleep.

After details of the fundraiser leaked out Friday, Villines and Cogdill each announced they wouldn't attend without a budget deal.

But "the event is still going on," added Hector Barajas, the communications director for the Republican Party.

As for the Democrats' criticism, Barajas recommended that "before they launch these attacks they should probably look at their own house."

Bass, the Assembly's top Democrat, was scheduled to be the featured speaker Friday at a two-day golf fundraiser where donors were asked to give as much as $50,000, mainly to a political action committee for African American candidates.

"She's going exclusively for the dinner, speaking at the dinner and returning," Bass spokesman Steve Maviglio said Friday.

Like their GOP colleagues' event, the Democrats dined with donors at a swank hotel – the St. Regis Resort & Spa – which describes itself as "a landmark resort of legendary proportions."

Lawmakers and Schwarzenegger still have not agreed on a state budget, though it is a record 75 days into the fiscal year.

Throughout the summer stalemate, political fundraising has continued unabated.

On Monday, Bass is the headliner at a fundraiser in San Francisco for that city's Democratic assemblywoman, Fiona Ma. Maviglio said Bass is "playing it by ear" on attending.

Cogdill has a Tuesday fundraiser scheduled in Fresno. On Wednesday, he has an event in Modesto.

Villines, meanwhile, is listed as a sponsor of Sacramento fundraisers for GOP Assembly candidates Danny Gilmore and Gary Jeandron on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

Schwarzenegger blasted lawmakers earlier this month for not working hard enough on the budget.

"There are absolutely no consequences to legislators," Schwarzenegger said. "Absolutely none. They go on vacation, they go on recess, they go home on the weekends and have their two days off – because God forbid they have to work through the weekend."

Schwarzenegger, too, is busy raising money. He squeezed three fundraising events into his schedule the week before criticizing lawmakers.

On Monday, he will attend two fundraisers, one in the Bay Area and one in Los Angeles, for Proposition 11, the redistricting measure he supports.

Call Shane Goldmacher, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5544.