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The Republican Party is raising money off President Obama鈥檚 awkward coffee-cup salute.

You鈥檝e heard about latte-gate, right? On Tuesday when arriving in Manhattan, Obama exited Marine One with a hot beverage cup in his hand. When the Marine guard at the foot of the stairs saluted the debarking commander-in-chief, the president lifted the cup to his forehead in return. It wasn鈥檛 a graceful gesture.

Lots of people got upset that the president wasn鈥檛 showing proper respect to the troops, despite the fact that President Bush once did the same thing when holding his dog Barney. So on Wednesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee figured they would try to take advantage of this perceived outrage to make some cash.

They鈥檝e created a pop-up web site, , that charges Obama鈥檚 poor salute is indicative of a 鈥渓arger pattern,鈥� though it doesn鈥檛 specify what that larger pattern is.

鈥淧ut that coffee down!鈥� says the big red banner splashed across an Obama salute image on the site.

Why are they doing this? Well, the opportunity presented itself. Why not? Consultants are always saying 鈥減olitics is not bean-bag鈥� in a sage manner, though none of them really have any idea what 鈥渂ean-bag鈥� is and whether it鈥檚 a symbol of restraint.

Also, they need the money. Heading into the last weeks of the 2014 mid-terms, Democrats have outraised Republicans across the board. GOP strategist Karl Rove wrote last week in The Wall Street Journal that in Senate races Democrats have spent $24 million more than Republicans on TV ads. This disparity might allow Democrat Harry Reid to remain majority leader, Mr. Rove warned.

鈥淩epublican candidates and groups must step up if they are to substantially reduce that gap,鈥� wrote Rove.

That鈥檚 what the Semperlatte site represents: The NRSC stepping up and trying to close the gap.

North Carolina鈥檚 Senate race shows how the Democrats鈥� cash advantage is playing out in practice. Through the end of June, Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan than the GOP candidate, state Rep. Thom Tillis, according to The New York Times. That advantage has probably dwindled since then but Senator Hagan is 鈥渁ll but assured to spend more money on the general election than [Rep. Tillis] will,鈥� writes Nate Cohn of the Times鈥� Upshot data site.

Lots of political pros figured Hagan was a goner this time around. But she鈥檚 leading Tillis narrowly in the polls. If she wins reelection, it becomes that much harder for the GOP to win a Senate majority.

As to the propriety of the Semperlatte fundraising, does that question even need to be asked?

Both parties will try and raise money off every scandal, real and/or perceived. Democrats have waved the flag of a possible (but highly unlikely) GOP impeachment attempt to get funds for their own Senate candidates. Republicans have used alleged Democratic stonewalling on what went on when three Americans died in an attack in Benghazi, Libya.

The liberal group People for the American Way has , points out the sage political commentator Jonathan Bernstein. Maybe they鈥檒l even try to fundraise off the GOP latte-gate site.

But the people who actually donate should be wary of the great fundraising circle of derp, according to Bernstein. It may encourage their party鈥檚 worst instincts.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 want your part to be in the business of producing over-the-top reactions to nonsense, then don鈥檛 click the donate button at Republicansaremuderousthugs.com or Democratsarenationalsocialists.com,鈥� Bernstein writes. 鈥淚f that鈥檚 the kind of appeal you respond to, then that鈥檚 the kind of party and candidates you鈥檒l get.鈥�