Sunlight Foundation

Now that's convenience. It turns out that the most popular spots for D.C. political fundraisers are all helpfully located near the Capitol. The Sunlight Foundation and its Party Time project gathered 2,117 invitations to parties that helped finance campaign committees and leadership PACs in 2008 and sorted them by locale. No. 1 is the National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, which hosted 248 parties. Johnny's Half Shell comes in second, and third is the National Democratic Club. Other hot spots in the top 10: Bistro Bis, Tortilla Coast, Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, the Monocle, and a Capitol Hill townhouse owned by lobbyist Timothy Rupli. Members can easily run "from a fundraising event where they're collecting checks from lobbyists with a stake in an issue straight to the House or Senate floor to vote about that very subject," said Nancy Watzman, director of the Party Time project. "It shows how blatant it all is."