Matt Stoller at Open Left reveals what the face of corruption looks like: an invitation to a fundraising dinner. (They better be standing while they eat.) It's truly amazing that Verizon has a Good Government Committee. That goes above and beyond all the necessary trappings of traditional Orwellian naming conventions.
Congressional Staff Need to be Transparent Too
Writing in the Washington Post, Paul Kane explicates the fine print on a fundraiser flier sent out by Sen. Charles Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and finds that the draw for prospective lobbyist fundraisers will be congressional staff members -- not members of Congress:
Officially, lobbyists are asked to give or raise $2,000 to be a "host" or $1,000 to be a "DSCC friend" in order to meet "individuals representing" Senate Democrats. That's code word for chiefs of staff and staff directors of committees, according to lobbyists who received the fundraising pitch. The image of the invite that was e-mailed to Capitol Briefing included the file name of "chiefs invitation". Continue reading
One Fewer Mystery PAC
A quick update to Paul's post on CRP's invitation to track mystery PACs. The Penguin PAC, one of the 31 political action committees that our friends at the Center for Responsive Politics listed as an "anonymous" leadership PAC, does indeed belong to Rep. Tim Ryan. I called Fraioli & Associates to confirm what their Web site seemed to indicate, that Ryan had a connection to Penguin PAC. And here's a few suggestions on tracking these things if searching for the name of the PAC doesn't turn up anything:
Continue readingSen. Norm Coleman: Open for Business
The following fax, sent out to PACs, Trade Associations, and Washington lobbyists, speaks pretty much for itself:
You can also view a readable, full-size version. The letter promises access to Coleman in exchange for campaign contributions; the text reads, in part:
As you know, raising money is the first step to winning, and money matters. But early money and support make an even bigger difference in my quest for victory. I am writing to ask you for your full support of my '08 Senate race. ... Continue reading
Permanent (Fundraising) Campaign Continues
Today's mail brought an envelope with a pair of fundraiser fliers, both of which were originally faxed out on November 9, 2006--a scant two days after the election (what, these slackers took Wednesday off?) to Washington lobbyists, association heads, and other special interest folks all over town. The one above, from Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., will be held at the offices of O'Connor and Hannan, a firm that represents the likes of Exxon Mobil, General Electric and Lockheed Martin, to name but a few. The flyer asks $500 for individual contributions, $1,000 from PACs to attend the event.
Special Interest Cancels Congressional Perk
Over the weekend, Mike Dorning of the Chicago Tribune reported on the means that one Washington special interest, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, used to influence members of Congress, but noted one very interesting fact. First, the means:
For years, the National Marine Manufacturers Association asked one of its member manufacturers to lend the group's Washington lobbying office the use of a new yacht for the warm-weather months. The purpose was "to help our government relations staff develop relationships with key policy makers," the group's political action committee wrote in a report to members. Continue reading
Upcoming Fundraisers
As promised, I'm posting a PDF of the upcoming fundraisers. I figure it's more useful to highlight ones that haven't happened yet. There are 39 pages of them, including some being held outside D.C. (Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D.-Calif., has Bill Clinton as a guest of honor for her $1,000 per person event, Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-N.Y., invited lobbyists to join him at the Watkins Glen Raceway in New York, and Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., are hosting a golf tournament in Las Vegas). Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is holding a fundraiser in the offices of Winston & Strawn, LLP (one of D.C.'s more prominent lobbying firms), Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., is hosting a fundraiser in the "Owner's Skybox" at Oriole Park (Baltimore is playing the Toronto Blue Jays that night), Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is raising money for the Prosperity PAC with a preview of Monty Python's Spamalot at the National Theater; Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., is having a breakfast to discuss transportation industry issues, and so on.
Continue readingToday’s Fundraisers
By my count, today's invitations offer the chance to rub elbows with some 34 members of Congress to lobbyists and PAC officials in Washington. Among the highlights: Jack Fields hosted a breakfast fundraiser for Rep. John Linder, R-Ga. Fields is the Texas Republican who chaired the House subcommittee that oversaw the rewrite of the nation's telecommunication laws that was passed in 1996, then left in 1997 to "spend more time with his family," and his new lobbying firm, the Twenty-First Century Group. Since 1998, Fields has represented the likes of Verizon, the Personal Communications Industry Association, SBC Communications, Echostar Communications Corp. among many others. I particularly like the fact that his firm really puts the "full" into "full service lobbying":
The Twenty-First Century Group is located at 434 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., just two blocks from the Capitol. Its close proximity to House and Senate office buildings and the two parties' national committee headquarters makes it a convenient place to host meetings and fundraisers. Continue reading
Congressional boozefests
I don't know about you, but nothing says "responsible public policy forum" to me quite as strongly as politicians, PACs, lobbyists and hard alcohol. And that's what's on offer today on D Street--according to the flier emailed to Washington's lobbying firms and PACs (here's a small JPEG, just to give you the flavor)...
Those are five of the many Washington, D.C., fundraisers taking place today (BONUS: We post yesterday's fundraisers today too!)
First, from Thursday:
D Street Block Party! Congressman Chris Chocola, (Margarita Tasting) $1,000 contribution. Congressman Clay Shaw (Scotch tasting) $1,000 contributon. Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (Martini Tasting) $1,000 contribution. Congressman Jim Ryun (Coffee and Desserts), $1,000 contribution. Congressman Mark Foley (Wine Tasting) $1,000. The flier has a nice note: "These are independent events and require separate contributions and RSVPs." Continue reading
Today’s Fundraisers
We continue with our list of Washington fundraisers. The principal invitees are heads of PACs and Washington lobbyists.
Please join the Hon. Bill Brewster, David Thompson, AT Johnston, Chad Istook of the Capitol Hill Consulting Group for an evening of fun and food -- featuring a Lasershot shooting event honoring Congressman Gresham Barrett (R-SC) Financial Services, Budget, International Relations. 499 S. Capitol Street, SE, Suite 608, Washington, DC 20003. Suggested Contribution: $1,000 PAC, $500 Individual.Continue reading
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