Now you can use your phone to see where congressional fundraisers are taking place as you walk down the street, using the augmented reality application LayAR.
This application takes the geographic coordinates of the parties we post here and provides the user with a map and actual photographs of the location. (Note: you need Android or iPhone 3GS or iPhone4 to run the application.)
So say, for example, you're in downtown Washington and you want to see what parties are taking place nearby that day. You can get a read-out that looks like the image on the top right.
Let's say you want an image of where a particular party is taking place. The bottom right photo is a picture of the street where the Duberstein Group, a powerhouse lobbying firm, is located.
To get this Party Time app on your phone, download the LayAR application, and then search "layers" for "Party Time."
One of the results will be "Political Party Time"--you can see it here: http://site.layar.com/catalog/political-party-time/.
Then--start searching.
0 commentsStaffers and lobbyists have mixed at least three fundraisers this month – most recently a fundraiser for Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., where the purpose of the fundraiser was to introduce Dan Kunsman, the senator’s new chief of staff.
According to a Roll Call article, [subscription required] at least one lobbyist present at Kunsman’s debut felt the event crossed the line between legislating and fundraising.
“It was definitely a unique approach, and not one I would want repeated,” said a GOP lobbyist at the lunch to Roll Call. “It was uncomfortably close to the explicit staff access/money line.”
There have been at least two other fundraisers this month where staffers and lobbyists have crossed paths. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee held its annual staffer-lobbyist dinner at Hotel Monoco. In the past, the event has raised almost $250,000. The Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee also planned a June 23 fundraiser with two dozen Senate chiefs of staff, who were given top billing on the invitation, Roll Call reported.
The 2003 Senate Ethics Manual states that it's not improper for a Senate employee to engage in campaign activity on his or her own time, so long as such activity complies with the Senate Rule that prohibits fundraising by most Senate employees for federal campaigns.
The 2008 House Ethics Manual states that staff is allowed to do campaign work as long as it's done on their own time and their bosses don't compel them to do it.
What constitutes an employee's own time? According to the House manual, it is: "…determined by the personnel policies that are in place in the employing office. Time that is available to a staff member, under those policies, to engage in personal or other outside activities may instead be used to do campaign work, if the individual so chooses. This free time may include, for example, a lunch period, time after the end of the business day, and annual leave."
Another interesting bit from the House manual: "A Member may not adjust the work requirements of the congressional office, or add unpaid interns during the campaign, in order to create more “free time” for staff to do campaign work."
According to both manuals, however, a staffer can work part-time in Congress for a period in order to dedicate time to a campaign, with the corresponding reduction in pay.
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Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the same committee that began the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan Monday, were featured speakers of a June 22nd “Judiciary Roundtable” fundraiser benefiting the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, were listed on the invitation for the event, which was limited to 30 seats at $500-$1,000 per person or political action group. Those who gave $15,000 a year to the NRSC could attend for free.
While this event isn’t included in Party Time’s search for invitations by committee, since Cornyn and Hatch were not the beneficiaries of the fundraiser, there have been at least eight other campaign fundraisers for the 19 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee between today and May 10 – the day President Obama announced Kagan as his nominee. They include:
Nearly 30 20 lobbyists and insiders * are scheduled to help California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina fundraise tomorrow in DC, where she'll be holding three back-to-back fundraisers, on the heels of a "max-out" dinner tonight.
The ex-Hewlett Packard CEO, in a tight race with Sen. Barbara Boxer, will be schmoozing with lobbyists such as Phil Anderson and Cesar Conda of the firm Navigators Global LLC. Their clients include AT&T, New York Life Insurance and Oracle, which partners with HP. Anderson and Conda were also listed as hosts on invitations to past Fiorina parties this year.
Other lobbyists listed as hosts include Theresa Fariello, vice president of government relations for Exxon Mobil, and Dan Meyer of the Duberstein Group, who lobbies for BP, among other clients. (We blogged about him recently here.) Meyer was billed as a host to an April 29 Fiorina party.
Also on the invitation is Kirk Blalock, a former George W. Bush Administration official who lobbies for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and has been on nine invitations in Party Time's database so far this year.
But before tomorrow's partying, Fiorina will be holding a "max-out" dinner, which features Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), alongside powerful Senators Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). (For his presidential run, Fiorina bundled between $100,000 and $250,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics).
Tonight's event, at Charlie Palmer Steak, a popular spot for DC fundraisers, asks for the maximum campaign contribution: $5,000 for PACs and $2,400 for individuals. The invitation also extends to those who raise (bundle) $5,000 for the candidate. Interestingly, this is unlikely to trigger federal bundling reporting requirements.
Tomorrow kicks off with a $5,000-a-PAC and $2,500-per-person breakfast at The Monocle, another popular spot. At 10:00, PACs can pay half that for a cup of coffee at the offices of Navigators Global, a lobbying, political strategy and communications group.
Next up is lunch with lots of lobbyists at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, where a ticket can be had for as little as $500.
Fiorina has raised over $7 million through May 19, half of which is from her own pockets, according to CRP. Boxer has brought in over $16 million. The Democrat hopes to get a boost when Vice President Biden fundraises with her in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles on July 8th and 9th.
*Update: To be more precise, we counted the actual number of registered lobbyists on the invitations, and updated the post accordingly.
0 commentsOn the final two days of the Wall St. reform conference, committee members Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. and Ed Towns, D-N.Y., have each planned fundraising lunches at the home of Tim Rupli, a lobbyist for the financial industry.
Today at noon, soon after the committee began its work at 10 a.m., it's Rep. Ed Towns' turn to fundraise at Rupli's New Jersey Ave. townhouse, a very popular party spot for lawmakers which was featured in a 2008 USA Today article. The invitation to Towns’ lunch asks $500 from individual donors and $1,000 from PACs. Towns will be there, his press secretary said. "If it doesn't impact his work, and he knows that better than anybody, I'm sure he'll make an appearance [at the fundraiser]....He's a big boy, he knows what he's doing,” Julian Phillips said.
Yesterday, at noon, before the committee opened just after 1:00, Gutierrez had planned a lunch at the Rupli Townhouse, where donors could attend for between $500 and $2,500. However, that lunch, for some reason, was moved to La Lomita Dos, a downtown Mexican restaurant. The congressman planned to at least stop by, his press secretary said.
Among several financial industry groups that Rupli represents, one of his clients is the Community Financial Services Association, a payday loan industry group still hoping for a loophole in the final bill, the Wall Street Journal reported. CFSA paid Rupli's firm $240,000 in the first quarter, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. CFSA and the $42 billion payday loan industry has been lobbying against the series of bills attempting to regulate the payday industry since last year.
As chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, Gutierrez introduced the Payday Loan Reform Act of 2009 last year. He got flack from consumer groups, who said the bill was too weak. Later he vowed to reject any contributions from the payday industry, saying, “I want to avoid even the appearance that there is a conflict, so I will not be accepting any contributions from the payday loan industry.”
Keep in mind that, Rupli may not have been present at the Gutierrez lunch -- it could be held at his pad without him. (Rupli was listed as a host to the Towns’ lunch).
Towns, as chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has less conference committee responsibility than Guiterrez, who sits on the Financial Services Committee. Most votes are voted on by the financial services and banking members, without the outside conferees, said Kurt Bardella, press secretary for Rep. Darrell Issa, R- Calif.
CFSA hasn’t contributed to Gutierrez’s campaign this cycle, but it gave $2,000 to Towns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Rupli has contributed $2,400 to Gutierrez and $1,000 to Towns this cycle, according to CRP.
But another Rupli client is a big Gutierrez backer: the Independent Community Bankers of America, which lobbied against the Durbin amendment to regulate debit card swipe fees. ICBA is Gutierrez’s biggest donor this cycle, at $10,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
ICBA spent $4.75 million lobbying last year, including over $400,000 on Mr. Rupli’s services, according to CRP.
Finally, there is another Rupli client that has a stake in financial reform: the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association. The group scored a victory this week; in a compromise reached on the “swipe fees” amendment, prepaid cards were exempted from regulation. Russell Simmons is celebrating.
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At least six members of Congress, all Democrats, plan to relive the 70s and also raise some serious 2010 campaign cash at the Carole King and James Taylor Troubadour Reunion Tour at the Verizon Center in Washington tonight.
The Troubadour Reunion Tour is billed as the 40th anniversary of King and Taylor’s first performance together in 1970 at the folk-music-mecca, the Troubadour nightclub, in West Hollywood, Calif.
Lawmakers who are planning fundraisers at this event include:
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., who is asking guests to pay $1,000 for individuals and $1,500 for political action committees.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who is also hosting a reception at the Verizon Center an hour before the concert. Tickets are $2,500 per political action committee and $2,400 per individual.
Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., is advertising the “best seats in the house” for the concert. His tickets are $2,500 per ticket for seats to the right of the stage “designed to recreate the intimacy of the vintage Troubadour club” and offers the chance to attend a private pre-concert sound check. Guests can also pay $1,000 for premium seats, which are close row seats right by the stage.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., lists her position as the Chair of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Serves Committee, and a member of the Homeland Security and Joint Economic Committees. Sanchez’ tickets to the event are $1,000 for individuals and $2,500 for political action committees.
Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., writes on his invite to the concert: “I hope you will be able to join me for a special concert event featuring Carol [sic] King and James Taylor tomorrow” and is asking for contributions of $2,500.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., appears to have used the same outreach service as Rep. Engel because her invite looked the same as his, complete with the identical typo of Carole King’s name. DeGette is also asking for contributions of $2,500. Her invite lists an earlier date of the concert of June 8th, but it was changed to tonight.
Tonight’s concert, which will include original support band from The Troubadour, is estimated to be the best selling ticket event in the world, based on sales from the secondary ticket exchange, the TicketNetwork Exchange.
Featured songs might include Smiling Face, Up on the Roof, and maybe one the lawmakers will like: Where You Lead.
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Kansas Rep. Jerry Moran is tapping Nationals sensation Stephen Strasburg as his #1 starter on his Kansas Senate campaign. Already a cash cow for the Nationals and Major League Baseball, Moran is hoping that the 21-year-old phenom will hit it out of the park with donors. Moran and his supporters will be at Nationals Stadium today for a fundraiser while watching the Nationals face off against the Kansas City Royals at 4:35 p.m.
Moran is battling Rep. Todd Tiahrt in the GOP primary. Thus far, Moran has raised $2.2 million through March, compared to Tiahrt's $1.6 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, though both have plenty of cash on hand ($3.5 million for Moran, $1.5 million for Tiahrt).
There are still seats available to today's game, which is listed as one of the Nationals' "value games" so tickets are slightly cheaper. They cost anywhere from $5 for the grandstand to $70 for dugout box seats, to $325 to sit behind home plate. But for a Moran backer, seats are costing $1,000 for PACs and $500 for individuals, according to the invitation, which was in an "upcoming events" email sent by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Strasburg, who throws 100-mph fastballs, is already getting all-star buzz after only three starts. The rookie is scheduled to make two more starts before the All-Star Break: July 3 and July 9. After the Nationals return to the field on July 16, manager Jim Riggleman plans to rest Strasburg for a few more games.
For now, Party Time has two other upcoming Nationals games in our database: Rep. Wally Herger, R-Cali., on July 1 and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., on July 27.
Nationals games have been a popular place to raise money in the past. To see all parties at Nationals Park, type "Nationals" under the Venue Name search option or click here.
0 commentsOn Thursday, June 24, Dan Meyer, a lobbyist for BP, is listed as one of several hosts for a Thursday $1,000-a-plate luncheon at the boutique Hotel George in downtown Washington. Meyer, who’s with the Duberstein Group, was the Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs under George W. Bush in 2007-2008.
The fundraiser will benefit Colorado candidate Cory Gardner, who is in a tight race with incumbent Betsy Markey, D, Colo.
Amidst the biggest oil spill in US history, a series of public relations foibles, and public outrage against BP, the company's lobbyists are continuing to work the Washington circuit. Here’s a list we collected last week.
The lunch also includes other energy lobbyists and industry players, including representatives from Koch Industries, whose political action committee is also listed as a host. House Energy and Commerce Committee members receive more contributions from Koch Industries than any other committees' members. One member of this committee is Rep. Marsha Blackburn , R-Tenn., who is listed as a headliner to Thursday's lunch. Koch donated $7,500 to Blackburn’s campaign this cycle and also donated $2,500 towards Gardner's campaign, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen (Whoops, Gardner's party planning team misspelled his first name on the invitation) is also scheduled to attend.
Note: Party Time blogged last week about how Gardner canceled a Colorado fundraiser after the event's main draw, Rep. Steve King, said that president Obama favors blacks over whites. Meanwhile Markey just tapped energy industry lobbyist and top Democratic bundler Brian Wolff to work on her campaign.
2 commentsSen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) will be fundraising at an "evening of discussion" tonight at the Hotel Monaco headlined by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, according to reports in both The Hill and the National Journal. (See the invitation here.) Other featured speakers will be Norman Augustine, former chairman of Lockheed Martin, and Martin Neil Baily, a senior economics fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The topic is "The Road to the Future: A Strategy of Growth and Competitiveness," and the cost to attend is anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. Warner, who is not up for reelection until 2014, is collecting the money for a joint fundraising that benefits both his campaign committee, Friends of Mark Warner, and his leadership PAC, Forward Together. Lockheed Martin ranks third among his top lifetime donors. (Linked to wrong Sen. Warner; however, Schmidt gave $2,300 to Sen. Mark Warner in October 2008.)
As the 43 members of Congress on the financial reform conference committee meet this month to hash out the final bill, more than half have planned fundraisers for themselves or are scheduled to be special guests at fundraisers for their colleagues.
In Party Time's database of invitations for the month of June, 28 of these events were for their own campaigns or political action committees, while 14 were for other lawmakers.
At least two members -- Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the head of the House-Senate joint committee, and Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee -- have postponed fundraisers since the committee convened on June 10, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Bachus’ press secretary Tim Johnson also told Party Time that Bachus did not attend one of the fundraisers that conflicted with the conference committee meeting. “Obviously there was a conflict with conference and that’s where the congressman’s full attention is," Johnson said. Our count does not include postponed or canceled events.
For our full list, check out the spreadsheet below. Note: Our database only includes some of the fundraisers in the D.C. area, which we learn about from anonymous sources, so there may be more that we don’t know about.
Of the June Party Time invitations that, as far as we know, were planned to happen, here are some that caught our eye:
On the GOP side, Reps. Sam Graves, R-Miss., and Lamar Smith, R.-Tex., had invites to quite a few June soirees. Graves, the ranking Republican on the House Small Business Committee, planned six events this month, including a lunch at noon on June 16th just an hour after the committee started meeting at 11 a.m.
On June 14th, Smith’s political action committee, Longhorn PAC, planned its annual tennis event at the Washington Golf & Country Club. Smith, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, is also set to host three events for either himself or his PAC this month, and was a guest at a fundraiser for Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.
On June 15th, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., planned to use an Eagles concert at Nationals Stadium to raise money. Issa, the ranking member on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also plans to hold his 9th Annual “Issa Cream Special” on June 23rd at the Associated General Contractors of America Townhouse with special guests, the “California GOP Delegation”. A ticket could cost as much as $2,500, or as little as $100 for those 35 and under.
Issa was also scheduled to host a fundraising breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday hosted by lobbyist Will Moschella, who represents the Electronic Payment Coalition among others. Moschella’s firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shrek, LLP, is one of the top lobbying firms working on financial reform legislation, representing 19 clients to lobby on the financial reform overhaul in 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, according to a report by the Center for Public Integrity.
On June 9, just before the joint committee opened, Spencer Bachus, was scheduled to wine and dine at a Financial Services Industry Dinner at Acadiana to raise money for Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.
On the Democratic side, House-Senate Conference Committee head Barney Frank was listed as a featured guest on at least 15 fundraisers for his colleagues and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this year. On June 7, Frank was listed as a host to a fundraising lunch for his colleague Ron Klein, D-Fla. He also plans to headline a fundraiser for Alan Grayson, D-Fla., at the National Democratic Club on July 1.
Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., planned two fundraisers this month, including a June 10 breakfast at the home of lobbyist Robert Raben, founder of the Raben Group, which lobbies on financial issues. The invite highlights Maloney's committee positions as chair of the Joint Economic Committee and a member on both the Financial Services and Oversight Committee and Government Reform Committee.
Next week, Maloney plans to schmooze with donors while watching the "Carole King and James Taylor’s Troubadour Reunion Tour" at the Verizon Center.
Elijah Cummings, D-Md., also has plans for a June 24 fundraiser. The invitation highlights his positions as senior whip, senior member of the Joint Economic Committee, and senior member of the Committee on Government Oversight and Reform.
On Wednesday, in the middle of the conference committee meeting, former NFL Quarterback and chair of the Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., had planned for a $1,000-a-plate “Southern Summer Luncheon” at the National Democratic Club Townhouse to raise money for his campaign.
Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, was also scheduled to be a guest at a fundraising breakfast on June 11 for Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Pa.
Of the 12 Senators on the committee, Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, are billed as hosts while Sen. Tim Johnson was scheduled to hold a fundraiser at the National Automobile Dealers Association on June 15.
Finally, using Party Time's Events by Committee search option, here are links to the fundraisers held by the House and Senate committees whose members were pulled for the conference committee:
House Financial Services Committee
House Committee on Agriculture
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
House Committee on Small Business
Senate Commitee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
0 commentsBeneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party
Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist
Venue Name: where the party is
Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"
Other Lawmakers Mentioned: lawmakers mentioned on invitation who are used as a draw for the event
Note: You may wonder why you often see repeat entries for the same party. Sometimes we receive the same invitation from more than one source. We are working on eliminating these duplicates.
Sunlight's Party Time is a project to track parties for members of Congress or congressional candidates that happen all year round in Washington, D.C. and beyond. (read more)
We also post information we receive about parties where members of Congress are expected to participate—such as convention or inaugural parties.
Since we don't hear about all the parties, you can also tell us if you know where the party is and we don't.
