New York donors got to rub elbows with GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney at a fundraiser in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, where discussion centered on Romney’s economic proposals. Attendees paid $2,500 a ticket to join the former Massachusetts governor at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers — but they didn’t get much for their money in terms of refreshments. The New York Post reports that guests were offered a humble spread of “chips, salsa and guacamole,” and a cash bar charging “$9 for a domestic beer,” $10 for imports, and $15 for mixed drinks – though the mood stayed light as bar tabs climbed. “We need the money,” joked Jets-owner Woody Johnson when he took to the microphone. Later, Romney attended a very different fundraiser at Steve Schwarzman’s Park Avenue home, meeting with high-level donors like Bank of New York’s Gerald Hassell, hedge fund manager Ray Dalio and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. Sources say the group discussed “how to handle attacks on Romney’s private-equity firm Bain Capital.”
