If you’re the type that goes to the political conventions more for the parties than the politics, you might be sorely disappointed by this summer’s events in Denver and Minneapolis.
We spoke to several powerful and socially active lobbyists about their convention plans and nearly all agree that compared to the weeklong bashes of old in cities like New York, Boston and Los Angeles, this year’s events could be tame.
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“It’s going to be a very different atmosphere,” said one lobbyist who is a veteran of five Republican conventions. “The days of a truly entertaining convention are largely over.” He added that “maybe only one-third” of the usual attendees in the corporate lobbying community will go this time around, and most of them will stay only for a day or two.
The first reason they give is that the Democrats’ location in Denver and the Republicans’ in Minneapolis are more difficult to get to,offer fewer attractions and are far more sprawling, making transportation more challenging. “A week is a long time in Minnesota,” said our Republican veteran.
Moreover, he added, “it’s not as entertaining if you have to worry about the New York Times stalking you.”
He was referring to the new ethics rules that will apply to these conventions; namely that corporations may only sponsor parties for groups of affiliated politicians (the Congressional Internet Caucus, for instance) and not single members.
Jason Roe, a partner with the Federal Strategy Group, said he expects “more big parties rather than the smaller, intimate events of the past that were more useful. You’ve got to honor a whole committee rather than an individual, so it’s bound to be bigger.”
Even then, as interpretation and enforcement is still uncertain, many corporate counsels are advising their executives against throwing parties.
Another prominent Republican lobbyist told Yeas & Nays that if he throws a party at all, it’s likely to be on Sunday night. His reasoning? Even though most convention attendees will already be in town by Sunday, the rules don’t tighten up until the convention officially begins on Monday.
He said that while he’s fairly certain about the new restrictions, he’s not about to be the first one out of the gate with a party on Monday, thereby running the risk of going to jail or paying a steep fine, and becoming a cautionary tale for other lobbyists.
(Washington power-brokers are so paranoid, as a matter of fact, most would only speak to us on the condition of anonymity.)
Nevertheless, a socially active Democrat told us that in an “elite, target-rich environment” like a convention, “the gathering and entertaining will still take place. … My clients want access and they want to entertain” politicians. They want to get noticed, which is different from influence, but maybe it lays the groundwork for influence later on.”
