Who ever said America was a democracy?

Who ever said America was a democracy?

"Marvin The Paranoid Android" <marvin@galaxy.com> wrote in message news:opscd4n3veld1pme@pc...

Gotta love how the neocons have reduced the democratic process down to the
bottom line ... the buck.

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G.O.P. Donors Paying to Play at Convention
By GLEN JUSTICE

Published: August 8, 2004



ASHINGTON, Aug. 7 - Lunch at the Plaza Hotel. Dinner at Le Cirque.
Cocktails at the New York Stock Exchange. That's the least the Republican
Party could do to welcome its top fund-raisers to the convention in New
York this month. Right?

Yes, but there's just one catch. They have to pay for it.

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These supporters - some of whom have raised $200,000 or more for President
Bush or the party - are being charged a "convention fee'' this year of up
to $4,500 per person for themselves and each guest, according to a Web
page run by LogiCom Project Management, the company handling the events
and travel arrangements.

That's just for starters. The fund-raisers will also pay for airfare,
several nights in a hotel and optional events they might choose - like a
fashion show at Barneys or the U.S. Open tennis tournament. The result is
that a couple could easily run up a tab of well over $10,000.

"A lot of us looked at that thing and said, whoa!'' said Bruce Bialosky of
California, who raised $100,000 to become a Pioneer fund-raiser. He
estimates that the convention will cost him and his family $15,000. "A lot
of people just can't afford that.''

Republican officials say the fees have risen this year - they topped out
at $1,750 in 2000 - because of the new McCain-Feingold campaign finance
law, which eliminated the unlimited so-called soft money contributions
that used to make up a large part of the party's finances and were
traditionally used to pay for convention events. Now operating on a leaner
budget, the Republican Party chose to pass the costs on to those attending
the convention rather than spend cash that could be used to support
President Bush in the election.

"We want to use our hard money resources in the smartest way possible,''
said Christine Iverson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National
Committee. "When we win, everyone will appreciate that we marshaled our
resources to support a victory.''

The fees might have been considered a contribution if collected by the
national committee, so officials instead hired LogiCom to collect the
money and run the events.

While Democratic fund-raisers got into parties free during their national
convention in Boston, some Republicans - even the most well off - are
experiencing sticker shock. A few said they called campaign officials to
complain. Others are looking into leaving their spouses behind, sharing
hotel rooms or taking other measures to cut costs. Almost all said they
have heard grumbling from their friends in fund-raising circles.

"The price of playing the game has risen dramatically,'' said Fred
Zeidman, a Texas fund-raiser who has brought in at least $200,000. "I
don't think anybody is happy about writing the check. But it's a cost of
doing business.''

The Bush campaign is famously frugal, sometimes serving hot dogs and other
plain fare at fund-raising events. As Shawn Steel, a California
fund-raiser who has brought in $200,000 together with his wife, joked,
"These are about the stingiest bunch of guys I've ever seen.''

At the same time, Mr. Steel and many other fund-raisers, including Mr.
Bialosky and Mr. Zeidman, said they understood the need for the charges.
"I don't blame them," Mr. Bialosky said. "They didn't have a choice. They
are not trying to stick it to us, there are costs to these things."

Political conventions are often seen as a way to thank fund-raisers for
months of collecting large checks - and to get them to raise more before
Election Day in November.

To some, the pricing structure itself may seem unfair because the biggest
fund-raisers, instead of being rewarded for their success, are expected to
fork over even more money to attend the events.

Mr. Bush's Rangers, who each raised at least $200,000 for the campaign,
are being asked to pay $4,500; Pioneers, who raised at least $100,000, are
being asked for $4,000; Mavericks, the under-40 fund-raisers who gathered
at least $50,000, are being asked to pay $3,650. Several other packages
cost less, according to the LogiCom site.

Fund-raisers at all three levels are being invited to a concert at Lincoln
Center featuring the singer Linda Eder, a finance committee lunch at the
Plaza Hotel (complete with breakout sessions afterward), receptions at
Tavern on the Green and the New York Stock Exchange, and a farewell party
at Cipriani's on the last day of the convention.

There are also some special perks.

Rangers, for example, get a lunch at Sotheby's and the opportunity to stay
at the Ritz-Carlton, but rooms costing $475 to $700 a night are already
sold out, according to the site. What is left in a block of rooms reserved
for donors starts at $850, with suites beginning at $2,000 - and there is
a five-night minimum.

Officials at LogiCom declined to comment on the events or the costs,
referring calls to the Republican National Committee. Ms. Iverson, the
committee spokeswoman, declined to say how much the events cost to
organize in total or the terms of the LogiCom contract.

Of course, fund-raisers do not have to attend special parties, nor do they
have to stay at fancy hotels. There are more than enough events that cost
little or nothing.

But some Republicans say the fun of a convention is mixing with fellow
fund-raisers, many of whom are friends from other states they have been
working with for months, whether it is in the convention hall, in hotel
hospitality suites or at parties given especially for them.

So it was for Mr. Bialosky, who found economical airfares, opted for
cheaper accommodations and chose a cheaper package of events in order to
trim costs so he could attend with his wife and his two teenage children.

"I really wanted to be a Pioneer or a Ranger; that's what I worked my butt
off to do,'' Mr. Bialosky said. "I don't have an endless pot of money to
commit to political events. But I didn't want to go there and not
participate in the Pioneer and Ranger stuff. That felt horrible.''