So many fundraisers, so little time!
Can you hear it? It's that time again in Washington, D.C. where an audible cha-ching echoes through the halls of Congress. As Roll Call Reported this morning, the end of June is coming up—and that means there’s a fundraising frenzy on Capitol Hill before the books close for second quarter fundraising.
And according to our analysis of fundraiser invitations obtained by the Sunlight Foundation’s PoliticalPartyTime.org, there will be at least 159 in the last week leading up to June 30th.
Other interesting points:
- Tomorrow, June 22nd, there will be at least 47 events. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, “cocktail receptions,” you name it—you can find a party at any time of day.
- Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) has the most scheduled, with five on the calendar between today and the 30th—three with lobbyists or lobbying firms. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) has four and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has three.
- Johnny’s Half Shell is raking in big bucks over the next week with 10 fundraisers being held at the Capitol Hill restaurant. Other big venues include Bistro Bis (seven events), the Republican Capitol Hill Club (six), and the National Democratic Club Townhouse (six).
- And if you’re a lobbyist that is just plain tired of another breakfast at a wine bar or reception on a lobby shop’s patio, don’t worry, there are plenty of other options. Reps. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) is holding a fundraiser tomorrow at the Sade concert (featuring John Legend!). You can hit the links with Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) who each have a “golf outing” on June 27th.
159 fundraisers may not sound like a lot—especially when there are so many members of Congress—but these are just the events we know about. There are plenty more and this list doesn’t include all the call time with big donors that members of Congress have to do from their cubicles in party committee headquarters.
With so many big issues facing Congress right now—the war in Afghanistan, the fight over the debt ceiling, our role in Libya—Congress should be focused on their jobs, not how to keep them.