Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd set off a firestorm of criticism last week when he suggested that Hollywood would withhold campaign money from President Obama and lawmakers who don’t toe the Hollywood line on online piracy.

Losing support of the entertainment industry would not be insignificant for the president: In 2011, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg gave $2 million to Priorities USA, the super PAC backing Obama. Another major bankroller is Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of Miramax Films, who along with Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour last August co-hosted a $71,600-a-couple fundraiser for Obama at his New York home.

But so far at least, Party Time hasn’t detected any slowdown in the entertainment industry’s enthusiasm for the president, despite the White House’s decision to put the brakes on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Just a few days before the White House raised concerns about the legislation, which is being enthusiastically backed by the entertainment industry, Obama was raising funds at  the New York City  home of director Spike Lee.

In addition, Party Time records show a Feb. 7 Runway to Win fundraiser scheduled for the Obama Victory Fund 2012. Hosts for the event include: Wintour, actress Scarlet Johansson,  hip-hop moguls Sean Combs and Russell Simmons, singer Beyonce, and fashion designers Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang. Party Time records also show a Jan. 9 reception fundraiser in DC featuring featuring singer-songwriter Sarah Bareilles. Both the fashion and music industries support SOPA.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, the SOPA debate has set off a $100 million lobbying war. Both the entertainment companies who back SOPA and the tech giants who oppose it have lined up blue-chip lobbyists who are regulars on the Party Time circuit.

Former Rep. Victor Fazio, D-Calif., now a lobbyist at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, represents AT& T, a proponent of SOPA. He was one of the hosts at a dinner fundraiser benefiting Democrats Win Seats, the leadership PAC of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., a SOPA supporter and the Democratic Party’s national chair. Reps. Karen Bass, D-Calif and Ted Deutch D-Fla., both SOPA supporters, and Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Bruce Braley, SOPA opponents, were listed among those scheduled to attend. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Senate Judiciary Committee member and one of the four co-sponsors of PIPA, has had several  fundraisers featuring lobbyists from tApple (has not formally stated a position on SOPA), the Motion Picture Association of America, Time Warner and Time Warner Cable.

And as we’ve previously told you in this space, companies backing SOPA have held several fundraisers benefitting Reps. Howard Berman, Adam Schiff, Joe Baca and Mary Bono Mack of California .

Not to be outdone, the tech industry, which sent a powerful message Jan. 18 about its distaste for SOPA on popular websites such as  Google, Wikipedia and Craigslist, has been well represented on the Party Time circuit.

Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., a member of the Judiciary Committee is one of the 27 co-sponsors of SOPA; on the day of the online protest, he issued a press release withdrawing his support, saying his constituents have “made clear” their opposition to legislation.   Alex Vogel of Mehlman, Vogel and Castagnetti, who once worked for then-Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist, was one of the four hosts for Griffin’s reception in early December of last year. Vogel clients include CC Media Holdings, eBay Inc., Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and Yahoo! Inc.  Yahoo! and eBay are opponents of SOPA. Also hosting the fundraiser were other lobbyists representing a range of communications interests, including some on both sides of the SOPA debate:  Marc Lampkin, who represents AT&T, Microsoft Corporation, Sony Corporation and Visa Inc. Kathryn Lehman, who represents Google Inc. and Verizon Communications, and Susan Hirschmann, who represents Comcast Corporation, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Recording Industry Association of America; US Chamber of Commerce and Visa Inc.

Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas, the chairman National Republican Senatorial Committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee member, is another former backer of anti-piracy legislation who shifted his position.  Cornyn’s Alamo PAC had two fundraisers featuring a lobbyist from Clear Channel, Verizon Communications and AT&T, all supporters of SOPA. But after the online protest, the Texan took to  Facebook to share misgivings about the legislation those companies are backing.“Better to get this done right rather than fast and wrong. Stealing content is theft, plain and simple, but concerns about unintended damage to the internet and innovation in the tech sector require a more thoughtful balance, which will take more time,” Cornyn wrote.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also once supported the anti-piracy bill but now opposes it. According to Party Time records, he had a fundraiser hosted by lobbyists Doyle Barlett and Becky Relic. Barlett represents clients such as Comcast Corporation, eBay, and the US Chamber of Commerce. Relic represents eBay. Another supporter-turned-opponent, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., had a fundraiser in which three of the hosts are lobbyists who represent Comcast, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Time Warner Cable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

There are a few lawmakers who have not formally expressed a stand on SOPA. One example is House Oversight Committee member Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y. At his 25th Annual Taste of New York fundraising event,  Towns had lobbyists representing both sides of the SOPA debate as hosts. Paul Braitwaite, a lobbyist for the Podesta Group represents Google, Time Warner Cable and the National Association of Broadcasters is listed as one of the hosts. The list of hosts for Towns event also included Roger Mott with Verizon Communications, Lyndon Boozer of AT&T, Matt Gelman of Microsoft and Jesse McCollum, a lobbyist with the Eris Group representing the Comcast Corporation.

The top ten lobbyist bundlers of 2010 also hosted plenty of fundraisers when their names and organizations were cross-referenced with Party Time’s database of fundraising invitations.

According to a Washington Post analysis this weekend of fundraising records filed under new Federal Election Commission requirements, nearly 160 lobbyists have raised $9 million for political parties and federal candidates by bundling—a method of donating where lobbyists or other fundraisers funnel multiple contributions to campaigns or political parties without violating individual donation limits.The new requirements instruct filers to disclose reports of contributions of $16,000 or more that are bundled by lobbyists.

According to Party Time’s list of invites, the top bundlers of 2010 hosted more than 80 fundraisers going back to 2006. Here are the top ten bundlers as found by the Post and their fundraising history using our list of invitations:

1. Ben Barnes, Ben Barnes Group lobbying firm: $641,950
Party Time didn’t have an invite for Ben Barnes specifically, but lobbyist Scott Reed represents the Group and hosted a fundraiser in April for George Lemieux’s Protect America’s Future PAC. He also hosted fundraisers for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., in 2008 and Mike DeWine in 2006.

2. Brian L. Wolff, Edison Electric Institute: $615,500
There was no exact match for Wolff, but we do have two fundraisers on file for the PowerPAC of the Edison Electric Institute this year. The most recent was a May 4th energy industry breakfast for Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., at the American Gas Association. In February, the PAC held a reception for Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, co-hosted by the Nuclear Energy Institute PAC. They also held a June 2009 energy industry reception fundraiser for Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. Also, in 2009, two fundraisers were held by Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison, and in 2008, the Edison Electric Institute held a fundraiser on the first day of the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

3. Tony Podesta, Podesta Group: $420,350
One of the city’s top lobbying firms and a Party Time regular, Tony Podesta has 22 invitations on which he is listed as a host for fundraisers in our database, the latest being an April 23 fundraising breakfast for Rep. Debbie Wasserman, D-Fla. In nearly all cases his wife, Heather Podesta, is also listed, but we did find two invites where she hosted without her husband.

4. Vincent Roberti, Navigators Global: $283,200
Roberti appears on one Party Time invite, a March 11 fundraising reception for Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., however DC Navigators, LLC, appears as host to 18 different fundraisers going back to March 2008. The most recent was a fundraising reception for Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

5. Wilson Pipestem, Ietan Consulting: $202,000
Pipestem does not appear in the Party Time list of invitations, however Ietan Consulting partner Larry Rosenthal hosted a 2006 reception fundraiser, along with several other lobbyists, for Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

6. Bill Paxon, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: $180,000
There were six fundraisers hosted by Bill Paxon in the Party Time database, the most recent being a March 17th fundraiser for Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Paxon’s powerhouse lobbying firm also appears as host on 23 different fundraisers in our database since July 2008.

7. T. Martin Fiorentino, Jacksonville: $173,700
No Party Time invites on file.

8. Association for Advanced Life Underwriters: $162,300
No Party Time invites on file.

9. Aurene M. Martin, Holland & Knight: $156,200
Martin has hosted one fundraiser according to the Party Time list of invites, an October 2009 birthday dinner for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. The Holland & Knight Committee for Effective Government also hosted an April 26th fundraising reception for Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif.

10. Steve A. Elmendorf, Elmendorf Strategies: $151,400
There are four invitations on file for Steve Elmendorf, the most recent was a March 24th breakfast for Frank Kratovil Jr., D-Md. Invitees could attend the breakfast if they paid $500 per person or they could host the event for $2,500.

Please note: Invitations in the Party Time database only represent a portion of the fundraising events that take place in Washington D.C. The database consists largely of events sent to us by anonymous sources, where we then strip off all possible identifying information. If you know of a fundraiser in D.C. or in your state, please consider uploading it to our anonymous upload system.

The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has matched Party Time invitations with the Center for Responsive Politics’ lobbying database and found that its possible that there have been more than 440 fundraisers for members of the Senate and House which were hosted by financial services industry lobbyists from January 2009 to the present.

Check out the work by Anupama Narayanswamy here and view a spreadsheet of all the found matches.

In this election year, we’re creating new ways for you to get Party Time congressional fundraiser data on to your Web site.

API

For those with programming backgrounds, 0ur new API feed pulls Party Time data in “JSON” format. You can find the feed here: http://politicalpartytime.org/json/N00009668/. The last number represents a candidateID. You can determine a candidate ID by going to his or her profile page on Political Party Time. (IDs originate from the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) — the nation’s authority on campaign finance data.) This is the feed that’s now powering Party Time information at CRP, which we announced yesterday.

RSS

You can find the RSS feed for Party Time here: http://politicalpartytime.org/feeds/pol/N00009668/

CSV

If you’re less programming inclined, but like to play with spreadsheets, you can download a data dump for Party Time congressional fundraisers here.

relational zip

And as a relational “zip” file here.

You can get more details in the “bulk data” section of our Web site here.

Have fun, and please drop us a line if you are using Party Time data, so we can credit you.

Much thanks to Luke Rosiak for building new Party Time tools.

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group, released a report today that used Party Time data to show that the financial sector sponsored at least 43 fundraisers for members of the Senate Banking Committee in 2009. You can read the full report here.