Lawmakers Hit the Road for Annual Getaways
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., may have kept members of Congress from their scheduled vacation this week, but several legislators have big plans for the upcoming weekend. At least 13 lawmakers will be skipping town tomorrow to attend annual fundraisers.
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., will be making the long trek out to California for his annual “Napa Valley Wine Tour.” This will be at least the third summer in a row that Roberts has held such an event. The privilege of sampling the best of the vine with the senior senator will cost an individual attendee $2,000, while a PAC may host the event for $5,000.
A little further north on the West Coast, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., will be spending the weekend in Portland for his annual “Pinot in Portland” event. Like the Roberts event, this too is an annual fundraiser going back to at least 2009. While the invitation features a lovely silhouette of the chairman of Congressional Bike Caucus on his ubiquitous bicycle against a backdrop of the Portland skyline it does not give away many details about the event, such as location or cost. Last year’s invitation was equally beautiful and vague, but the invite from 2009 suggests a donation of $5,000.
Political donors looking for a fundraiser closer to the capital might consider the “Annual Chesapeake Weekend Retreat” benefitting the Blue Dog PAC. Party Time has invitations to an annual summer retreat for the conservative leaning Democratic caucus going all the way back to 2006. Each year, the event is held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort in Cambridge, Md. The price to attend is $2,500 for an individual and $5,000 for a PAC.
No doubt on a quest to reduce the deficit by winning big at the slots, a group of 11 Democratic house members will be heading to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut for the weekend. The event is a fundraiser for Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., who will be bringing with him the entire Connecticut congressional delegation on the House side, as well as a few Democratic colleagues from other states. It’s not clear if the outing is an annual event but Party Time does have an invitation to a near identical fundraiser from 2009 featuring a similar set of lawmakers. That fundraiser took place down the road from Foxwoods at Mohegan Sun. Both casinos, some of the largest in the world, are required to contribute 25% of their slot machine earnings to the state of Connecticut, a figure regularly in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The weekend at Foxwoods will feature a dinner with “Casino 101,” golf on an exclusive course, and a “festive evening boat ride” featuring a fireworks display. Contributions for the event are listed as $2,000 for an individual, $2,500 for a PAC attendee, and $5,000 for a PAC sponsor.
Tweet 0 CommentsSend in the clowns? Congressman does comedy for contributions
Aside from Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., there aren’t many professional comedians in Congress. That doesn’t mean that a congressperson won’t try telling the occasional joke in hopes that the punch line will be a campaign contribution.
That’s the plan of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who will be holding his “6th Annual Comedy Night” fundraiser tomorrow night. The annual chuckle-fest will be held at the Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank in the congressman’s home district. The invitation promises that Rep. Schiff himself will take the stage, along with professional comedians and even invitees themselves, if they are brave enough. A check made out to Schiff for Congress to the tune of $250 will get attendees two tickets to the event, while $500 will get them 4 tickets, and $1,000 guarantees 4 VIP seats. As the name of the event implies, this is not the first such event held by Rep. Schiff. Last year, the congressman held the comedy night at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena.
Rep. Schiff isn’t the only one telling jokes to line his campaign chest. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., is also known to hold annual comedy nights fundraisers. This past March at the Phoenix Park Hotel, Blumenauer held a “comedy event guaranteed to make Speaker Boehner weep…. with laughter.” While the event benefited the Oregon lawmaker, the invitation also mentions that several other Democratic members of Congress would be present. Party Time has received annual invitations to a Blumenauer comedy night since 2009.
At least one Republican member of Congress has also hit the stand up stage in exchange for campaign dollars. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., has held at least two comedy night fundraisers, one in 2009 and one in 2010.
Pinot, Cape Cod, and Clapton…oh my!
Legislators are kicking off some fun weekend excursions starting today, and no doubt they’re hoping these festivities will have them rolling in cash by Monday. Whether you’re the sort of donor who enjoys a relaxing wine tasting in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, or the type who is eager to see if Eric Clapton can top his best live solo to date, it’s a safe bet you will be able to find what you’re looking for.
Rep. Richard Neal (MA-2) is hosting a “Summer Weekend on Cape Cod” for his Madison PAC and asking for contributions of $5,000. The event is taking place at Chatham Bars Inn where guests can look forward to a weekend of golfing, tennis, fishing, and even antique car tours. Sounds like my ideal weekend, but I don’t think I could stretch my stipend that far even if I spent the rest of the summer eating Totino’s.
The wine tasting weekend “Pinot in Portland” is hosted by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) and his invitation asks for a contribution of $5,000. It isn’t clear from the invite, but if the plans were up to me, the weekend would start at the Hotel Vintage Plaza in Portland, which offers a Pinot in Portland package– just a short 20 minute drive north of “the heart of wine country.”
Reps. Mazie Hirono (HI-2) and Joe Crowley (NY-7) are also hosting fundraisers with home state themes. Hirono is hosting her Third Annual Taste of Hawaii Reception in DC on the 15th. The Congresswoman is asking $5,000 for PAC hosts, $2,500 for PAC sponsors, $1,000 for PAC guests, $2,400 for individual hosts, $1,000 for individual sponsors, and $500 for individual guests. Crowley’s “I Love NY” weekend starts tonight (June 12, 2009) at 5pm in New York City and he’s asking for contributions of $5,000 from PACs and $2,000 from individuals.
Arguably the highlight of the weekend, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (RI-1) is hosting a fundraiser at Eric Clapton’s Verizon Center performance in Washington DC with Steve Winwood. The invitation requests contributions of $5,000 or $2,500 but it’s unclear as to what these contributions will net the donor. One thing is clear: any Clapton or Winwood fans that are willing to shell out the requested contributions will have one hell of a good time.
PARTYFINDER™ Hints
Beneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party
Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist
Venue Name: where the party is
Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"
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