A timely dispatch from our friends at PartyTime.org.
If you haven’t been under a rock lately, you know that the Bush Administration is proposing a $700 billion bailout for Wall Street. What you might not know is that there have been 258 parties this year alone for members of the House Financial Services Committee — the very folks who are making crucial decisions about this legislation — a number of them hosted by lobbyists for the finance, insurance, and real estate industries.
Some of the more interesting lobbyist-hosted parties uncovered by the intrepid crew at PartyTime include:
• Sushi reception hosted by the Eris Group, a lobbying firm that represents banks, Freddie Mac, Morgan Stanley and the Mortgage Bankers Association. Cost of a raw fish plate: $2,000 for a host, $1,000 for a PAC and $500 per individual.
• Summer happy hour thrown by REIT (National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts) PAC and InsurPAC, the PAC for the Independent Insurance Agents of America. A fruity drink with a paper umbrella will run you: $1,000 suggested donation.
• Beer tasting with a Citigroup Management Services lobbyist. A plastic wrist band will set you back: $250 for a host, $100 to attend and $1,000 for a PAC.
Colorado’s own 7th Congressional District Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Golden) serves on the House Financial Services Committee. PartyTime has no record of Perlmutter receiving or attending lobbyist parties to cushion his campaign war chest.
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