Convention parties on, in spite of new ethics rules

Convention party-hoppers who expected that new ethics rules would dampen this year’s festivities probably didn’t anticipate Planned Parenthood’s “Politics, Sex and Cocktails” party in Denver, featuring Ashley Judd.

But, then, they probably didn’t expect a lot of other things, either. Such as the Poker Players Alliance’s poker game at Coors Field, or rapper Kanye West’s performance at an event sponsored by the recording industry.

{mosads}Democrats railed against special interests when they first gained majorities in the House and Senate, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) vowed to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Congress. As part of the process, Democrats instituted reforms meant to keep corporate lobbyists at arm’s length during the conventions.

Yet current and former members of Congress are getting into the act in Denver, too.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) is throwing a Chicago Nights shindig, while former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) and ex-Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), now both Washington lobbyists, are hosting a New Orleans-style JAM-bayla fest.

On their face, the new rules prohibited members and staff from receiving gifts, meals and trips from corporate lobbyists and any trade association or group that employs them. The rules also banned convention parties held in honor of specific members.

Many observers predicted this would lead to less corporate largesse in Denver, but with more than 200 all-expense-paid parties, the net effect of the new ethics rules is not fewer parties, but parties that aim for a higher purpose.

The new rules allow parties that include 25 people outside of Congress as long as the parties have a charitable component. Drinks and appetizers also can be provided at an event if it is related in some way to the official duties of members and congressional staff.

This has led party organizers to include educational campaigns to go with their rock concerts or to include a “good cause,” as one lobbyist put it.

For example, the recording industry is co-hosting an event with Bono’s anti-poverty One campaign that fights AIDS. The charitable partnership means the recording group can throw a free Kanye West concert for members, staff and delegates, as well as any lobbyists in attendance.

The Hill is co-hosting a party with The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), where as many as 1,200 partygoers can sip high-end drinks free of charge. To comply with the new rules, DISCUS, which has thrown similar parties at previous conventions, has incorporated an educational campaign about underage drinking.

“We worked with the House and Senate ethics committees at every stage of our planning to make sure we are adhering to the spirit and letter of the new ethics rules,” said David Culver, a lobbyist for DISCUS.

People who show up fashionably late to the party won’t hear the presentation, but literature will be available.

As if to drive home the social justice underpinnings of the Democratic Party, Ted Turner will headline a Monday symposium on philanthropy as a “driving force for change.” Quiznos founder Rick Schaden and Google’s Larry Brilliant are panelists.

The educational component could give some lobbyists a public relations advantage.

Greenberg Traurig, a lobbying firm once tarnished by its association with Jack Abramoff (even though it fired the corrupt lobbyist and readily cooperated with federal and congressional investigators) is teaming with one of its clients, the Grammy Foundation, for a party showcasing rock bands Daughtry and Everclear.

By partnering with the Grammy Foundation, which provides grants to encourage music education and help preserve music history, the lobbying firm could distance itself further from Abramoff and be seen as a supporter of a feel-good issue.

While the Grammy Foundation is the main sponsor of the Tuesday night event, Greenberg Traurig, which previously has hosted more low-key affairs, displays its name prominently on the invitation.

“We’ve had a long [client] history with the Grammy Foundation,” said the firm’s Diane Blagman, who helped organize the event. “For us, it just sort of fit.”

The Grammy Foundation previously sent a group of artists to Capitol Hill to showcase their talent, grants and charitable work, but this year, Blagman and the foundation decided that the conventions would reach more people.

Some corporate and special interests have simply adapted their parties a little to comply with the ethics rule barring bashes honoring one specific member of Congress.

Qwest, for instance, will hold a “reception for women leaders” at the Denver Art Museum on Monday, while the Human Rights campaign is hosting a “diversity celebration” honoring the Congressional Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific Caucuses. AT&T is sponsoring a late night fete for moderate Democrats.