Politicians Should Be Thankful for Fundraisers

As Thanksgiving rolls around next week, we should all honor the things and people we appreciate most in life. Take the time to count your blessings, share time with loved ones and pray for world peace.

Or, you know, do what everyone else does: Eat way more than you should, watch way more football than you should, and fall asleep on the couch way earlier than you should. Nothing more American than that!

Unfortunately for Party Time, it looks like politicians will be busy doing the same thing next week, leaving our database as empty as Hostess' bank account (goodbye, Twinkies?). Instead, we'll be letting you Partiers know who certain lawmakers should be thankful for - which celebrities and lobbyists have hosted important fundraisers to sustain campaigns, and even propel some to victory.

"O, Funder, Where Art Thou" - Barack Obama Thanks George Clooney

I know the stars came out in full support of me this year. I mean, I had people like John Legend, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Tom Hanks, and more. I think Romney had Ted Nugent and Meatloaf -- enough said. But let me be clear, you really stood out from the pack. I have to thank you for opening your doors for that May 10 reception. It was crazy. That night alone netted me over $15 million! Apparently it was the most lucrative fundraiser ever, and I can't thank you enough. You even had my back on the international front, traveling all the way to Switzerland for a $20,000/plate reception. Here's to another four years as President (thanks to you!), and another four years of Clooney fundraisers!

Sincerely,
(Still) The President

"The Business of Fundraising" - Mitt Romney Thanks Ron Gidwitz

I am so pleased with your efforts in helping my campaign, even if we were vanquished. Your four fundraisers that took place last September and October helped me generate precious money to keep my campaign in tip top shape. And your confidence never faltered, even when it came down to the wire; that $10,000 private dinner in your beautiful Gold Coast home contributed to more swing state ad buys, which almost worked. And I never said any campaign-crippling comments at your fundraisers either! From one businessman to another, thank you.

From,
Willard "Mitt" Romney

"21st Century Partier" - Basically Every House Democrat Thanks Jocelyn Hong

We love your work, which is exclusively hosting fundraisers for blue representatives like us. And we really mean all of us - from uber-liberal Lynn Woolsey to the centrist Baron Hill.We checked the Party Time database (doesn't everyone these days?), and you've hosted over 70 parties for us. That's enough to top the PT list as the most prolific host! We know you don't personally hand over checks to us, but the way you just bundle together everyone else's - $1,000 here, $5,000 there - and send them over in a nice little package is just so handy. And you even let us use your work place, the 21st Century Townhouse, for our shindigs. We hate clean up. Anyways, thanks again - we hope to see you soon!

Warmly,
House Dems

"Earmark Exchange" - Coloradans Thank Louis Dupart

On behalf of Colorado Democrats such as former Rep. Betsy Markey, Rep. Diana DeGette,  Rep. Ed Perlmutter, former Rep. John Salazar, Interior Secretary (and former Sen.) Ken Salazar,  and Sen. Michael Bennet, thank you! We know you appreciate The Centennial State as much as we do by the amount of fundraisers you've hosted for us. We can tell you're an old pro by the way you throw so many parties at Capitol Hill hotspots like Bistro Bis, Art and Soul and the Capitol Hill Club. Sure, you've successfully sought earmarks from us while working as a lobbyist for The Normandy Group while throwing parties, but we know that you just organized the meeting - nothing more. We look forward to more meetings "organized" by you!

Thanks again!
Colorado Democrats

So there's an inside look into how politicians thank some of their VIPs, courtesy of Party Time. We're always grateful for invitations, and we'd definitely appreciate it if you could send some our way here!

Happy Thanksgiving, Partiers!

Fundraising, Links, Appropriations: Earmark Recipients Attended Rep. Tim Murphy's 2009 Golf Tourney

In August 2009, a group of executives from a power conversion company hit the links at a golf fundraiser for Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa. Just a few months earlier, Murphy had requested a $5 million earmark for the company's all-electronic drive system for Navy ships, an ongoing project which has received federal money since 2007.

Murphy has a similar event scheduled for today.

There were at least three Converteam, Inc. executives present at last year's event, which featured golfing legend Arnold Palmer, according to Shoun Kerbaugh, the company's former vice president of Naval Systems, who put the company's team together. A Murphy press release from 2008 touts the project, and quotes Kerbaugh saying, "We are extremely fortunate to have the strong support of our Pittsburgh area Congressional delegation." The three employees from Converteam Inc. each contributed $1,000 to the Murphy campaign days after the outing, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

In 2009, Murphy reported to the Federal Election Commission contributions he received within days of the August 6 event from executives or PACs from at least four other companies that would benefit from his earmark requests, although Party Time could not find any indication as of this posting that anyone from the companies had actually attended the event. These companies are: Latrobe-based National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machinery (NCDDM), Kennametal, Inc., the Curtiss-Wright Corporation and Canonsburg General Hospital, which is part of West Penn Allegheny Health.

Federal money was approved for two of the four firms, both in the defense industry: NCDMM's $1.6 million project aimed to increase operations efficiency at the Department of Defense while Curtiss-Wright got $2.9 million to build a high power density motor drive for the Navy. Curtiss-Wright is the Murphy campaign's 28th biggest donor in this election cycle, at $6,500. West Penn Allegheny Health, which did not receive federal funding, is 44th, at $5,000, according to CRP.

Murphy stands out among his colleagues in the House when it comes to granting earmarks to his contributors. According to an analysis by CRP and Taxpayers for Common Sense, for fiscal year 2010, the percentage of his earmark dollars going to contributors to his campaign fund stood at about 60 percent, a higher ratio than all but three of his House colleagues.

Kerbaugh left the company last year. Another golfer from the group, James Esneault, has also moved on. A third, Dan Ringer, is with a sister company, Converteam Naval Systems. Since 2007, Murphy has requested a total of $6.2 million worth of earmarks for the company.

Kerbaugh said he has known Murphy, who was elected in 2002, for some years; he has contributed nearly $9,000 to the Congressman's campaign since 2006, according to CRP. He also attended the golf outing in 2007, he said. In all, Converteam employees have given a total of $14,500 to Murphy. Kerbaugh does not plan to golf at Latrobe Country Club this time. The top requested donation is $2,000 for PACs and $1,000-per-person.

Kerbaugh said he attended because a lot of people in the Navy business would be there. He played in a foursome, not with the Congressman, and the King did not play (though he was scheduled to sign autographs and do photo-ops in 2007).

Kerbaugh pointed out that he has also donated to the campaigns of to Rep. Jason Altmire, D-Pa., another sponsor of the all-electronic drive system earmark, and Mike Doyle, D-Pa., who is not a sponsor.

"I was interested in promoting job growth in Western Pennsylvania and the Congressmen, all of them, are very active in that and good in that." Murphy "gives to worthy causes," he said, not "to relatives and people naming buildings after themselves." He added that, "campaigns are very, very expensive for everybody." Kerbaugh said he supports Murphy because he is "strong on new energy and health care," which are important to the region, and because he is a doctor. A former child psychologist and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Subcommittee on Health, the health and energy sectors are Murphy's biggest donors.

Earlier this year, Murphy told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that earmarks help startup companies that wouldn't have a chance otherwise, but also said reform was needed. We "need to reform the system and come up with stricter guidelines so earmarks aren't simply a slush fund for a couple members of leadership," he said. Since the Republicans in the House are forgoing earmark requests this year, Murphy has not requested any for the 2011 appropriations cycle.

Murphy easily won re-election in 2008 -- winning 64 percent of the vote -- but he has increased his fundraising each year since 2004, and has raised $1.3 million so far this round, according to CRP.

Among his most reliable donors is none other than Arnold Palmer himself, who has given Murphy's campaign nearly $7,000 total, according to CRP. Palmer has also contributed to other Pennsylvania candidates, including the recently deceased Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.

Calls to Murphy's Washington, D.C. office were not returned at the time of writing this report.

DC lobbyist hosts another fundraiser for CO's Bennet

Normandy Group lobbyist Louis Dupart, who specializes in seeking earmarks and federal funding for clients, is hosting a fundraiser on July 20 for Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.

As we reported in February, the Normandy Group represents the Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC), a public-private partnership between the City of Aurora and local businesses.  AEDC hired the firm to seek funding to build an interchange at a Colorado highway to help ease traffic near the Fitzsimons/Anschutz Medical campus. The Normandy Group also represents Forest City Enterprises, the developer of the massive 184 acre bioscience park. This is the second fundraiser that Dupart has hosted for Bennet this year. The lobbyist and his wife, Theresa, have given the senator a total of $1,500 since 2008, the most recent a $1,000 contribution in March, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Bennet lists the project here in his 2011 appropriations requests as a "request not submitted," stating, "Please note there are a limited number of requests I can effectively make every year. There will be worthy projects that do not make the list, but are eligible to submit a funding request the following year." Bennet campaign spokesman Trevor Kincaid said that the senator has a policy of not seeking any local highway funding because it "interferes with state and local decisions," adding that Dupart hosted the fundraiser because he is "just a supporter."

Earmarks are a hot election issue for Sen. Bennet, who has introduced a bill that would ban earmarks to private, for-profit entities, as well as "make improvements to web disclosures of earmarks, including earmarks searchable by any lobbyist associated with them." His would-be GOP opponent in the Senate race, Jane Norton, has criticized him for not supporting an all-out moratorium on these projects. (Note: the Sunlight Foundation supports legislation that would create a centralized, online, searchable database of earmarks.)

Dupart has hosted at least a dozen fundraisers for Colorado politicians since 2006. On the House side, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., who has also been feted by Dupart (See this fundraiser in March and this one from 2009) took credit in an April newsletter, stating "Getting funding for this project and getting it moving is one of my top priorities in Congress." Perlmutter has  requested an earmark for $8.5 million for the completion of the final phase of the project, as we reported here.

Dupart's fundraising goes beyond the Colorado delegation. In 2010, he's hosted at least 19 parties, all but three at the eatery Bistro Bis. His clients include a range of entities seeking federal funding for various projects, including American Systems Corporation, Central College, and the City of Pensacola.  In February, Dupart told the Pennsacola News Journal (subscription required) that the firm has a goal of getting clients a minimum of 10-to-1 return on investment. Dupart did not return a call requesting comment.

Update: Member requests earmark sought by fundraising lobbyist

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) has requested an earmark for $8.5 million for the completion of the final phase of a construction project on Colorado’s Interstate 225, as detailed in a previous post. The project will widen areas of the interchange of I-225 and Colfax Ave and lessen traffic to the Anschultz Medical Campus.

Last week, Perlmutter held a fundraiser hosted by the Normandy Group's Louis Dupart, a lobbyist who has sought for several Colorado politicians. Dupart represents the Aurora Economic Development Council, which listed funding work on the interchange as a legislative priority.

Perlmutter has already secured $1.4 million in funding for the project at the interchange of I-225 and Colfax Ave.

More parties for CO reps by earmark seeking lobbyist

Lobbyist Louis Dupart of the Normandy Group has hosted several fundraisers for Colorado politicians in the past, lobbying on their behalf for earmarks such as the construction of Colorado's I-225 interchange, as detailed in a previous post. Dupart will host another fundraiser on March 11 for Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), to whom Dupart's wife, Theresa,  donated $500 in 2009.

Later this month, on March 18, Dupart will host yet another party for Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D). Perlmutter has secured more than $1.4 million in funding for the interchange. The construction project is currently in its final stage of completion.

The Normandy Group also represents Forest City Enterprises, the developer of a 184-acre bioscience park in Aurora, Colo. In this last election cycle, Forest City's PAC has donated $2,000 to Perlmutter's campaign. Also, in the 2008 election cycle, Forest City's PAC contributed $2,500 to Markey's campaign.

Albert Ratner, co-Chairman of the board of Forest City, donated $2,000 to Markey last year. James Ratner, chairman and CEO of the Forest City Commercial Group, and Ronald Ratner, an executive vice president and director of Forest City, each donated $500 to Perlmutter in 2006.

Earmark seeking DC lobbyist fetes Coloradans

Louis Dupart, a lobbyist who has successfully sought earmarks from  Colorado politicians, will host a fundraising breakfast on Feb. 24 for Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., the second event for a Colorado lawmaker he's scheduled this month.The event occurs in the middle of earmark  season — the time of year when members of Congress decide on their funding requests for the next fiscal year and submit them to the two Appropriations Committees. House requests have to be submitted by March 19.

Dupart and his colleagues at The Normandy Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm that ranks appropriations and federal legislative issues among its specialties, have hosted or are scheduled to host at least nine fundraisers for Colorado politicians, including some who have requested earmarks for projects benefiting the firm’s clients.

In a Feb. 25, 2009 press release, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) -- who was the beneficiary of a fundraiser hosted by Dupart on September 30, 2009 -- noted that he'd secured $1,425,000 in funding for an interchange at Interstate 225 and Colfax Ave for the 2009 fiscal year. That's the same interchange that the Aurora Economic Development Council (AEDC), a nonprofit public-private partnership made up of businesses and officials from the city of Aurora, lists as a priority for its federal lobbying. The Normandy Group, which has represented the AEDC since May 2008, sought "federal funding for I-225 interchange" for its client, according to lobbying disclosure reports.

The project was aimed at relieving additional traffic created by a project that the AEDC had pushed — a new health care complex called the Fitzsimons/Anschutz Medical campus. The Normandy Group also represents the developer of the massive 184 acre bioscience park,
Forest City Enterprises. Normandy’s lobbyists tracked highway spending in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill, and lobbied on funding for transportation projects in other appropriations bills for the developer, according to 2009 lobbying disclosure reports.
Several members of the Colorado delegation have sought funding for the I-225 project. In addition to Perlmutter, who included another request for funding for the project in his fiscal year 2010 earmark requests, former Sen. Ken Salazar, now Interior Secretary, and former Sen. Wayne Allard requested funding for the project. Dupart hosted at least two fundraisers for Salazar, on June 29, 2006, and March 13, 2008. In addition, the stimulus bill included funding for early phases of the project.
In an undated press release from the University of Colorado, which will operate several facilities at the new medical campus, Wendy Mitchell, president and CEO of the Aurora Economic Development Council, cited “coordination between Colorado’s Congressional Delegation and the Anschutz/Fitzsimons Stakeholders Group…as making the funding a reality.” In August 2009, the AEDC honored all the members of the Colorado congressional delegation with an “A-List Leadership Award,” presented by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and President and CEO of the Aurora Economic Development Council Wendy Mitchell.

Overall, the AEDC has reported spending $60,000 for the Normandy Group’s services since 2008, and Forest City Enterprises, $540,000, although the developer’s interests included projects across many states.
When asked for comment by the Sunlight Foundation, AEDC Vice President Bryan Blakely said the Normandy Group primarily helped by organizing meetings and that while the group’s assistance was beneficial, they do not wholly attribute the success of the construction project to its efforts.

Dupart was scheduled to host a fundraiser for Colorado freshman Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey on Feb. 11. The after-effects of a blizzard shut down much of Washington that day. Louis Dupart did not return calls asking for comment or if the event took place; neither did Rep. Markey's office.
Follow links to view invitations to parties hosted by Louis Dupart and other Normandy Group lobbyists for Colorado politicians:

• Sen. Ken Salazar, 6/29/2006, host: Louis Dupart, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Sen. Ken Salazar, 3/13/2008, host: Louis Dupart, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Rep. (now Sen.) Mark Udall, host: Michael Rose, 4/24/2008, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Rep. Diana DeGette, host: Louis Dupart, 7/16/2008, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Rep. Diana DeGette, host: Louis Dupart, 9/23/2008, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Rep. Ed Perlmutter, host: Louis Dupart, 9/30/2009, breakfast, Art and Soul.


• Rep. John Salazar, host: Louis Dupart, 12/3/2009, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Rep. Betsy Markey, host: Louis Dupart, 2/11/2010, breakfast, Bistro Bis.


• Sen. Michael Bennet, host: Louis Dupart, 2/24/2010, breakfast, Bistro Bis.