Those of you who followed our exploits on twitter.com/SFPartytime will know that as I suspected, I’m not so popular when it comes to convention parties.

Last night Gabriela Schneider, the Sunlight Foundation’s communications director, and I met up with a crew from Inside Edition, which was doing a piece about the Baca golf fundraiser I blogged about yesterday. (The story should air tonight.) Our first stop was the lobbying firm Brownstein, Farber party at the Denver Art Museum. It had all the appearances of an elegant affair. Well coifed and dressed folks chatting outside the entrance in the cool evening, not paying much attention to the riot police who were grouped nearby.

Stephen Farber, lobbyist and lead organizer of the convention for the Denver Host Committee did a photo op outside before entering. Alas my rendition is too blurry to include here. And for anyone who doubted that members of Congress were invited need only look at this sign in front of the building. I went up to the other side and asked if I could go in and was told, quite pleasantly and politely, “no.”

Next stop was the Blue Dog party sponsored by AT&T and Genworth Financial, out in what seemed to be an industrial wasteland by the Pepsi Center. Fitting with the surroundings, the bouncers there were, well, rather thuggish. I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not even allowed to stand near the entrance, since that was private property. When I demurred from moving, a police woman walked over to me, said, “So YOU’RE the self professed party crasher?” and told me I had to stand over on public space. So Gabriela and I complied.

We weren’t the only ones who tried to get into the Blue Dog party and failed. Inside Edition didn’t get in. Neither did folks from Crooks and Liars or Jane Hamsher from Firedoglake or Matt Stoller of Open Left.  Neither did reporters from CQ or the AP, at least not while we were there. There was also a demonstration by Code Pink, although I don’t believe it was their object to go in the party, but rather to flaunt their pink and sing protest songs.

Well, today is a new day. We’re off soon to the Big Tent. More later.

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Speaking of babysitting, this piece by Ken Silverstein in Harper’s March 2008 edition is a must read for background on how lawmakers use their campaign funds to pay for all sorts of costs associated with partying—including, yes, babysitting:

As for babysitting, the congressman [Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA)] said that he had asked the FEC for an opinion about that matter, and he had been assured it was appropriate. “We don’t use it often, but we have occasionally,” he told me, adding that he usually paid $100 “if the person comes in and spends the night.” The 2007 tab for $300 was for babysitting when he and his wife were away for a few days at a Republican retreat—at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina.

So let me understand this correctly. If I were a congressional candidate, I could use the campaign money I got from donors—which in McCrery’s case include folks working for the Blackstone Group, General Electric, and New York Life Insturance–and pay for babysitting while I went a played golf on the Chesapeake Bay? Maybe I should reconsider my political career. Except rather than golfing, I’d like to go skiing. Or mountain biking.

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