After Lying Low, Deep-Pocketed Clinton Donors Return to the Fore
Protesters outside the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia on Monday, where the
biggest players in the Democratic Party's moneyed elite had gathered.
SAM HODGSON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and AMY CHOZICK
July 28, 2016
PHILADELPHIA - In a luxury suite high above the convention floor, some of
the Democratic Party's most generous patrons sipped cocktails and caught up
with old friends, tuning out Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Monday as
he bashed Wall Street in an arena named after one of the country's largest
banks.
On Tuesday, when Hillary Clinton became the first female nominee of a major
party, a handful of drug companies and health insurers made sure to echo the
theme, paying to sponsor an "Inspiring Women" panel featuring Democratic
congresswomen.
And in the vaulted marble bar of the Ritz-Carlton downtown, wealthy givers
congregated in force for cocktails and glad-handing as protesters thronged
just outside to voice their unhappiness with Wall Street, big money in
politics and Mrs. Clinton herself.
"This is a good place to be - for a lot of reasons," said former Gov.
Charlie Crist of Florida, a Democrat now running for Congress, as he glided
through the room on Tuesday. "We must have set up five fund-raisers today.
This is the bank."
After a wrenching yearlong nominating battle with searing debates over the
influence of Wall Street and the ability of ordinary citizens to be heard
over the din of dollars changing hands, the party's moneyed elite returned
to the fore this week, undeterred and mostly unabashed.
Interactive Feature | Watch Live: Democratic Convention Night 4 Join us for
real-time analysis of the last night of the Democratic National Convention,
featuring Chelsea and Hillary Clinton.
While protesters marched in the streets and blocked traffic, Democratic
donors congregated in a few reserved hotels and shuttled between private
receptions with A-list elected officials. If the talk onstage at the Wells
Fargo Center was about reducing inequality and breaking down barriers,
Center City Philadelphia evoked the world as it still often is: a stratified
society with privilege and access determined by wealth.
"The Clinton people would always argue, 'Well, there's no connection between
the money and the actions that we take,' " said Jonathan Tasini, a liberal
organizer and Sanders delegate from New York. "That's what these cocktail
parties and receptions are all about. It's about access and whose phone
calls get answered."
For many Clinton donors, particularly those from the financial sector, the
convention is a time to shed what one called the "hypersensitivity" that had
previously surrounded their appearance at Mrs. Clinton's fund-raisers or at
her political events, during a period when Mr. Sanders repeatedly attacked
Mrs. Clinton's connections to Wall Street and her six-figure speaking fees
from financial institutions.
"I think we're past that," said Alan Patricof, a longtime donor to Mrs.
Clinton, when asked about the need to lie low during the primaries.
In Philadelphia, donors were handed preferred suites at the Ritz-Carlton and
"Friends and Family" packages created for longtime Clinton hands - some of
them also longtime benefactors. Some were granted time backstage or in the
Clinton family box with former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
Blackstone, the private equity giant, scheduled a reception at the Barnes
Foundation on Thursday with its president, Hamilton E. James, one of the
leading Wall Street contenders for an economic policy post in a future
Clinton administration.
Interactive Feature | Live from the Democratic National Convention Get the
latest from Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia convention offered other symbolic contrasts to the party's
last two gatherings, when President Obama sought, with mixed success, to
restrict his party from raising money to pay for the conventions from
lobbyists or political action funds. Those shackles were thrown off this
year, waving a green flag to Washington's influence industry. Lobbyists and
corporate representatives flooded the city, where much of the Democratic
Party's elite - and potential senior members of a future presidential
administration - had gathered.
The railway giant CSX brought in old railroad cars for a reception led by
Rodney E. Slater, the former United States transportation secretary turned
lobbyist, who also headlined a panel on transportation policy in a future
Clinton administration. At the Loews Hotel bar on Tuesday night, old Clinton
hands, some now working as lobbyists, caught up with Gov. Terry McAuliffe of
Virginia, a longtime family friend and one of the party's most prolific
fund-raisers.
At a private luncheon on Wednesday at El Vez, a Mexican restaurant, over a
dozen Democratic governors mingled with representatives from a host of labor
unions and companies, among them the Apollo Education Group, an operator of
for-profit colleges that has faced a series of state and federal
investigations into allegations of shady recruiting, deceptive advertising
and questionable financial aid practices.
"It's business as usual," said Libby Watson, who monitored lobbying events
in Philadelphia on behalf of the Sunlight Foundation, a group devoted to
government transparency.
The biggest players gathered at the Ritz-Carlton, where a line of sport
utility vehicles and limousines deposited waves of men in suits but no ties
and elegantly dressed women bearing expensive handbags.
Interactive Feature | 2016 Election Polls Get the latest national and state
polls on the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald J.
Trump.
At first-come-first-served seats near the bar, assistants huddled around
lengthy spreadsheets, figuring out which donors were entitled to which
passes to which events. Outside, a protester walked with a sign denouncing
big money. Inside, two stocky men could be heard debating the merits of the
different ambassadorships they hoped to earn under Mrs. Clinton. Even a
low-ranking posting meant having "ambassador" on a child's wedding
invitation, the two agreed, and would be helpful in wrangling invitations to
sit on corporate boards.
A few feet away, Mary Pat Bonner, a gatekeeper to many prominent liberal
donors, chatted with her most important client, David Brock, the founder of
a cluster of outside groups that has raised millions of dollars to help
elect Mrs. Clinton.
The longtime Clinton friend and fund-raiser Maureen White strode through the
lobby, just missing Rajiv K. Fernando, the Chicago securities trader and
Clinton donor, who resigned his appointment to a sensitive intelligence
advisory board after questions were raised about his qualifications. Nearby
were Heather Podesta, the Democratic lobbyist and Clinton fund-raiser, and
Philip D. Murphy, the former Goldman Sachs executive and ambassador to
Germany, now running for governor of New Jersey.
Occasionally, as bellhops leapt to open the lobby doors for another guest,
the chants of protesters outside could be dimly heard.
John Graham, a New Jersey insurance executive and Clinton backer, said that
after seeing the demonstrators outside the hotel, he had taken his daughter
for a walk to meet some of them.
"It's a little awkward, because guys like me are in here," Mr. Graham said.
"And we need to do something for the young people who are out there."
Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and
get politics news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the First Draft
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Protesters outside the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia on Monday, where the
biggest players in the Democratic Party's moneyed elite had gathered.
Sam Hodgson for The New York Times
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and AMY CHOZICK
July 28, 2016
PHILADELPHIA - In a luxury suite high above the convention floor, some of
the Democratic Party's most generous patrons sipped cocktails and caught up
with old friends, tuning out Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Monday as
he bashed Wall Street in an arena named after one of the country's largest
banks.
On Tuesday, when Hillary Clinton became the first female nominee of a major
party, a handful of drug companies and health insurers made sure to echo the
theme, paying to sponsor an "Inspiring Women" panel featuring Democratic
congresswomen.
And in the vaulted marble bar of the Ritz-Carlton downtown, wealthy givers
congregated in force for cocktails and glad-handing as protesters thronged
just outside to voice their unhappiness with Wall Street, big money in
politics and Mrs. Clinton herself.
"This is a good place to be - for a lot of reasons," said former Gov.
Charlie Crist of Florida, a Democrat now running for Congress, as he glided
through the room on Tuesday. "We must have set up five fund-raisers today.
This is the bank."
After a wrenching yearlong nominating battle with searing debates over the
influence of Wall Street and the ability of ordinary citizens to be heard
over the din of dollars changing hands, the party's moneyed elite returned
to the fore this week, undeterred and mostly unabashed.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/27/us/elections/100000004556768.m
obile.htmlInteractive Feature | Watch Live: Democratic Convention Night 4
Join us for real-time analysis of the last night of the Democratic National
Convention, featuring Chelsea and Hillary Clinton.
While protesters marched in the streets and blocked traffic, Democratic
donors congregated in a few reserved hotels and shuttled between private
receptions with A-list elected officials. If the talk onstage at the Wells
Fargo Center was about reducing inequality and breaking down barriers,
Center City Philadelphia evoked the world as it still often is: a stratified
society with privilege and access determined by wealth.
"The Clinton people would always argue, 'Well, there's no connection between
the money and the actions that we take,' " said Jonathan Tasini, a liberal
organizer and Sanders delegate from New York. "That's what these cocktail
parties and receptions are all about. It's about access and whose phone
calls get answered."
For many Clinton donors, particularly those from the financial sector, the
convention is a time to shed what one called the "hypersensitivity" that had
previously surrounded their appearance at Mrs. Clinton's fund-raisers or at
her political events, during a period when Mr. Sanders repeatedly attacked
Mrs. Clinton's connections to Wall Street and her six-figure speaking fees
from financial institutions.
"I think we're past that," said Alan Patricof, a longtime donor to Mrs.
Clinton, when asked about the need to lie low during the primaries.
In Philadelphia, donors were handed preferred suites at the Ritz-Carlton and
"Friends and Family" packages created for longtime Clinton hands - some of
them also longtime benefactors. Some were granted time backstage or in the
Clinton family box with former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
Blackstone, the private equity giant, scheduled a reception at the Barnes
Foundation on Thursday with its president, Hamilton E. James, one of the
leading Wall Street contenders for an economic policy post in a future
Clinton administration.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/23/us/elections/100000004549435.e
mbedded.html
The Philadelphia convention offered other symbolic contrasts to the party's
last two gatherings, when President Obama sought, with mixed success, to
restrict his party from raising money to pay for the conventions from
lobbyists or political action funds. Those shackles were thrown off this
year, waving a green flag to Washington's influence industry. Lobbyists and
corporate representatives flooded the city, where much of the Democratic
Party's elite - and potential senior members of a future presidential
administration - had gathered.
The railway giant CSX brought in old railroad cars for a reception led by
Rodney E. Slater, the former United States transportation secretary turned
lobbyist, who also headlined a panel on transportation policy in a future
Clinton administration. At the Loews Hotel bar on Tuesday night, old Clinton
hands, some now working as lobbyists, caught up with Gov. Terry McAuliffe of
Virginia, a longtime family friend and one of the party's most prolific
fund-raisers.
At a private luncheon on Wednesday at El Vez, a Mexican restaurant, over a
dozen Democratic governors mingled with representatives from a host of labor
unions and companies, among them the Apollo Education Group, an operator of
for-profit colleges that has faced a series of state and federal
investigations into allegations of shady recruiting, deceptive advertising
and questionable financial aid practices.
"It's business as usual," said Libby Watson, who monitored lobbying events
in Philadelphia on behalf of the Sunlight Foundation, a group devoted to
government transparency.
The biggest players gathered at the Ritz-Carlton, where a line of sport
utility vehicles and limousines deposited waves of men in suits but no ties
and elegantly dressed women bearing expensive handbags.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/28/us/elections/100000004473638.m
obile.htmlInteractive Feature | 2016 Election Polls Get the latest national
and state polls on the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and
Donald J. Trump.
At first-come-first-served seats near the bar, assistants huddled around
lengthy spreadsheets, figuring out which donors were entitled to which
passes to which events. Outside, a protester walked with a sign denouncing
big money. Inside, two stocky men could be heard debating the merits of the
different ambassadorships they hoped to earn under Mrs. Clinton. Even a
low-ranking posting meant having "ambassador" on a child's wedding
invitation, the two agreed, and would be helpful in wrangling invitations to
sit on corporate boards.
A few feet away, Mary Pat Bonner, a gatekeeper to many prominent liberal
donors, chatted with her most important client, David Brock, the founder of
a cluster of outside groups that has raised millions of dollars to help
elect Mrs. Clinton.
The longtime Clinton friend and fund-raiser Maureen White strode through the
lobby, just missing Rajiv K. Fernando, the Chicago securities trader and
Clinton donor, who resigned his appointment to a sensitive intelligence
advisory board after questions were raised about his qualifications. Nearby
were Heather Podesta, the Democratic lobbyist and Clinton fund-raiser, and
Philip D. Murphy, the former Goldman Sachs executive and ambassador to
Germany, now running for governor of New Jersey.
Occasionally, as bellhops leapt to open the lobby doors for another guest,
the chants of protesters outside could be dimly heard.
John Graham, a New Jersey insurance executive and Clinton backer, said that
after seeing the demonstrators outside the hotel, he had taken his daughter
for a walk to meet some of them.
"It's a little awkward, because guys like me are in here," Mr. Graham said.
"And we need to do something for the young people who are out there."
