The biggest political party-fest of the year is underway in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. The conventional wisdom holds that the big political conventions are no longer sources of news -- we already know, for example, who will get nominated and who the vice presidential candidate is.
The real value of actually attending the big show is networking, behind-the-scenes gossip and, most of all, partying. And unlike regular political campaigns, the big parties' national conventions aren't subject to FEC donation limits, so special interests and corporate lobbyists can open the money spigots to throw some pretty impressive parties, receptions and other events.
Corporations, unions and lobbyists have already raised $112 million to fund the two major conventions, with most of that money going for...good times. Despite recent campaign finance reform laws, which generally bar lawmakers from accepting meals or gifts from special interests, loopholes exist (finger food is OK, entertainment is fine so long as 24 non-Congressional employees are there, etc. ) that will allow sponsors to schmooze with national legislators and other personages at the conventions.
Among some of the biggest sponsors at the Democratic National Convention are telecom, tech and media giants. Colorado-based Qwest is the single biggest corporate sponsor at $6 million and the controversial Kanye West concert, a highlight of the convention, is funded by the RIAA.
However, no comprehensive list of convention sponsors is available and accurate records of who paid what won't be available for months. So, I scanned available resources (mostly an excellent table produced by the Campaign Finance Institute) and came up with the following list of tech, telecom and media giants who are spending big in Denver:
| Corporate Sponsors of the Democratic National Convention |
| AT&T Inc |
| Cisco |
| Comcast Corp |
| EchoStar Communications |
| EDS |
| Hewlett Packard |
| HIS |
| Level 3 Communications |
| Liberty Media/Starz |
| Motorola Inc |
| NGP Software |
| Oracle |
| Qwest Communications |
| RIAA |
| Rocky Mountain News/Scripps |
| Symantec |
| The Denver Post/NMG |
| Thomson Corp |
| Time Warner Telecom |
| Verizon Communications |
| Walt Disney Company |
This list is by no means comprehensive. For one thing, many executives at tech, telecom or media companies could be big donors, but the data on those contributions won't be out for months. For another thing, this list doesn't include all the related PACs that might be footing bills.
If I'm missing anyone, let me know.
Cynthia Brumfield at 10:05 AM|Comments(1)
I must confess, I thought Glenn Greenwald's post on this issue was a little over the top.
"AT&T threw a lavish, private party for Blue Dog House Democrats..." "There was a wall of private security deployed around the building..." "...press was barred from the event, and that only those with invitations could enter -- notwithstanding the fact that what was taking place in side was a meeting between one of the nation's largest corporations and the numerous members of the most influential elected faction in Congress."
So a corporate sponsor threw a private party and you couldn't get in. What's new? Greenwald sees this as "the perfect symbol for how the Beltway political system functions." I think he's reaching.
Posted by: PJ Rodriguez at August 26, 2008 5:40 PM
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