By Billy House
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DENVER -- When Florida's delegates gather for breakfast this morning to organize for tonight's opening of the Democratic National Convention, they can thank Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and CSX Corp.
On Wednesday morning, the Florida delegates will be fed by Florida Power & Light, Feld Entertainment and global publisher Reed Elsevier Inc.
And Thursday's breakfast — the day of Barack Obama's presidential nomination acceptance speech — will be sponsored by the AFL-CIO, Florida Plumbers & Pipefitters, Gulf Power Co., Mosaic Company and Oracle Corp.
Conventionwide, there are more than 400 delegation breakfasts, parties and other social events being paid for this week by corporate interests and lobbying firms.
From a Recording Industry Association of America party featuring Kanye West, to a “Comedy Kabob” sponsored by the Arab American Institute, this week is packed with social events paid for by special interests.
It's a long-standing bipartisan practice to be duplicated next week when Republicans gather for their convention in St. Paul, Minn., where, among other events, arriving Florida Republicans will be greeted by a “Florida Realtor's 2008 Kick-Off Party” Sunday at a hotel pool.
Nancy Watzman, director of a special project by the Sunlight Foundation, a government-watch group, is trying to keep track of all the parties and events at this year's conventions.
She notes that many of these social event hosts are major donors to federal candidates and party committees, and also are big spenders on federal lobbying.
Two of today's sponsors of the Florida delegation breakfast are examples.
The Walt Disney Co. and its subsidiaries have donated $771,035 to federal candidates and political parties in 2007 and 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The company and its subsidiary, Disney Worldwide Services, have spent more than $2.5million in federal lobbying.
CSX Corp. and its subsidiaries have given $853,250 to federal candidates and political parties in 2007 and 2008, and have spent more than $2.1million in federal lobbying.
“We're watching while lawmakers party with donors in Denver and the Twin Cities, and we'll be watching when they go back to Washington, D.C., and party some more,” Watzman said in a statement explaining her group's effort to monitor who is sponsoring the convention social events.
“This way, journalists, citizen activists and anybody who likes can find out about these parties and connect the dots to see how all this schmoozing may affect how lawmakers make decisions about energy, health care and other public policy issues.”
But keeping track of event sponsors can be difficult, she said. Both political parties are typically slow to discuss who is paying for events, and Sunlight and others are forced to collect the information bit by bit, often from tipsters.
The information about the sponsors of the Florida delegation events was released voluntarily by state Democratic Party officials. Along with the breakfasts, a Tuesday afternoon event with several delegations from other states will be partially sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Thurman, asked about the special-interest or corporate sponsorships for the delegations breakfasts or other events, said the state party has done well.
Thurman said someone has to pay for what she estimated to be about $200,000 in costs for breakfasts for a total of 500 delegates and other Florida guests to the convention.
“You know, they're paying for breakfast for our delegates — it's something they've been doing for years and years and years,” Thurman said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@mediageneral.com
On Wednesday morning, the Florida delegates will be fed by Florida Power & Light, Feld Entertainment and global publisher Reed Elsevier Inc.
And Thursday's breakfast — the day of Barack Obama's presidential nomination acceptance speech — will be sponsored by the AFL-CIO, Florida Plumbers & Pipefitters, Gulf Power Co., Mosaic Company and Oracle Corp.
Conventionwide, there are more than 400 delegation breakfasts, parties and other social events being paid for this week by corporate interests and lobbying firms.
From a Recording Industry Association of America party featuring Kanye West, to a “Comedy Kabob” sponsored by the Arab American Institute, this week is packed with social events paid for by special interests.
It's a long-standing bipartisan practice to be duplicated next week when Republicans gather for their convention in St. Paul, Minn., where, among other events, arriving Florida Republicans will be greeted by a “Florida Realtor's 2008 Kick-Off Party” Sunday at a hotel pool.
Nancy Watzman, director of a special project by the Sunlight Foundation, a government-watch group, is trying to keep track of all the parties and events at this year's conventions.
She notes that many of these social event hosts are major donors to federal candidates and party committees, and also are big spenders on federal lobbying.
Two of today's sponsors of the Florida delegation breakfast are examples.
The Walt Disney Co. and its subsidiaries have donated $771,035 to federal candidates and political parties in 2007 and 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The company and its subsidiary, Disney Worldwide Services, have spent more than $2.5million in federal lobbying.
CSX Corp. and its subsidiaries have given $853,250 to federal candidates and political parties in 2007 and 2008, and have spent more than $2.1million in federal lobbying.
“We're watching while lawmakers party with donors in Denver and the Twin Cities, and we'll be watching when they go back to Washington, D.C., and party some more,” Watzman said in a statement explaining her group's effort to monitor who is sponsoring the convention social events.
“This way, journalists, citizen activists and anybody who likes can find out about these parties and connect the dots to see how all this schmoozing may affect how lawmakers make decisions about energy, health care and other public policy issues.”
But keeping track of event sponsors can be difficult, she said. Both political parties are typically slow to discuss who is paying for events, and Sunlight and others are forced to collect the information bit by bit, often from tipsters.
The information about the sponsors of the Florida delegation events was released voluntarily by state Democratic Party officials. Along with the breakfasts, a Tuesday afternoon event with several delegations from other states will be partially sponsored by the Florida Association of Realtors.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Thurman, asked about the special-interest or corporate sponsorships for the delegations breakfasts or other events, said the state party has done well.
Thurman said someone has to pay for what she estimated to be about $200,000 in costs for breakfasts for a total of 500 delegates and other Florida guests to the convention.
“You know, they're paying for breakfast for our delegates — it's something they've been doing for years and years and years,” Thurman said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@mediageneral.com