President's Dinner? Bring the Lettuce.

[maddezmom]

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 11, 2007; Page D01

Get ready, Goodrich. Brace yourself, Bristol-Myers Squibb. If you haven't received the call already, a Republican member of the House of Representatives is probably about to try to shake you down for big money.


~snip~

Then again, the document was not meant for publication. Dated April 10, it led off with a memorandum from Reps. Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Joe Wilson (S.C.), co-chairmen of the President's Dinner. "The opposition will be fully funded," the opening page says, "so we must set our fundraising sights high in order to be competitive."

"When a member of Congress calls, particularly a senior member of Congress, we give that great weight," said Jeffrey H. Smith, head of lobbying at the law firm Arnold & Porter. "I don't think it's heavy-handed. It's the nature of politics these days." He added, "My impression is that many members are not a good deal more comfortable with it that we are."

Others are not so sympathetic. "Some people do find it very heavy-handed," said a lobbyist for a major local company who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of angering members of Congress. "It's certainly a lighter touch to hear from a staffer."


~snip~

Lawmakers are invited to use lists of prospects compiled by the NRCC and to make their calls from NRCC headquarters on Capitol Hill. Solicitations can also be made by e-mail and fax, the document states. Tickets cost $2,500 each; a table is $25,000.


more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002093.html