Convention perks await big DNC fund-raisers

Democrats who raise $100,000 for their party will be rewarded with big perks at next year's convention in Boston: preferred seating at the FleetCenter, breakfast with the presidential nominee, and, according to a party brochure, "a chance to help shape the national political agenda."

The Democratic National Committee has established a special group of big dollar contributors and fund-raisers, dubbed "Patriots," and is promising them an exclusive level of access and luxury at the convention.

While national political conventions have long been used by both parties to lure and reward big donors, the DNC effort is drawing criticism, with campaign watchdogs saying it circumvents the aim of federal campaign finance reforms enacted last year.

Those reforms capped individual contributions to political parties at $25,000, in an attmept to diminish the influence of wealthy donors. Watchdogs say the Democrats' $100,000 goal rewards bundling, the practice of collecting multiple donations from related individuals, and allows fund-raisers to increase their influence.

Money raised by the Patriots will be used for the DNC's 2004 presidential fund, from which the party will make expenditures on behalf of its presidential candidate. Patriots will "play a vital role in the upcoming presidential campaign and will be relied upon for direction, insight, and leadership throughout the election process," acording to the DNC solicitation.

In addition to the special convention access, the party is offering the Patriots meetings in Washington, D.C., to "discuss current issues and strategies," as well as weekend retreats with Democratic leaders.

"Patriots will gather several times throughout the year and have the opportunity to meet with senior party leadership and help shape the national political agenda," the pitch continues.

The DNC has been sending out the pitch to attract big donors and fund-raisers since the beginning of the year, said spokeswoman Debra DeShong. She said the party has to expand its base of donors, because the McCain-Feingold campaign reforms passed last year eliminated soft money, the unlimited contributions to political parties from corporations, unions and individuals.

"We clearly recognized, with elimination of soft money, we had to make a very big push," she said.

DeShong said she could not provide information yesterday on how much money has been raised through the Patriots program or release the names of the individuals. She denied that the DNC pitch was offering donors a chance to influence policy and would not comment on the brochure's claim that the party would be offering influence over "the national political agenda."

"We're going to be asking things like, `Where should we hold an event in your state?' not `Where do you want your oil well in Alaska?' " she said.

However, Don Simon, general counsel to the watchdog group Common Cause, said conventions remain the most blatant form of access-selling in US politics.

"The conventions have been carnivals of special access and influence for big-money donors for years," Simon said. "The party conventions are the most outlandish displays of money buying acess that we have in American politics. They really are little more than four-day festivals of access- and influence-buying."

While the McCain-Feingold reforms were meant to curb the influence by big donors, those who can bundle donations and collect the $100,000 required to become a Patriot are still being rewarded, Simon said.

"It's another example of big money buying favored access," he said. "Here, the big money is being put together by someone who is bundling contributions, but the bottom line is still the same: Those who show up and deliver large amounts of money get special treatment."

The DNC fund-raising efforts, which are directed at donors in Boston and across the nation, are being made at a time when the city's convention host committee, Boston 2004 Inc., is trying to raise money to pay for the convention from some of those same donors. The host committee's focus is primarily on local contributors.

Before it won the convention, the Boston host committee raised cash donations of $20 million toward its $49.5 million cost. To make up the total, the commitee needed to raise another $8.5 million in cash, about $10 million in in-kind donations, and $11 million in public money from the city, state, and federal governments. The current budget crunch has made it more difficult to rely on that $11 million in public funds, increasing pressure to raise more cash privately.

The host committee refused to comment on its fund-raising progress yesterday. It is not required to report its receipts publicly until 60 days after the convention ends.

Those who make donations to the cost of the convention, which are not limited by campaign finance laws, will also receive access at convention events, said David Passafaro, host committee president. They will be invited to all convention events sponsored by the city, including the media party and the delegation parties on the weekend before the official proceedings begin. And though the city committee does not control access inside the convention hall, Passafaro said he expected host committee donors would also be given credentials.

Alan Solomont, a former DNC finance chair who qualified as a Patriot with a $400,000 fundraiser earlier this year, said special convention treatment is not what motivates donors like him.

"People in Boston who are contributing to the DNC and supporting the host committee are not contributing because they need to be taken care of at the convention, but because they want to elect a Democrat president," he said.

Republicans adopted a similar strategy at the 2000 Republican convention in Philadelphia. There, donors of $100,000 or more got dinner with congressional leaders at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a breakfast at City Hall with strategists for then-nominee George W. Bush's campaign, and brunch with former presidents Bush and Ford.