These GOP parties are grand, new
Last evening on a rooftop overlooking Central Park, veterans of the 1996 US Senate race between William Weld and John F. Kerry gathered for a reunion at Weld's Manhattan apartment. Guests, including former Weld press secretary Rob Gray and GOP committeeman Ron Kaufman, nibbled on caviar-stuffed potatoes and pan-seared tuna while reminiscing about one of the toughest, most memorable Massachusetts elections of modern times.
For some, the party was merely a prelude to the convention festivities. For others, it was the main event, or close to it. But for all gathered in New York this week, from Log Cabin Republicans to the oil-well variety and every kind in between, the Grand Old Party promises to live up to its name, if yesterday's round of kickoff parties is any indication.
There were swank events hosted by first daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush (at Roseland Ballroom) and by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California (with actor Michael J. Fox at Sky Room). There was a welcoming reception aboard the USS Intrepid, a mothballed aircraft carrier berthed at Pier 86 on the Hudson River. And there was a ''Martinis in Manhattan" bash at the New York Palace Hotel for the Republican Governors Association, thrown by
As Berman Obaldia, the vice president for government affairs for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said on his way to the Republican governors' party: ''What better opportunity to touch base with colleagues and legislators? OK, and share a cocktail or two."
Other party venues Sunday included The New York Yacht Club, Lincoln Center, and the Bowlmor lanes in Greenwich Village, where the House Rules Committee chairman, David Dreier, was feted.
This being New York, the city that neither sleeps nor blinks when the party gong sounds, there will be nearly nonstop action during the week stretching ahead. It will include parties at some of the toniest addresses around Manhattan: Cartier;
One of the hottest tickets is Wednesday's party at Cipriani, hosted by Senator John McCain of Arizona and featuring entertainers Darrell Hammond and Joe Piscopo. ZZ Top, the Charlie Daniels Band, and E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg (does Bruce Springsteen know about this?) are among the musical acts scheduled to perform this week.
As was true for the Democrats in Boston last month, any party's star power is directly tied to the power of its guest list. In Boston, it was Ben Affleck, the Kerry sisters, and various Kennedys who exerted the most magnetic pull. This week, it's Karl Rove, the Bush sisters, and Schwarzenegger -- a Kennedy in-law -- with whom everyone wants to rub elbows.
''Let's face it, all these parties are basically the same," said one pharmaceutical executive yesterday on his way into the Diageo bash. ''It's all about who you can get to go to yours that counts."
Two attendees at Bryant Park Grill for yesterday's Log Cabin party, a rallying point for gay and moderate Republicans, said their choices in socializing reflect their determination to make this convention inclusive.
Florida delegate Patrick Howell, president of the Orlando chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, said he's attending a few specifically gay-friendly events this week but would otherwise be showing up at ''a lot of mainstream events." Said Howell, ''One reason we exist is to make sure we're part of the Republican Party, so I'm comfortable going to anything."
Ken Sanchez, Massachusetts GOP delegate and president of the state chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, agreed that attending a wide variety of events was ''a way to break down barriers by putting a human face on the issues," including the volatile issue of same-sex marriage. ''We won't allow this party to get pushed too far to the right," vowed Sanchez, moments after greeting Weld at the reception.
Weld adopted a modest, almost aw-shucks tone when introduced to the Log Cabin gathering as ''a hero" for his support of gay marriage, even though his party officially opposes it. Weld spoke with a reporter afterward -- before hurrying off to prepare for his own preconvention party -- and disclosed he's been helping the White House prepare for this fall's Bush-Kerry debates.
''I went back and reread all the transcripts," Weld said of his debate with Kerry. ''And I must say, it was a very painful experience. He was so much better than me, it wasn't funny."
Brian Mooney of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@globe.com.
