Parties' use of charities eyed

WASHINGTON -- Public watchdog groups have criticized Republicans for using a charitable group to help host lavish parties at this summer's presidential nominating convention, but Democrats are now employing the same strategy.

Democrats are inviting corporations to contribute up to $100,000 to attend the ''Rockin' on the Dock of the Bay" party in Boston on July 28, the night before Senator John F. Kerry is expected to be formally nominated to challenge President Bush. The event's official beneficiary is the National Childhood Cancer Foundation's ''CureSearch" program, but the trappings are overtly political.

Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, is chairing the ''late night concert party" at the Roxy club to honor seven fellow southern Democratic senators. A $100,000 donation, according to a brochure, nets ''8 backstage passes with photo op, 25 VIP Lounge passes" and ''100 General Admission passes." Five other donor levels are offered, the lowest being the $2,500 ''Dock Pass," which yields three general admission passes.

At past Democratic and GOP conventions, such soirees were financed with unlimited ''soft money" donations from companies and individuals. But the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law now bars national political parties from taking soft money, so lawmakers are turning to charities.

The charities lend an element of altruism to the events and make donations partly tax-deductible. The charities are to receive the net proceeds -- probably 75 percent or more, organizers say -- after costs are covered.

Public interest groups complained when House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, scheduled a concert, a golf tournament, a yacht cruise, and other events to coincide with the GOP convention in New York, in the name of the charity Celebrations for Children. Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, called for an ethics inquiry, saying DeLay's event misuses a tax-exempt charitable organization to provide wealthy interest groups with access to key lawmakers.

As for Lincoln's ''Rockin' on the Dock," Wertheimer said this week, ''We're concerned about it, and we're going to take a very hard look at it." It differs from DeLay's plans, he said, because it involves only one event and because CureSearch is a well-known national charity, whereas Celebrations for Children is closely tied to DeLay.