9486 in the collection
Got $5,000? Get Access to White House Insiders
NOTE: To NCTE, IRA, NEA, AFT, and all others who insist that in return for looking the other way on certain basic principles they are gaining a seat at the table. . . . You have to buy access to the tables that count. All the rest is window dressing.
And the $5,000 placemat is a fool's delusion.
By Dan Mihalopoulos
For $5,000, supporters of President Barack Obama in Chicago can gain entry to an "intimate reception" on Friday with a top White House aide and a high-ranking official with the Democratic National Committee.
According to invitations that she sent out in recent weeks, Obama fundraiser Grace Tsao-Wu described the event as a "high-ticket lunch" for those who want to enjoy a greater voice in the White House. The star attractions at the event will be Mona Sutphen, deputy White House chief of staff, and Clyde Williams, the DNC's political director.
"This will be a very small group of guests," Tsao-Wu wrote in an invitation obtained by the Chicago News Cooperative. "If you really want your opinions and questions to be heard by the White House, this would be a good place to do it."
One local Democrat who saw the invitations felt the implication was clear: "It seems obvious they are selling access."
And on Wednesday, DNC officials sought to distance themselves from the language that Tsao-Wu used to entice donations.
"Ms. Tsao-Wu is not an employee of the DNC and, while her statement can be fairly read as benign, it is not how we would characterize the event," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said in an e-mail statement. "This administration and the DNC under the administration’s direction have taken unprecedented steps to limit the influence of money in politics."
Asked about the invitations, Tsao-Wu replied, "Who did you get the e-mails from?"
She initially declined to make any comment on the wording of the invitations. "I don't take calls from the press. I just don't. That's not my practice."
Tsao-Wu later called the Chicago News Cooperative to add that she would refer all questions about the invitations to the DNC. "I wasn't involved in planning the event," she said. "The DNC planned the event. I just don't know the nitty-gritty."
Tsao-Wu is what is known in political circles as a "bundler" for Obama, seeking donations from many supporters. She has been responsible for bundling at least $200,000 in contributions for Obama and last month attended the president's second state dinner, with the president of Mexico, according to an ABC News report.
The invitations for the Chicago event reveal that Sutphen and Williams will meet with about 20 people at noon Friday at the downtown offices of the Quarles and Brady law firm.
"It is really a chance for your opinions to be heard by Rahm's office," Tsao-Wu wrote, referring to White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel.
This "high-ticket lunch" will be followed at 2 p.m. by "high tea" with Sutphen and Williams. Ticket prices for the second gathering range from $250 for general admission to $750 for "premium seating" and $2,500 for event hosts.
Another e-mail invitation from Tsao-Wu, sent on June 8, touted a fundraiser last week for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias. That event, also described by Tsao-Wu as "an intimate reception," featured Obama's education secretary and fellow Chicagoan Arne Duncan.
"This really is a chance for YOU to have your voice heard in a small group and get his ear," Tsao-Wu wrote of the Willis Tower event involving Duncan.
Asked about that event, Giannoulias spokeswoman Kathleen Strand declined comment. "We don't really release details on fundraisers," Strand said.
Tsao-Wu sent the invitations from an e-mail account for her tableware store, Tabula Tua, on Armitage Avenue.
— Dan Mihalopoulos
Chicago News Cooperative
2010-06-24
http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/what-does-5000-buy-access-to-white-house-insiders/
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