Report: Dems give special interests convention role

Though President Barack Obama has barred lobbyists and corporations from contributing money to the Democrats' upcoming convention in Charlotte, those special interests aren't likely to be shut out -- thanks to some creative ways of giving suggested by convention organizers.

That's the premise of a new story in the Los Angeles Times by Matea Gold, who covers money and politics from the newspaper's Washington Bureau.

"Even as Democrats tout the three-day event in September as a populist gathering," she writes, "organizers have found ways to skirt the rules and give corporations and lobbyists a presence at the nominating convention. That suggests they can't raise the $37 million for the political extravaganza without at least some help from moneyed interests."

Gold writes that convention officials have encouraged corporate executives to write personal checks and suggested that corporations can participate by donating goods and services or giving through a corporate foundation. And, she writes, lobbyists who raise bundles of money from their clients "will get perks like premium credentials and hotel rooms."

Lobbyists are not necessarily cheery about the changes, Gold writes. And the Democrats have said a meeting with lobbyists in Washington was an effort to educate them about the new rules, not recruit them.

Charlotte's host committee has also forged more grassroots-type fundraising. On Thursday, the committee sent an email to more than 250,000 people around the country asking them to send $5 and have their names listed as sponsors on the convention's official NASCAR stock car. The email was signed by longtime Charlotte racing promoter "Humpy" Wheeler.

Gold also quotes Kristie Greco, the Charlotte-based spokeswoman for the Democratic convention, who points out that the GOP has not adopted the same restrictions barring direct contributions from lobbyists and corporations and are, in fact, taking big bucks from businesses.

“The Democratic National Convention is not accepting cash from corporations, lobbyists or PACs. Instead we’re engaging people at the grassroots, strengthening the voice of everyday Americans and engaging more people in the process," Greco said in a statement sent to the Observer today. "We’ve done more to promote reform than any convention in history. Republicans are still operating under the status quo, playing by the same old rules that cater to the highest bidders."

But Fred Wertheimer, president of the campaign finance reform group Democracy 21, told Gold that what the Democrats are doing doesn't sound like they're abiding by the spirit of their own restrictions. "What they're doing sounds like the old forms of raising money that they claimed they were not going to do," he said.

Organizers of the convention refused to tell Gold, as they've refused to tell the Observer, how much they've raised so far for the convention. The host committee, which has committed to raising $37 million, will only say that fundraising is "on track."

But Suzi Emmerling, press secretary for the Charlotte host committee, did say in a statement sent to the Observer today that there are nearly 22 times more donors for the Charlotte convention than for the one in Denver four years ago. She did not offer raw totals.

"The bottom line is that we are doing something that has never been done before," Emmerling said. "We are proud that, unlike conventions past, our grassroots fundraising campaign is engaging more Americans than ever before to own a part of this convention. With five months left to go, the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee has already engaged 2,171% (or nearly 22 times) more donors than the last convention.”

Here's the complete story from the Los Angeles Times.

Tim Funk