HUFFINGTON
08.05.12
CAPITOL HILL
PERFECTLY LEGAL
On a recent Thursday morning,
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), another member of the freshman
Tea Party class, hosted a breakfast
fundraiser at Johnny’s Half Shell,
one of Washington’s most popular
eateries. Feasts like this are held
nearly every day in Washington.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), for
instance, recently lunched at Art
& Soul, the southern restaurant
owned by celebrity chef Art Smith.
Lawmakers sometimes complain that they’d rather skip these
free meals and do the people’s
work, but that the reality of financing a campaign gets in the
way. Lobbyists pay thousands of
dollars to the politician’s re-election campaign for the privilege of
face time with the lawmaker, and
doing that over copious amounts
People rightfully
get pissed when
they read about the
game up here.”
of food is part of the drill.
Besides, with the right mix of
people, dining for dollars isn’t so
bad. “If you’re with people that are
kind of fun to hang around with,
fundraisers don’t have to be miserable. They can be enjoyable,” said
a Republican lobbyist who frequently meals with members but
requested anonymit