Today, Politico reports on the “blizzard” of fundraisers in Washington, DC of late– in its tabulation, “more than 400 fundraisers for House candidates in the two weeks leading up to Friday’s congressional adjournment.” (Details on who’s hosting what, where, and when can be found on the Sunlight Foundation’s* “Party Time” blog). More Politico:
[A]t this point in the election cycle, there’s always a rush to raise money, but the sheer number of lobbyist-driven fundraising events — in a year driven by an anti-Washington, anti-establishment electorate — shows how Washington cash still looms large on the campaign finance landscape.
Lawmakers aren’t shy about reminding lobbyists that the teller window is open for deposits for only a few more days while Congress is in session.
How many ways can you describe this phenomenon? Politico finds several:
“epic money grab”
“money rush”
“cash dash”
“running a nonstop campaign gravy train”
And, my favorite:
“riding the money carousel”
Can’t you hear the creepy organ music?
(*Sunlight helps fund CJR’s reporting on transparency).
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.