E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSMitt Romney and some of his top congressional supporters are gathering Wednesday morning at the Capitol Hill offices of the American Trucking Association for a power breakfast fundraiser co-hosted by a line up of Washington’s most influential lobbyists.
An invitation for the event -- obtained by NBC News -- provides a glimpse into how the capital’s Republican power figures are coming together behind the Massachusetts governor despite his less than commanding position in the polls.
“It’s the Washington establishment coalescing behind him,” said one lobbyist who asked not to be identified about the trucking association fundraiser. “What this means is all the guys talking to their clients and their corporations and telling them, ‘Mitt is the guy.’”
The breakfast event is part of a quick D.C. buckraking tour for Romney that is expected to rake in over $500,000. On Tuesday night, Romney swung by the home of technology executive Bobbie Kilberg for a fundraiser whose guests included Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Governors Association (and often mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.)
Among the congressional co-hosts for the Wednesday event are several top GOP leaders who are now backing Romney, including House Oversight and Government Reform chair Rep. Darrell Issa, Armed Services Committee chair Buck McKeon, Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Mike Rogers, Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Orrin Hatch of Utah. Also on the list is freshman Arkansas Rep. Tim Griffin, a protégé of former Karl Rove who recently endorsed Romney and agreed to head up his campaign in Arkansas.
But even more interesting are the twelve D.C. lobbyists are also co-hosting the event: Among them: superlobbyist Wayne Berman (a national finance co-chair of the Romney campaign) and his partner at Ogilvy Government Relations Drew Maloney (clients include the American Petroleum Institute, Chevron and Verizon), Jeff Choudhry of the Nickles Group (Eli Lilly, Walmart, Comcast) , Philmore Anderson of Navigators Global (AT&T, General Motors) and Mark Isakowitz of Fierce, Isakowitz (Coca-Cola, Apple, American Gaming Association) and Ron Kaufman of Dutko Worldwide (Allergan, American Pacific and In Situ Oil Sands Alliance.)
Why the American Trucking Association office? Its convenience, explained First Read’s lobbyist source. Its right off Capitol Hill -- easy for members and next door to the Republican National Committee’s Capitol Hill Club. (The trucking group’s president is Bill Graves, a former governor of Kansas.)
And next week, Romney has what may be his biggest Wall Street fundraising yet -- a mega event at the Grand Hyatt hotel with over 100 co-hosts, including many from Wall Street investment and banking firms.
Leave a Comment:
Okay, Republicans, your leaders are speaking to you. Stop all the nonsense with these other candidates and get behind your establishment candidate now!
Will members of that party obediently get in line?
It's time to hold your nose, cross your fingers, grit your teeth, muffle your screams and realize that this is the best candidate you've got. Pretty sad really.
Obama/ Biden 2012
The progressives must feel fear since the attack articles on Romney intensify.
Didn't see this kind of "In-Depth" evaluation on the President's big money events in Hollywood yesterday. Just a cursory comment from the AP in a throw away story.
Something about how he understands Hollywoods ability to "Influence" the electorate.
But here's First Read, with a "NBC obtained" invite, to an event that Romney is attending.
How about a story on the Lobbyist that Obama just hired? Got any "NBC exclusives" on that?
Bright and early for the Pom Poms and Pin Wheels isn't it guys?
If you seriously want to read information about the topics you describe, it's all a newspaper or google click away. If NBC is invited to Gov. Romney events and you don't like NBC or you don't like Romney, you can use the information as you will.
Nothing about blocking San Franciso Chrinicle reporters from the pool, either. Obama does not have to let "certain" members of the press in- those who are not properly worshipful are excluded.
Not a word here on that little fact.
You'd think they'd care. . .
Thanks Kate, but I like it here. The entertainment value is unsurpassed anywhere else on the web.
Pointing out the hypocrisy of GE owned NBC is also fun.
But no hypocrisy over at Fox "News", right WCA?
Hypocrisy is in the mind of the individual newdayDawning. I do hate to bust your bubble, but a new day is forming, and unfortunately, it will not be one that associates with the liberal, union, and spending views.
Fox News is another media outlet - it just doesn't follow your assessment of reality. So why 'bag' on it? As many liberal like to say, especially on this liberal outlet site: If you don't like it, just turn it off.
Mitt's the guy.
No, he's not the guy.
But then again, Mitt's the guy.
Definately not the guy.
Yep.
Hey, look- WCA lost his way to Fox Forums agian this morning.
This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2008 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cid=N00009638
University of California
$1,648,685
Goldman Sachs
$1,013,091
Harvard University
$878,164
Microsoft Corp
$852,167
Google Inc
$814,540
JPMorgan Chase & Co
$808,799
Citigroup Inc
$736,771
Time Warner
$624,618
Sidley Austin LLP
$600,298
Stanford University
$595,716
National Amusements Inc
$563,798
WilmerHale LLP
$550,668
Columbia University
$547,852
Skadden, Arps et al
$543,539
UBS AG
$532,674
IBM Corp
$532,372
General Electric
$529,855
US Government
$513,308
Morgan Stanley
$512,232
Latham & Watkins
$503,295
Nice list. This IS all good, right? I mean, all these companies are.....PEOPLE, right? Mo money is betta money, right?
I'm sure the Supremes approve completely, why wouldn't you?
Apparently, WCA agrees with us that the criminal Roberts court is wrong and Citizen's United should be reversed.
Hmmm, 2008 list. But, last time I checked my calendar it was 2011. Oh and wca, Pat Robertson said you guys needed to chill out on all the exteme views and hate. You are turning off the middle, you know the middle, who are the ones who actually are the majority of Americans?
DBO, I usually don't bother with lists, but just this once I figured I'd point out the ovious.
They are all the same and will take money from wherever they can get it.
The hypocrisy is in denouncing the exact people who are giving it to you.
Those Rich 1%'ers.
"They are all the same and will take money from wherever they can get it."
I have to agree on this one.
For some reason, though, I never seem to quite get that 'flavor' from your posts.
Must just be me....
Let's see. Karl Rove, the GOP establishment, and even Pat Robertson - who said yesterday the right wing had to stop being so extreme - are wanting to get behind Romney. So what's up with the polls that have Cain in the lead? How come they aren't falling in line?
Does it frighten anyone but me that the Republican Party is now too extreme for Robertson, the lead nutcase in the Republican pack?
Let's be honest .....They are behind Romney because the racist group doesn't want to put the " token" in !
It may be the apocalypse
They're being disobedient little party members. They want to run around with Tea Party signs? Fine. But when crunch time comes, they'd better fall in line and serve the power and profits of their masters. Now, it's crunch time.
phinephancy - don't worry about those polls. As John McCain found out in the 2000 South Carolina primary... things can change.
Hey, just realized some of that material can be recycled. All they need to do is whiteout the "Mc."
Karl Rove is reaping what he has sown. The irony is delicious!
Now that's funny. Lizzy Warren says wshe laid down the FOundation for the OWS movement, Democrats are trying to align themselves with the OWS movement and you all are talking about Republicans being "extreme"
When will you all realize that every time you try to apply some bad thing to the right, it applies to the left?
Ooooo. Think of the paper saved.
Hey, WCA, I just repeated what Pat Robertson was talking about. Vent your spleen at him. Not my fault he said it. I'm a Catholic, I don't pay much attention to guys like him.
Americans are throwing up in their mouth over the choices the Republican Party has laid out for them. The economy is struggling, the president is highly vulnerable, the people are angry...and the GOP is no more likely to win the White House now than they were last year at this time. No voter will look at this bunch and declare any of them fit or qualified to be commander in chief. Think Rick Perry or Mitt Romney would have nabbed bin Laden or Gaddafi? Not likely... http://www.sunstateactivist.org
Hey, Dubya thought getting bin Laden wasn't that important.
Its kind of cool. The country is broke & look at the money being spent on this by all party's. Its time to take the money out of politics. That way, instead of beholding to the donators, they will beholding to us the people.
Hey Smitty,
That's right but Obama didn't get the memo on that.
HAHA, here's Msnbc insinuating that the Republicans are getting " big money," and are "puppets" as if Democrats are "clean" !.......Here's what you will NOT hear at Msnbc ! (the " M" stands for MISLEADING)
"The world’s top-earning hedge fund managers have bankrolled almost exclusively Democratic campaigns."
"The top 10 highest-paid hedge fund managers in 2009 have dished out campaign contributions almost only to Democrats."
"Over their lifetimes, those managers have given almost $33 million in campaign contributions to Democrats, according to research by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and that is based on data maintained by the nonpartisan CQMoneyline."
".... The contributions went 98 percent to Democrats and two percent to Republicans."
( The Hill, 5/03/10)