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• Monday, August 25, 2008 04:20 PM

  Some got in, it seems.

  Not the kind of press that bothers to ask questions, mind you:

  Corporate Giants Fete Blue Dogs
  
  The scene outside “A Blue Night in Denver,” a party aimed at the pro-business Congressional Blue Dog Coalition, was nearly as raucous as the expansive, jazzy festivities going on inside Mile High Station, an event venue festooned with blue and white lights....
  
  Inside, it was clear that the pricey shindig was not paid for exclusively by AT&T. Television screens throughout the event rolled the names of seemingly endless sponsors: Bank of America, Wal-Mart, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Nuclear Energy Institute, Microsoft, Citi, PepsiCo, Credit Suisse, America’s Health Insurance Plans, Amgen, Comcast, Time Warner, the Investment Company Institute, Pfizer, Greenberg Traurig, Home Depot, Verizon, National Association of Broadcasters, and others.
  
  The party featured two stages, one inside, and one outside in a large tent with a view of Invesco Field, where Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) will give his acceptance speech on Thursday.
  
  A bluesy band, the Informants, serenaded the guests, and later K.T. Tunstall took center stage while party-goers munched on mini grilled cheese sandwiches, tiny ham and cheese biscuits, corn on the cob, a variety of skewers and plenty of sweets. http://www.rollcall.com/news/27521-1.html

  Party Time '08: Who Can and Cannot Dance in Denver
  
  Due to strict new gift rules, members of the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative House Democrats had to pay to attend their own party Sunday night. While everyone else walked in for free to the Blue Night in Denver bash to enjoy loads of free booze and a live show by pop rocker KT Tunstall, House members -- and House aides -- had to pay what sources described as fair market value: $22. (Which, by our estimation, is a cheap KT Tunstall show.)...
  
  Lawyers involved in vetting ethics rules for parties being thrown in Denver and St. Paul say the House ethics committee has expressed reservations about whether dancing at a party would be allowed. There were plenty of people dancing at the Blue Dog party after Tunstall's live performance ended but come to think of it -- we didn't see any members of Congress cutting a rug. Maybe they had been warned. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/08/party_time_08_who_can_and_cann.html

  —EJ Read EJ's other letters
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