To Understand Washington, Follow the Shrimp

 

To Understand Washington, Follow the Shrimp

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

Monday, February 21, 2005; Page E01

As late as the 1960s, lawmakers stayed in Washington as briefly as they could and rushed home to their constituents[选民]. To pay for their elections, they held fundraisers[筹款人] in their districts and states, never near the Capitol.

Back then they didn't need much money and didn't want to be seen as selling out to bloated[膨胀的] interests in a far-off city. Besides, there was also almost no one in town to provide the cash. Only a handful of law firms and trade associations cared enough to contribute and, generally, they didn't.

Not any more. Now lawmakers never seem to leave and barely a night goes by that they don't shake the money tree. Congressmen who aren't collecting checks for themselves are visiting the receptions[招待会] of colleagues to help spur attendance -- all of which has created a booming cottage industry[家庭手工业] for those who plan and host fundraising parties.

The reasons for this are many. Government has grown so huge that every industry and interest you can think of has a stake it must protect, thus exploding the number of lobbyists. At the same time, elections, even for the House, are million-dollar affairs. Power among legislators is measured not in laws passed but in dollars collected.

The good news about this maniacal [疯狂的] focus on campaign lucre [不义之财], said Kent Cooper of PoliticalMoneyLine.com, is that the donations "aren't going into envelopes of cash" as they reputedly[据说] once did. Checks are politely passed over a glass of cabernet and then dutifully disclosed.

But that's pretty much the end of the good news. Cooper and other experts offer a litany [冗长而枯燥的祷文]of explanations for the ever-growing number of Washington fundraising events. None of them is heartening for the average citizen.

The first is that lawmakers are no longer content to have just one place to put their donations. All 535 members of Congress have their own election committees, of course. But now 211 of them also have second funds (some even have a third) that in years past were called Leadership PACs. That name doesn't work anymore because a freshman is as likely to have one of them as is a veteran.

So now they're called Politician PACs. In any case, their existence multiplies the amount of money that lawmakers can collect from interest groups and lobbyists. And given the opportunity, that's exactly what lawmakers do.

Why bother? After all, almost all incumbents[从政的在职者] are shoo-ins for reelection given the careful redistricting that's been going on for years and the huge financial advantage they invariably have over their challengers.

The answer is that there's no end to political greed. Incumbents convince themselves that the more money they have in the bank the less likely a challenger will oppose their reelections. But even when lawmakers pass their don't-even-think-about-challenging-me threshold, they still accept more money because they convince themselves that they might want it to run for higher office.

One of my favorite lobbyists says he receives about 20 faxed invitations to congressional fundraisers every day. More invitations are e-mailed.

No matter how large the volume gets, however, lobbyists will never stop giving. Their clients provide a never-ending stream of funds. To them, the ever-larger and ever-more-activist central government remains an appealing and fruitful investment. With lawmakers' trajectory [轨迹，弹道] to positions of power getting shorter in duration every year, donors can't afford to ignore anyone who asks for a contribution.[ 地道！]

Thus the ingrained[根深蒂固的] system for in-town fundraising marches on. And up goes the demand for venues [聚会地点]to gather in the cash.

The result is a new hierarchy among congressional hangers-on. Interest groups and lobbying firms that have access to big rooms or, better, big rooms with views, are highly sought after. With so many fundraisers on the schedule, whoever can cater[服伺] is king.

Put another way: The traditional way to understand how things happen in Washington is to follow the money. What I'm suggesting here is to follow the shrimp.

"We're very busy," said Susan Lacz Niemann, an owner of Ridgewells, the big catering company. "Almost every night when Congress is in session we handle events for interest groups on behalf of congressmen and senators."

So many restaurants, lobbying firms and hotels offer themselves for this purpose that professional planners now proliferate[增生] to help winnow[筛选]the field. A smattering[少数] of choices can be found under the "events" section of National Republican Congressional Committee's Web site.

Convenience is key. Congressmen have to hop to so many receptions that the nearer the events are to their offices the more likely they are to attend. That's why the fancier restaurants on Capitol Hill -- such as La Colline, Capital Grille, Charlie Palmer and the Monocleare favorite spots. Homes like the Stewart R. Mott House (for Democrats) and private clubs such as the 116 Club (for real insiders) serve the same purpose. The Phoenix Park Hotel is among several Capitol Hill haunts that are regularly booked as well.

Then there are the old standbys[替代品] such as the Democratic Club and the Capitol Hill Club (for Republicans) on the House side. The Senate side has its own places, too, like the buildings that house the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Since congressional aides[助手] often chauffeur[做汽车司机] their bosses, top-flight[第一流的] restaurants downtown also draw a crowd. Among the frequentlyused spots are Oceanaire, Morton's, the Caucus Room, the City Club of Washington, Ruth's Chris Steak House near the convention center and Sesto Senso on 18th Street NW.

Trade associations also gladly get into the act. On the House side, the townhouses of the American Trucking Associations and the Associated General Contractors of America regularly host quickie fundraisers. On the same street can also be found the very busy party rooms of the National Rifle Association, the National Automobile Dealers Association and Dutko Worldwide, a lobbying firm.

On the Senate side, the American Gas Association is equally popular. At all those facilities, costs are low and the well-practiced service is famously reliable.

The gas folks have the added benefit of a remarkable view. Its fourth floor digs[寓所] have the same view of the Capitol's dome as MSNBC and Fox News Channel (where I am a contributor). The association holds more than 100 receptions annually and has more requests for the space than it can accommodate.

"During those nights when the Congress is in session, there are very few in which we don't host an event," said Rick Shelby, an executive vice president at the American Gas Association. "We have had days when we've had different people in for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

The association doesn't charge for use of its meeting room because of the exposure[曝光率] it gets in return. "We feel this is one way we can raise the visibility of the organization," Shelby said. "We've been here nearly six years and we've had over 300 members of Congress in our facility for events."

The hottest space for fundraising is the new building at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, also known as the Carpenters Union building. There, firms as diverse as Van Scoyoc Associates, the National Mining Association and the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) use their proximity[接近] to Capitol Hill and their spectacular views of the dome and the National Mall to entice [诱惑]lawmakers -- and their benefactors[捐助人].

"It's an extremely popular spot," said Jack Dolan, a spokesman for ACLI. "When I leave my office at 6 o'clock there are a lot of people going upstairs for PAC events and related political gatherings." In years to come, that traffic will only be getting thicker.

Jeffrey H. Birnbaum writes about the intersection of government and business every other Monday. E-mail him at kstreetconfidential@washpost.com .

cabernet
解百衲葡萄酒
A dry red wine made from the black grape variety  Cabernet sauvignon.
 卡勃耐酒一种无甜味的红色的酒，用 卡勃耐白葡萄的变种黑葡萄制成

shoo-in
a sure winner

　　必然的胜利者

　　例句：

　　Martins is a shoo-in for the presidency. The other candidates don't have a chance.

　　马丁斯是总统一职的必然当选人。其他候选人决不可能当选。

quickie
n.
[美俚]
匆匆做成的事, 需时甚短的事
粗制滥造的影片[文艺作品]
短促的接吻
匆忙的旅行
(酒的)快饮
(=quickie strike)未经工会同意的罢工

adj.
快的, 迅速的; 简短的
事先末作警告的, 突然发生的
a quickie training course
速成训练班


值得一游:
在华盛顿，大多数的游览都将从国家广场( National Mall)开始。这条路从林肯纪念馆(Lincoln Memorial)一直通到雄伟的国会大厦(Capitol Building)，几乎每平方米的路面上都由比美国其他地方更多的著名景点。在这里，你能看到众多如此重要的国家瑰宝，比如林肯纪念馆，越战老兵纪念馆(Vietnam Veterans Memorial)，华盛顿纪念碑(Washington Monument)，国家画廊(National Gallery)以及国会大厦，但除此之外还有很多没有提及的博物馆或是纪念馆，要将它们一一看完，一整天的时间恐怕都不够。



绝对不应被忽略的还有史密森博物院(Smithsonian Institution)，它实际上包括了十几个不同的博物馆和艺术院。独特的史密斯城堡由红砖建成，位于国家广场上，同样还有堂皇的国立美国艺术博物馆(National Gallery of Art)。另外还有人气始终极旺的国家航空航天博物馆(National Air and Space Museum)，国立自然历史博物馆(National Museum of Natural History)，国立美国历史博物馆(National Museum of American History)，在城市中还分布着很多其他史密森学会的分支馆院，都非常值得去游览一番。

走过国家广场就来到了白宫(White House)，它位于宾夕法尼亚1600号。尽管白宫无论是外表还是里面看起来都不是那么令人兴奋，但别忘了这里是美国总统的住所。如果你希望从国家广场继续行走，前往美国国会图书馆(Library of Congress) （世界最大），福尔杰莎士比亚图书馆(Folger Shakespeare Library)，杰斐逊纪念馆(Jefferson Memorial)，美国最高法院(U.S. Supreme Court)或者美国大灾难纪念博物馆(U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)将带给你更为愉悦和有趣的体验。

在华盛顿，一个新的游览热点是国际间谍博物馆(International Spy Museum)。在美国中央情报局和克格勃的资助下，这座博物馆趋于迎合大众的口味，其内容也多少有些令人不安，但是归根结底，它能让人们同时从大众的角度和真实的角度看看间谍和密探们，这是很有意思的。

饮食娱乐:
在走马灯般的看完了最后一个博物馆或是纪念馆之后，游客可能会忘记华盛顿其实是一个令人愉悦的居所。最受游客欢迎的街区同时也是华盛顿最古老和最著名的街区，乔治敦区(Georgetown)。这一地区由很多来自当地大学的学生们活动，如果想要喝些咖啡、购物或者是吃饭，那这儿可算得上是个迷人的场所。乔治敦的气氛会变得越来越活跃，到了晚上它会有很多年轻人到这里的酒吧游玩。由很多相当不错的酒吧和餐馆可供选择，不过别忘了到Max’s Ice Cream，那里有各种各样有趣的东西。

比乔治敦更加热闹和新潮的是 亚当摩根区(Adam’s Morgan)。这里充满了极酷的咖啡馆，颇具想象力的饮料以及国际级的餐馆，正适合于这里的见多识广的人们。 Meskerem为人们提供非常棒的埃塞俄比亚食物，而 Bukom则是一个体味西非风情的绝佳场所。

都彭特环区(Dupont Circle)比乔治敦和亚当摩根区都更靠近市中心，同时也是个更为放松的地方。艺术馆和颇具创意的服装店、出色的餐馆和咖啡店以及酒馆林立在街道两旁。Brickseller Saloon是特区一家非常著名的酒吧，备有大约1000多种啤酒。都彭特环区南部就是著名的Kramerbooks咖啡店及书店。

游览华盛顿时其他应该记住的地方还有：国会地区最有名的处所之一，都柏林区(Dubliner)，在这里可以挨着政府职员们一同饮酒，华盛顿旅馆(Washington Hotel)酒吧有着神话般的外观，U街的Ben’s Chili Bowl可以让你尝到从未试过的辣椒，而在周末，来到位于国会地区的东部市场(Eastern Market)可以体验你所能想象的一切。

日常提示:

•	交通: 在华盛顿市区漫步是一件非常轻松的事情。尽管地铁(Metro)系统相当出色。在华盛顿驾车可能留给你非常可怕的印象，尤其是当你遇到大量人流返回马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州时造成的交通拥堵。联合车站本身就是一个游览胜地，同时也是火车到达或是出发前往东海岸各地的驿站。巴尔的摩华盛顿国际机场 (Baltimore Washington International Airport)(BWI)在市区西北50公里处，位于哥伦比亚特区和巴尔的摩之间。杜勒斯国际机场(Dulles International Airport)(IAD)位于城市西方42公里处，罗纳德里根国际机场(Ronald Reagan National Airport)(DCA)距离市中心最近，地处波托马可河畔。
•	天气: 华盛顿九月份的平均气温为16-26摄氏度（华氏61-79º）。
•	时区: 美国东部时间 （晚于格林尼治时间5小时）
•	不要忘记: 华盛顿乘坐出租车的价格取决于你驶过了几个地区，而不是距离的远近。这既可能对你有利也可能对你不利，所以要仔细观看张贴在出租车上的地图。
•	最后提示: 留出一个早晨，沿着波托马可河从著名的水门漫步到乔治敦，你将看到这个国家中那些积极而忙碌的人们。