Democrats Help Fund GOP National Convention 2004

[Adam D]

Democrats helping fund next year's GOP convention
Bloomberg: "This is a nonpartisan effort."
Thursday, June 19, 2003 Posted: 5:52 PM EDT (2152 GMT)



NEW YORK (AP) -- Pride in the Big Apple has been the incentive for several deep-pocketed, Democrats to cross party lines and promise millions to help stage the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York.

The city's host committee has collected $60 million in pledges -- $4 million short of its fund-raising target -- 15 months before the political event. Wealthy executives, Republican and Democrat, are tapping their own bank accounts, companies and associates.

Among those backing the convention is real estate mogul William C. Rudin, a Democrat who has donated to the campaigns of the party's lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York.

"Some people relate it to the party, I relate it to New York City," Rudin said. "It's about uptown and downtown and being able to show the world what this city is about and how we've recovered."

The convention is scheduled for the week of August 30, 2004, within days of the third anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Jonathan Tisch of Loews Hotels, another Democratic supporter backing the convention, said his motivation was the potential tourism dollars for the city.

"The convention coming to New York is so important economically and emotionally that it's necessary for all 8 million New Yorkers -- no matter what their party stripes are -- to support this event," said Tisch, who also heads the city's tourism agency.

The convention's total budget is $91 million, according to an agreement between the Republican National Committee and the convention organizers, the New York City Host Committee.

The New York Times reported details of the agreement Thursday; city officials confirmed those details.

The host committee promised to raise $64 million for expenses, including a podium, an entrance carpet at Madison Square Garden, the rental of the space and transportation of delegates. The city pledged $27 million for police protection, insurance, sanitation and other costs.

The host committee tapped key Republican fund-raiser Lewis M. Eisenberg as its co-chairman. The former chairman of the Republican National Finance Committee helped raise $135.3 million in the year before he took the convention job.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by a ratio of 5-to-3 in New York. While New York has hosted the Democratic convention several times -- the last one in 1992, it has never held the Republican convention.

Another force helping to increase funds for the convention has been the city's mayor, a billionaire philanthropist, former CEO and Democrat-turned-Republican. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged $5 million of his money and is said to be playing a significant role in persuading his peers to write checks.

"This is a nonpartisan effort," Bloomberg said Thursday, adding that Democrats and Republicans "come together to raise the money because it's good for New York City."

[bfp]

bloomberg has been a discrace to nyc. get rudy back in.

[Dionysos]

Originally posted by WarLord
And that is exactly the point. Money talks and bullshit walks......Republican/Democrat dichotomies are immaterial when you're talking about MILLIONS of $$ hitting a city in tight economic times.

Exactly.


Sweet Jesus, I just agreed with Warlord. *watches for swarms of locusts*