By BRIAN BAKST, JACK GILLUM and STEPHEN BRAUN, Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Away from the televised political speeches and Mitt Romney's nomination at the Republican National Convention, energy, technology, transportation companies and others are hosting lavish parties for Republican leaders, politicians and Romney's top donors.
The behind-the-scenes parties, receptions and other exclusive events allow the Republican elite to mingle with donors and special interests in a way that's unusual even for the nation's capital. Dozens of events and scores of donors, lobbyists and corporate heads are all under one roof this week — and under a loosely regulated setting distant from Washington.
That's as voters, who have long bristled at how special interests influence policymakers, will see only scripted, primetime speeches and Romney's acceptance remarks from their living rooms.
The influence of money in politics has received heightened scrutiny this election, as independent political groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support their favored candidates. This is the first convention that will highlight the impact of these groups, including the presence of top GOP strategist Karl Rove of the "super" political committee American Crossroads.
The parties begin anew next week in Charlotte, N.C., home to the Democrats' national convention. The DNC said its gathering would be the first not to rely on special-interest money, although its organizers quietly set up a nonprofit entity to collect corporate cash.
Democratic donors complained early in President Barack Obama's administration that they were kept at arm's length. Since then, the president has opened his White House to contributors for events like state dinners and meetings with policy advisers.
Republican delegates this week will be starting their days with muffins, fresh fruit and egg sandwiches at receptions with company sponsorships. At one event Monday afternoon, delegates raved about hors d'oeuvres like truffles and caviar, along with champagne.
Attendees had a wide swatch of events to choose from: a Kid Rock concert on Wednesday, a "Back to the Reagan '80s" reception on Thursday by the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation or a "Wheels Up" party on Friday hosted in part by the National Energy Institute and Citizens United, the conservative organization behind the namesake 2010 Supreme Court case that loosened restrictions on money in politics.
As well, corporations with business before the federal government — including those with major financial interests at stake — are throwing their own events for delegates and attendees. In some cases, the parties blend the agendas of both corporate and media hosts that have some symbiotic interests in Washington's halls of power.
Among those sponsoring events in Tampa are Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based producer of Budweiser and other beer brands; pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. and the Lifetime Television Network. Elliott Management Corp. hedge fund co-founder Paul Singer, who gave $1 million to a super PAC backing Romney, is also co-sponsoring an event aimed at gay Republicans.
Another host is the Personal Care Products Council, sponsor of a "Cocktail and Cosmetics" reception. One of the council's members is Utah-based Nu Skin Enterprises, a personal care and dietary supplements firm whose vice chairman, Steven J. Lund, was linked to $2 million in donations to the same Romney-leaning super PAC, Restore Our Future.
A "Nightly Lounge" scheduled all week in Tampa is hosted by Politico, the Washington-focused web news operation. The events, which will also be held at the Democratic convention next week, are co-sponsored by defense industry giant BAE Systems, technology designer Intel Corp., liquor seller Diageo and the Coca-Cola Co.
Politico is trying to deepen its news and politics coverage and win more customers for its specialized subscription services. Politico's executive director of events, Beth Lester Sidhu, said the parties were conceived as a "live extension of our journalistic mission."
BAE Systems Inc. was ranked by the General Services Administration as the 10th largest defense contractor in 2011 with $6.8 billion in awards — a rank undiminished even after its British parent firm agreed to pay $79 million in fines that same year for civil arms export violations. Just last week, the firm won back nearly the same amount — $78 million— for a new government contract to produce platforms for U.S. ship-based vertical launching missile systems.
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