10:05
The biggest political party-fest of the year is underway in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. The conventional wisdom holds that the big political conventions are no longer sources of news -- we already know, for example, who will get nominated and who the vice presidential candidate is.
The real value of actually attending the big show is networking, behind-the-scenes gossip and, most of all, partying. And unlike regular political campaigns, the big parties' national conventions aren't subject to FEC donation limits, so special interests and corporate lobbyists can open the money spigots to throw some pretty impressive parties, receptions and other events.
Corporations, unions and lobbyists have already raised $112 million to fund the two major conventions, with most of that money going for...good times. Despite recent campaign finance reform laws, which generally bar lawmakers from accepting meals or gifts from special interests, loopholes exist (finger food is OK, entertainment is fine so long as 24 non-Congressional employees are there, etc. ) that will allow sponsors to schmooze with national legislators and other personages at the conventions.
Among some of the biggest sponsors at the Democratic National Convention are telecom, tech and media giants. Colorado-based Qwest is the single biggest corporate sponsor at $6 million and the controversial Kanye West concert, a highlight of the convention, is funded by the RIAA.
However, no comprehensive list of convention sponsors is available and accurate records of who paid what won't be available for months. So, I scanned available resources (mostly an excellent table produced by the Campaign Finance Institute) and came up with the following list of tech, telecom and media giants who are spending big in Denver:
