Democrats Get Big Money at Fund-Raiser

WASHINGTON —  Oh, how they love Bill Clinton.

After all that he’s put the party through--the health-care reform fiasco, the Republican takeover of Congress, impeachment, divisive battles over trade--Democrats still turned out in droves for him Wednesday night.

In the biggest political fund-raiser in American history, more than 12,000 die-hard Democrats forked over $26 million in a blue-jeans-and-barbecue tribute to the lame-duck president.

The event at the MCI Arena here was as much about the future--as in Nov. 7--as it was a Bill Clinton love fest.

The November election is, after all, barely five months away, with control of the White House and quite possibly the Congress hanging in the balance.

And with both parties smelling victory, the financial floodgates have been flung wide open--to the dismay of campaign finance reformers across the land.

One measure of the unprecedented money race: Wednesday’s fund-raiser shattered a record that was not even a month old--set on April 26, when the Republican National Committee raked in $21.3 million at a black-tie gala at the National Guard Armory here.

At a time when campaign finance reform has become a major issue in this election season--and following the abuses by both parties in 1996--the White House understandably faced some tough questioning Wednesday about the president’s commitment to reform.

Joe Lockhart, the White House spokesman, averred that his boss thinks “there’s too much money” and “too much time” spent on raising it. But, he said, there’s just no other way to get out the message under the present system.

“The president believes it’s important to help elect Democrats, it’s important that he uses his abilities to help close the gap--the resource gap that has always existed among Democrats and Republicans,” Lockhart said at his daily White House briefing. During the session, just hours before the bash, Lockhart fended off an avalanche of questions, most of which suggested presidential hypocrisy because Clinton is pushing for reform while hosting the biggest campaign fund-raiser in history.

“But as long as the system, the rules, are as they are now, we’re going to continue to work within the system,” Lockhart added.

In his remarks, Clinton vigorously promoted Vice President Al Gore as his worthy successor, and Gore vowed to enact “meaningful campaign finance reform” as one of his top priorities.

Wednesday night’s event had 26 “co-chairs,” who raised or donated at least $500,000 each; 21 “vice chairs,” who gave or raised $250,000 each; 42 “friends,” who gave or raised $100,000; and 32 “hosts,” who gave or raised $50,000 apiece.

They sat at lavishly decorated tables on the arena’s floor. The night before, all the chairs and vice chairs enjoyed a special buffet with Clinton and Terry McAuliffe, the party’s fund-raiser extraordinaire.

But most of the party-goers on Wednesday night were small donors, who paid just $50. They were consigned to the arena’s bleachers.

Interest in the event was so strong that sales were halted last Thursday, when all 12,000 tickets were sold, Democratic National Committee officials said.

Entertainment was provided by singers Stevie Wonder, Darius Rucker, Lenny Kravitz and LeAnn Rimes and comedian Robin Williams.

In keeping with the requested dress code, Clinton and Gore both showed up in faded blue jeans and cowboy boots, the president in a long-sleeved, French-blue shirt and the vice president in a brown short-sleeved polo shirt.

The lineup of speakers included the president and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton--herself a candidate for the U.S. Senate--and Gore and his wife, Tipper.

In a bow to Gore, Clinton spoke first and then introduced the vice president. But when the president began, he was disrupted by shouting from a few people in the upper deck, whose protest was quickly drowned out by the crowd.

Still, Clinton evidently picked up enough of their words to respond with a litany that began: “I don’t believe it’s corruption to take money to pass the Brady [handgun control] bill . . . [and] the patients’ bill of rights.”

Then Clinton exhorted the crowd to elect Gore as his successor, saying: “We need to elect someone who’s made tough decisions--and not just talked about them.”

Gore seemed particularly--and uncharacteristically--energized, and he spoke fervently, bringing the crowd of 13,645 to its feet.

“You stick with me and I’ll keep this prosperity going!” he yelled.