How Fat Cats Buy "Access"

Corporate attorney Ron Bell was delighted when one of his clients, International Profit Associates, decided to send him to the Democratic Convention. IPA, a suburban Chicago consulting firm that helps companies figure out how to make more money, has done very well during the Clinton years, growing from a three-desk operation in 1991 to a $100 million company with some 1,600 employees today. This year the company decided to give something back, donating upward of $100,000 to the Democrats and, in return, gaining entry to the party's Franklin Trust donors circle.

As members of the Trust, Bell and his wife, Doreen, were looking forward to some top-flight treatment during their stay in Los Angeles. They are, after all, among the deep-pocketed corporate supporters the Democratic Party has been so earnestly pursuing, in hopes of broadening its traditional big-donor base beyond the golden triangle of labor, trial lawyers and Tinseltown. "We're interested in legislation that will help our business grow," Ron said. "My client was very impressed with the prosperity during Clinton's presidency. They would like to see that continue."

Of course, IPA is also a major donor to the Republican Party. In her purse, Doreen carries a couple of snapshots from the company's 1999 Christmas party. One is a photo of Ron with former President George Bush (IPA reportedly paid him $82,000 to appear), the other, of Doreen and Bush. "He's a great, great man," Ron said. "When you get right down to it, it's not a question of which party you're affiliated with," he said, warming up. "It's all about access. It's nice to get your voice heard. It's nice to have an open door to politicians. After all, we're not a democracy. If we were, we'd have one man, one vote. We're a republic, a representative society, and the key is getting access to those representatives."

But access was not so easily got on Monday, when the Bells were forced to wait for four hours for their VIP credentials at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. "We are very, very unhappy," said Doreen as she and her husband headed back to L'Ermitage, the swank Beverly Hills hotel the Democratic National Commitee had set them up in for the duration of the festivities. Still, the couple did have passes to the exclusive Arena Club at Staples Center, as well as seats at the presidential dinner at Paramount that night and VIP passes to the party afterward. They got tickets to the Barbra Streisand concert Thursday night, and backstage passes, too.

Ron was planning to strategically distribute the business cards he'd been given, imprinted with the L'Ermitage logo along with his name and the direct line to his room. "Our clients don't want all the regulations on businesses," he said. "They don't want all the tariffs." Doreen, who had had her long nails lacquered in white stars and red and blue stripes, was particularly interested in talking with Hillary Clinton about health care. IPA, which has clients in New York state, recently held a fund-raiser for Hillary's Senate run at the home of company head John Burgess. "She is the one true voice on this issue," Doreen said. "If it weren't for her, nobody would be paying attention to all the older people who have to decide whether to buy food or medicine."

By Tuesday morning, the Bells were ready for a break. After a successful evening of elbow-rubbing at Staples on Monday -- they loved Clinton's speech, met Jack Valenti, saw Senator Edward Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, and sat next to Jimmy Carter, whom IPA hopes to land as its Christmas-party speaker this year -- they were hit with an ugly surprise. The protests had delayed the VIP buses that were to transport them to the Paramount dinner. "We got outside, and it was like a Gothic movie, like Batman," Doreen said. "There were all these helicopters and lights flashing down. And all these people pushing and shoving to get on the VIP bus. It was scary. We ended up walking two miles to catch a taxi."