To Understand Washington, Follow the Shrimp
As late as the 1960s, lawmakers stayed in Washington as briefly as they could and rushed home to their constituents[選民]. To pay for their elections, they held fundraisers[籌款人] in their districts and states, never near the Capitol.
Back then they didn't need much money and didn't want to be seen as selling out to bloated[膨脹的] interests in a far-off city. Besides, there was also almost no one in town to provide the cash. Only a handful of law firms and trade associations cared enough to contribute and, generally, they didn't.
Not any more. Now lawmakers never seem to leave and barely a night goes by that they don't shake the money tree. Congressmen who aren't collecting checks for themselves are visiting the receptions[招待會] of colleagues to help spur attendance -- all of which has created a booming cottage industry[家庭手工業] for those who plan and host fundraising parties.
The reasons for this are many. Government has grown so huge that every industry and interest you can think of has a stake it must protect, thus exploding the number of lobbyists. At the same time, elections, even for the House, are million-dollar affairs. Power among legislators is measured not in laws passed but in dollars collected.
The good news about this maniacal [瘋狂的] focus on campaign lucre [不義之財], said Kent Cooper of PoliticalMoneyLine.com, is that the donations "aren't going into envelopes of cash" as they reputedly[據說] once did. Checks are politely passed over a glass of cabernet and then dutifully disclosed.
But that's pretty much the end of the good news. Cooper and other experts offer a litany [冗長而枯燥的禱文]of explanations for the ever-growing number of Washington fundraising events. None of them is heartening for the average citizen.
The first is that lawmakers are no longer content to have just one place to put their donations. All 535 members of Congress have their own election committees, of course. But now 211 of them also have second funds (some even have a third) that in years past were called Leadership PACs. That name doesn't work anymore because a freshman is as likely to have one of them as is a veteran.
So now they're called Politician PACs. In any case, their existence multiplies the amount of money that lawmakers can collect from interest groups and lobbyists. And given the opportunity, that's exactly what lawmakers do.
Why bother? After all, almost all incumbents[從政的在職者] are shoo-ins for reelection given the careful redistricting that's been going on for years and the huge financial advantage they invariably have over their challengers.
The answer is that there's no end to political greed. Incumbents convince themselves that the more money they have in the bank the less likely a challenger will oppose their reelections. But even when lawmakers pass their don't-even-think-about-challenging-me threshold, they still accept more money because they convince themselves that they might want it to run for higher office.
One of my favorite lobbyists says he receives about 20 faxed invitations to congressional fundraisers every day. More invitations are e-mailed.
No matter how large the volume gets, however, lobbyists will never stop giving. Their clients provide a never-ending stream of funds. To them, the ever-larger and ever-more-activist central government remains an appealing and fruitful investment. With lawmakers' trajectory [軌跡，彈道] to positions of power getting shorter in duration every year, donors can't afford to ignore anyone who asks for a contribution.[地道！]
Thus the ingrained[根深蒂固的] system for in-town fundraising marches on. And up goes the demand for venues [聚會地點]to gather in the cash.
The result is a new hierarchy among congressional hangers-on. Interest groups and lobbying firms that have access to big rooms or, better, big rooms with views, are highly sought after. With so many fundraisers on the schedule, whoever can cater[服伺] is king.
Put another way: The traditional way to understand how things happen in Washington is to follow the money. What I'm suggesting here is to follow the shrimp.
"We're very busy," said Susan Lacz Niemann, an owner of Ridgewells, the big catering company. "Almost every night when Congress is in session we handle events for interest groups on behalf of congressmen and senators."
So many restaurants, lobbying firms and hotels offer themselves for this purpose that professional planners now proliferate[增生] to help winnow[篩選]the field. A smattering[少數] of choices can be found under the "events" section of National Republican Congressional Committee's Web site.
Convenience is key. Congressmen have to hop to so many receptions that the nearer the events are to their offices the more likely they are to attend. That's why the fancier restaurants on Capitol Hill -- such as La Colline, Capital Grille, Charlie Palmer and the Monocleare favorite spots. Homes like the Stewart R. Mott House (for Democrats) and private clubs such as the 116 Club (for real insiders) serve the same purpose. The Phoenix Park Hotel is among several Capitol Hill haunts that are regularly booked as well.
Then there are the old standbys[替代品] such as the Democratic Club and the Capitol Hill Club (for Republicans) on the House side. The Senate side has its own places, too, like the buildings that house the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Since congressional aides[助手] often chauffeur[做汽車司機] their bosses, top-flight[第一流的] restaurants downtown also draw a crowd. Among the frequentlyused spots are Oceanaire, Morton's, the Caucus Room, the City Club of Washington, Ruth's Chris Steak House near the convention center and Sesto Senso on 18th Street NW.
Trade associations also gladly get into the act. On the House side, the townhouses of the American Trucking Associations and the Associated General Contractors of America regularly host quickie fundraisers. On the same street can also be found the very busy party rooms of the National Rifle Association, the National Automobile Dealers Association and Dutko Worldwide, a lobbying firm.
On the Senate side, the American Gas Association is equally popular. At all those facilities, costs are low and the well-practiced service is famously reliable.
The gas folks have the added benefit of a remarkable view. Its fourth floor digs[寓所] have the same view of the Capitol's dome as MSNBC and Fox News Channel (where I am a contributor). The association holds more than 100 receptions annually and has more requests for the space than it can accommodate.
"During those nights when the Congress is in session, there are very few in which we don't host an event," said Rick Shelby, an executive vice president at the American Gas Association. "We have had days when we've had different people in for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
The association doesn't charge for use of its meeting room because of the exposure[曝光率] it gets in return. "We feel this is one way we can raise the visibility of the organization," Shelby said. "We've been here nearly six years and we've had over 300 members of Congress in our facility for events."
The hottest space for fundraising is the new building at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, also known as the Carpenters Union building. There, firms as diverse as Van Scoyoc Associates, the National Mining Association and the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) use their proximity[接近] to Capitol Hill and their spectacular views of the dome and the National Mall to entice [誘惑]lawmakers -- and their benefactors[捐助人].
"It's an extremely popular spot," said Jack Dolan, a spokesman for ACLI. "When I leave my office at 6 o'clock there are a lot of people going upstairs for PAC events and related political gatherings." In years to come, that traffic will only be getting thicker.
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum writes about the intersection of government and business every other Monday. E-mail him at [email protected].
cabernet
解百衲葡萄酒
A dry red wine made from the black grape variety Cabernet sauvignon.
卡勃耐酒一種無甜味的紅色的酒，用 卡勃耐白葡萄的變種黑葡萄製成
必然的勝利者
例句：
Martins is a shoo-in for the presidency. The other candidates don't have a chance.
馬丁斯是總統一職的必然當選人。其他候選人決不可能當選。
n.
[美俚]
匆匆做成的事, 需時甚短的事
粗製濫造的影片[文藝作品]
短促的接吻
匆忙的旅行
(酒的)快飲
(=quickie strike)未經工會同意的罷工
adj.
快的, 迅速的; 簡短的
事先末作警告的, 突然發生的
a quickie training course
速成訓練班
值得一遊:
在華盛頓，大多數的遊覽都將從國家廣場(National Mall)開始。這條路從林肯紀念館(Lincoln Memorial)一直通到雄偉的國會大廈(Capitol Building)，幾乎每平方米的路面上都由比美國其他地方更多的著名景點。在這裏，你能看到衆多如此重要的國家瑰寶，比如林肯紀念館，越戰老兵紀念館(Vietnam Veterans Memorial)，華盛頓紀念碑(Washington Monument)，國家畫廊(National Gallery)以及國會大廈，但除此之外還有很多沒有提及的博物館或是紀念館，要將它們一一看完，一整天的時間恐怕都不夠。
走過國家廣場就來到了白宮(White House)，它位於賓夕法尼亞1600號。儘管白宮無論是外表還是裏面看起來都不是那麼令人興奮，但別忘了這裏是美國總統的住所。如果你希望從國家廣場繼續行走，前往美國國會圖書館(Library of Congress) （世界最大），福爾傑莎士比亞圖書館(Folger Shakespeare Library)，傑斐遜紀念館(Jefferson Memorial)，美國最高法院(U.S. Supreme Court)或者美國大災難紀念博物館(U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)將帶給你更爲愉悅和有趣的體驗。
在華盛頓，一個新的遊覽熱點是國際間諜博物館(International Spy Museum)。在美國中央情報局和克格勃的資助下，這座博物館趨於迎合大衆的口味，其內容也多少有些令人不安，但是歸根結底，它能讓人們同時從大衆的角度和真實的角度看看間諜和密探們，這是很有意思的。
飲食娛樂:
在走馬燈般的看完了最後一個博物館或是紀念館之後，遊客可能會忘記華盛頓其實是一個令人愉悅的居所。最受遊客歡迎的街區同時也是華盛頓最古老和最著名的街區，喬治敦區(Georgetown)。這一地區由很多來自當地大學的學生們活動，如果想要喝些咖啡、購物或者是吃飯，那這兒可算得上是個迷人的場所。喬治敦的氣氛會變得越來越活躍，到了晚上它會有很多年輕人到這裏的酒吧遊玩。由很多相當不錯的酒吧和餐館可供選擇，不過別忘了到Max’s Ice Cream，那裏有各種各樣有趣的東西。
都彭特環區(Dupont Circle)比喬治敦和亞當摩根區都更靠近市中心，同時也是個更爲放鬆的地方。藝術館和頗具創意的服裝店、出色的餐館和咖啡店以及酒館林立在街道兩旁。Brickseller Saloon是特區一家非常著名的酒吧，備有大約1000多種啤酒。都彭特環區南部就是著名的Kramerbooks咖啡店及書店。
遊覽華盛頓時其他應該記住的地方還有：國會地區最有名的處所之一，都柏林區(Dubliner)，在這裏可以挨着政府職員們一同飲酒，華盛頓旅館(Washington Hotel)酒吧有着神話般的外觀，U街的Ben’s Chili Bowl可以讓你嚐到從未試過的辣椒，而在週末，來到位於國會地區的東部市場(Eastern Market)可以體驗你所能想象的一切。
日常提示: • 交通: 在華盛頓市區漫步是一件非常輕鬆的事情。儘管地鐵(Metro)系統相當出色。在華盛頓駕車可能留給你非常可怕的印象，尤其是當你遇到大量人流返回馬里蘭州和弗吉尼亞州時造成的交通擁堵。聯合車站本身就是一個遊覽勝地，同時也是火車到達或是出發前往東海岸各地的驛站。巴爾的摩華盛頓國際機場 (Baltimore Washington International Airport)(BWI)在市區西北50公里處，位於哥倫比亞特區和巴爾的摩之間。杜勒斯國際機場(Dulles International Airport)(IAD)位於城市西方42公里處，羅納德里根國際機場(Ronald Reagan National Airport)(DCA)距離市中心最近，地處波托馬可河畔。 • 天氣: 華盛頓九月份的平均氣溫爲16-26攝氏度（華氏61-79º）。• 時區: 美國東部時間 （晚於格林尼治時間5小時）
• 不要忘記: 華盛頓乘坐出租車的價格取決於你駛過了幾個地區，而不是距離的遠近。這既可能對你有利也可能對你不利，所以要仔細觀看張貼在出租車上的地圖。• 最後提示: 留出一個早晨，沿着波托馬可河從著名的水門漫步到喬治敦，你將看到這個國家中那些積極而忙碌的人們。
