The Golden Glimmer Of Inaugural Candlelight

The Golden Glimmer Of Inaugural Candlelight

By Roxanne Roberts
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 20, 2001 ; Page C02

Reprinted from yesterday’s late editions

"Thank you so very much for supporting the inaugural," George W.
Bush told the dinner guests at Union Station Thursday night. "It’s the
people’s inauguration but it could not have happened without your
generosity."

Of course he’s grateful. This is his pot of gold, the big-money crowd that
supported his presidential campaign, helped finance its post-election legal
battle and gave millions more at $100,000 a pop to underwrite the four-day
inaugural celebration here in Washington.

Bush attended three elegant "candlelight dinners" Thursday after
the chilly opening ceremony on the Mall: one for 1,400 people at Union Station,
another at the National Building Museum for 1,300 and a third for 2,500 at the
Hilton Washington. Each $100,000 underwriter was reserved a table for 10 at one
of the black-tie dinners; other donors could purchase a table for $25,000 or a
single ticket for $2,500.

"Look at it this way: It’s only $800 a course," said inaugural
committee finance co-chair Al Hoffman Jr. "And the coffee is free."

President-elect Bush and Laura Bush dropped by all three dinners, as did Vice
President-elect Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne. The rest of Bush’s senior staff
and Cabinet nominees were parceled out among the three venues. Bo Derek and
Wayne Newton emceed at the Hilton, Dick Enberg at the museum, and at Union
Station the guest list included Johnny Bench as emcee, along with Cabinet
nominees Elaine Chao, Mel Martinez and Anthony Principi, Florida Secretary of
State Katherine Harris, GOP fundraiser Nancy Brinker and Barry Richard, the
lawyer who successfully represented Bush in the Florida recount battle.

"It’s always nice to be invited to a victory party when your client wins
a big case," said Richard.

The dinners were the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s way of saying thanks.
The committee only had five weeks to raise $35 million for the festivities. To
finance the inaugural’s free events, donors were asked to give $100,000. The
list of those who did is an encyclopedia of corporate power: Marriott
International, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Frito-Lay, Exxon Mobil,
Kmart, Fannie Mae, Occidental Petroleum, General Motors, General Electric,
American Airlines, Dow Chemical, Lockheed Martin and our very own Washington
Redskins, among others.

Others included Austin’s Brad O’Leary, one of Bush’s "pioneers" who
raised $100,000 for his presidential campaign and ponied up another 25 grand for
Thursday’s dinner. "I love being here," said O’Leary, who brought five
pairs of custom-made cowboy boots up for the occasion, including the
American-flag-and-eagle ones he was wearing.

"All you need to know is that we’re celebrating," said one man who
did not give his name. "We’re very happy to have a Republican in the White
House again."

For many of these lions of industry, the dinners were a reunion of sorts.
Most of the guests are longtime Bush supporters who hadn’t seen each other since
the GOP convention in Philadelphia.

But we’re not in Philadelphia anymore. "Our dinner will be nothing like
a convention dinner — you can count on that," said Gabrielle Reynolds,
co-chairwoman of the inaugural committee. It "will be beautiful, elegant,
with special surprises for our wonderful guests."

They — literally — rolled out the red carpet. The cavernous Union Station
was covered in red carpet, in fact. Not to mention the "statue" of
Liberty who surprised guests by playfully snatching at their pocketbooks.

Reynolds and her co-chair, Kathy DeWitt, tried to make the three huge venues
as intimate as possible; Union Station and the Building Museum were awash in red
and gold; the Hilton ballroom was decorated in blue and gold. At each dinner,
the first course was seafood, the entree red meat (remember, these are
Republicans) and the dessert your basic showstopper — a white chocolate White
House with butterscotch mousse and spun-sugar fireworks emerging from the roof.

The centerpieces were donated by the Washington Floral Society. Volunteers
even flew in to help. When asked to participate, one local florist, said
Reynolds, responded with a lovely bipartisan twist: "I’d love to. Oh wait,
I can’t. I’m demonstrating — but my daughter would love to."

The Bushes and Cheneys appeared briefly onstage with the inaugural committee
chairs and received a high-decibel ovation. "And they say those three
electoral votes from Wyoming weren’t important," teased Cheney. Bush was
more serious, thanking the donors, praising Cabinet nominees in attendance,
complimenting his wife and assuring everyone it was going to be a great
inauguration.

"Candlelight dinners are a wonderful addition to the panoply of
inaugural events," said John Damgard of the Futures Industry Association,
which represents banks and brokers worldwide. In fact, the dinners are what
newcomers think inaugural balls are going to be like.

Guests each left clutching one of those familiar robin’s-egg-blue boxes:
Inside was a Tiffany crystal candleholder with the inaugural seal.

Look at it this way: It’s only $10,000 per candle.

© 2001 The Washington Post