PARTY POOPER — Did
BARACK OBAMA ruin the party in D.C.?
His over-the-top 60th birthday party in Martha’s Vineyard first drew
criticism for the size of the guest list during the Delta surge — and then after he slimmed it down, the former president was blasted for
throwing an opulent party during a pandemic. It didn’t matter that he was following CDC protocols for an outdoor event.
The bashing of the bash is having a chilling effect on the D.C. party scene as (especially Democratic) pols and their staffers scramble to figure out when and where — or even if — they can party again.
“Who wants to throw a party right now when Obama
hired a doctor to make sure everyone’s vaccinated and passes a Covid test and he still gets shamed for it?” said
JOHN ARUNDEL, former associate publisher of Washington Life magazine and managing director of Perdicus Communications.
“I just think there’s a stigma to throwing any kind of event,” he added. “The optics of throwing the party or being at the party, it can be chilling.”
Just weeks ago, D.C. looked like it was back. The French, Italian and British embassies marked the return to life by opening their residences to hundreds of guests with Champagne and oysters. The Hill’s editor at large
STEVE CLEMONS, lobbyist
HEATHER PODESTA and French Ambassador
PHILIPPE ÉTIENNE were planning to host another lavish party at the French ambassador’s residence in September, but they’ve decided to push it back to November. The U.K. embassy is holding smaller events in September.
“I thought this would give new dimension to what would be a masked ball,” Clemons said wistfully.
Obama’s party “created an awareness,” Clemons added, especially “when you see so many Americans struggling with [Delta], and hospitals filling up.”
The reticence is mainly among Democrats; broadly speaking, Republicans have been more willing to forge ahead with in-person events.
“What we could do six weeks ago, we can’t do now,” said Democratic strategist
ADRIENNE ELROD, the director of surrogate strategy for
JOE BIDEN’s 2020 campaign. “We have to be so cognizant because Republicans are looking for any reason to call us hypocrites or to call us liars.”
Elrod said their internal polling in 2020 showed that Biden’s handling of the pandemic during the campaign was key and that Democrats shouldn’t abandon their caution because they’re itching to go out.
Not all parties are being scrapped. Hill aides are advising their bosses on which ones to attend as event planners try to draw those luminaries to their parties. It can’t be a party just for a party’s sake, several of the advisers told us. There has to be a greater cause to justify going.
Event planner and political consultant KIMBALL STROUD is planning multiple galas this fall with 200 to 300 guests, including the March on Washington Film Festival gala on Sept. 30 to toast House Majority Whip
JIM CLYBURN (D-S.C.) and a Halcyon Awards gala the following day. But she’s taking extra precautions like requiring proof of vaccination to attend. The spaces she’s reserving are large enough for social distancing.
“We’re not footloose and fancy free yet,” Stroud said.
