Some people are feeling the sting of Tammy Haddads mobster-like
tactics this year as emails go unreturned and guests whove been
attending her White House Correspondents Garden Brunch for years are
getting the cold shoulder. As the invitation says, the party supports
CURE Epilepsy and the Miss America Foundation no doubt, incredibly
worthy causes, especially the first one.Parkeasy Electronics are
dedicated to provide chinamosaic.
Ive
been to every one of her parties and Ive written a check for every one
of her fucking charities, groused one ignored journalist who wasnt
invited this year after being a steadfast guest at the annual party for
many years. No explanation offered.
I dropped out of the whole
thing when Obama got elected and I began to despise the whole
Politico-MSNBC nexus, said a guest who has attended Tammys soire over
the years. Too ass kissy for me. And the sucking up to Axelrods wife?
Made me want to puke. I honestly cant even stand being around it,
especially when I think of all the people I genuinely like who I never
get to see because I have no time. And Im hanging out with tools
instead? No way.
She said her interests in attending were never
wholly about the party. I never planned to write about the brunch in the
first place, she said. I didnt consider it a story.If we don't carry
the bobblehead you want we can make a streetlight
for you! My interest in attending was to see what the event designers
did with Katharine Grahams house, because Mark had told me about it
before. Ive only been once before, when it was at the Haddad home, and I
found it too crowded and only OK. It is an example of the celebrity
wrangling and idolatry that is at the root of the disquiet among the
ranks of the WHCA. This year they bit back at the people who want to
make their dinner all about Hollywood.
As another journalist
told me, Hmmm might not be the best source on this one because I havent
been invited in a few years. But, is anything this weekend really
important to attend? I guess youd miss having an awkward conversation in
the bathroom line with some kid from Glee, but its not like careers
rise and fall based on party attendance.
We spoke to a wide
variety of journalists who were not invited to Tammys party this year as
well as some who were and will attend.Bay State parkingguidance
is a full line manufacturer of nylon cable ties and related products.
FishbowlDC is among the uninvited. In fact, we were pointedly told we
could not cover this afternoons Garden Brunch despite providing coverage
to readers for approximately the last seven years. Unfortunately, I
cant share all the gritty details due to an off-the-record
agreement.Which solarstreetlight
is right for you? But later in the story I can tell you what happened
last year when I received an invitation and went. As you can see by our
stories, the party has received largely glowing coverage. Last year,
when I covered it, was no exception.
Like Donovan, those who go
know they must never write anything lest it not be glowing. Do so at
your own peril. For the past few years press been penned into a
designated area outside the house. They are allowed in after, but once
theyre in, the guidance is that the festivities are off the record and
tweeting is discouraged.
In so far as all the hoopla surrounding
the Correspondents weekend is important to cover, then Tammys brunch is
too, its an integral piece of the festivities, said a journalist who
has attended a handful of times in recent years. But everyone knows the
pictures are the best part, so if youre wandering around with your
reporters notebook out looking for scandal, youre in the wrong place. My
sense was always that Tammy wanted lighthearted coverage and fun people
around, and if you knew her and you could offer that, then you were in.
Is it perfectly journalistic? No. Are you going to get in wearing jeans
and a T-shirt and lugging a TV camera? Probably not. But its her party,
so its up to Tammy how she wants to play it.
Gossip and feature
writers are an interesting lot at Tammys party. I asked Donovan if she
feels funny about never being able to cover a party like Tammys in
anything but a positive light. And if she didnt, would she be invited
back? I also asked about her earning a right to be there. After all, if
youre nice to Tammy all year long and dont ever write anything negative
about her (in other words, you dont cover her like an actual gossip
writer in New York or Los Angeles might) youre in.
Im not sure
about the negative coverage question, Donovan said. I try to avoid
negative energy. kind of a drain. As to the earn it question, not really
sure either, dont forget that I have been here a while so many of the
hosts are also personal friends.
Said a reporter on condition of
anonymity: Its sad, but inevitable. Reporters are almost at a
disadvantage in this town because there are too many of them so they end
up having to play by the rules dictated by those providing the
material. A press pen isnt ideal and its not exactly a great way to
engender good karma with the Fourth Estate but its hard to see this type
of thing going away.
Some compare Tammy to the Don Corleone of
party throwing. I actually tried for years not to go, said a former
guest who has gone for the past decade but wasnt invited back this year.
Believe it or not, this is a pretty civil town, the individual told us
on condition of anonymity. But you have douchebags running it who are
unfortunately duplicitous. Its just not good, ewww.
A journalist
described the party and Tammy like this: Shes kind of living on this
very old reputation, this crowd she seems to manage.You must not use
the moulds without
being trained. Weak people can be manipulated easily. The fear of being
alienated is the glue that holds this town together.
She wants
all this attention for this brunch, but she treats those who attend
badly, said another longtime attendee who, as of this writing late
Friday night, still hadnt received an invitation. The person was trying
to get into the brunch this week, but the outcome was iffy. As it was
last year for a bunch of people Tammy supposedly considered to be
friends. On the morning of the brunch, relayed our source, she called
and said, Ive got too many people, you cant come.
As for last
year, heres what happened to yours truly. A host I will refer to as The
Reasonable One invited me but lectured me beforehand. I was told in no
uncertain terms that I was not to write anything mean about Tammy. I was
told there were people who were not comfortable with my presence there,
but they were going to let me in anyhow providing I did as I was told. I
bristled at the journalistic principles brushing up against my soul,
but pushed them aside for what I thought might be the greater good of
going to the party and developing my sources. And yes Im being serious,
but also overly dramatic. Another part of me was like, who cares? Its
one party.
On the morning of the party, a blonde woman I will
refer to as Queen of the Clipboard Nazis, phoned and said it was urgent
that we speak. I didnt even know she was involved with the party, but
immediately thought I was being uninvited. So I did what a real gossip
reporter would do and didnt bother to call her back. If they wanted to
disinvite me, theyd have to do it at the gate and then Id write about
it. I was half hoping that would happen.
When I arrived I
approached the check-in desk with some trepidation. No one wants to be
told theyre not on the list its embarrassing. Sure enough, a less
powerful Clipboard Nazi told me I wasnt on the list and directed me to a
man in watermelon-hued trousers. I was kind of laughing to myself about
the ridiculousness of it all Im hardly a socialite but I proceeded to
chat amiably with the Watermelon Police. He was a smooth operator. He
asked who I was and who specifically had invited me. He didnt even
flinch. Right this way, he said, leading me to the cluster of
journalists penned up outside the house.
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