Behind closed doors
The White House Congress and the Supreme Court, are not the only centers of power in Washington DC. The others are operated by an elite group of rich, well connected women known as hostesses. This hostesses rival each other every year to be the person whose house is used as the place where political alliances are formed and deals made. At any given moment, there will only be two or three hostesses of importance and they change over time.
To advance in American politics you have to have money... lots of it. The role of Washington hostesses is essential in that they invite the rich to dine with the powerful. The most famouse in recent years was Pamela Harriman an English socialite whose house was for a long time the spiritual centre of the Democratic Party. Her power was huge. When she held a reception for an unknown Southern polician called Bill clinton, it introduced him to the power brrokers of the party. In gratitude for that crucial sponsorship, Clinton made her US Ambassador to France when he became president.
The White House Congress and the Supreme Court, are not the only centers of power in Washington DC. The others are operated by an elite group of rich, well connected women known as hostesses. This hostesses rival each other every year to be the person whose house is used as the place where political alliances are formed and deals made. At any given moment, there will only be two or three hostesses of importance and they change over time.
To advance in American politics you have to have money... lots of it. The role of Washington hostesses is essential in that they invite the rich to dine with the powerful. The most famouse in recent years was Pamela Harriman an English socialite whose house was for a long time the spiritual centre of the Democratic Party. Her power was huge. When she held a reception for an unknown Southern polician called Bill clinton, it introduced him to the power brrokers of the party. In gratitude for that crucial sponsorship, Clinton made her US Ambassador to France when he became president.
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