Money makes the world go ’round.
When there’s a chance to make a buck, you take it. So it’s not surprising that the Vermont Democratic Party leapt at the chance to hold a fundraiser on Inauguration Day.
President Joe Biden is in. Former President Donald Trump is out. Democrats might as well try to raise a bit more cash off of their aversion to the ex-president.
But the party postponed the event until Feb. 4.
The party said the decision was made out of concern that the celebration might coincide with violence in Washington, D.C., with the potential for armed riots in the streets and clashes with members of the National Guard.
That certainly would not have been a good look.
The party’s new plan is to hold a virtual fundraiser billed as a “Senate Pro Tem Inaugural Celebration,” and the Vermont House of Representatives is not involved.
The price of admission for this virtual Zoom mingle ranges from a suggested $46 for the general public to $2,460 for “Leadership Sponsors.”
The party says that guests can rub Zoom elbows with former pro tems Tim Ashe, John Campbell, Peter Shumlin and Doug Racine as they tell “behind-the-scenes stories” from their time in the Statehouse.
For VIP passholders, there will be a private event — within the private event — featuring U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and current Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham.
The Vermont Democratic Party, which has struggled to fill its war chest in recent years, said the proceeds will go toward maintaining the party’s Senate majority and supporting “Democrats up and down the ballot.”
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