Wonkette Party Crash: Ain't No Party Like an NDC Party

An anonymous Wonkette Operative (Covert Free Booze Division) attended one of the ten zillion holiday parties going on this week, and was kind enough to send us this report.

 Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher and the New Democratic Coalition held their Holiday Party last night at Ellen's swanky pad (which I'm assuming was paid for with her Wall Street bucks and not her Congressional salary). In an unsurprising development, the place was packed with corporate lobbyists and their hired guns there to pay homage to some of the Democrats who might listen (and to the ones that taken their money).

They mingled with tons of Congressional staff, Michael Isikoff from Newsweek, no less than 3 reporters fromThe Hill, reps from every major West Coast paper (San Jose, San Francisco, LA, etc.), plus folks from CBS, ABC, all eager to drink Ellen's signature cocktail (champagne with a touch of Triple Sec, a splash of cranberry juice and a cranberry) or anything else alcoholic, eat like kings and kiss some Democrat ass.

And there was plenty of ass to kiss. In addition to the splendidly curvy hostess (rocking a low-cut top), her stick-figure California colleagues Jane Harman and Lois Capps were there (sans Pelosi), looking thin and pinched by comparison. Darlene Hooley of Oregon held court in the dining room, while Steny Hoyer worked the crowd like a man on a happy mission and former Rep Cal Dooley wandered around looking Congressional (and presumably loving the look of what all that private sector money can buy). Dennis Moore of Kansas wandered around looking predictably dour, while Bob Etheridge looked really tall in a DC crowd. Adam Smith seems kinda fey in person, but doesn't talk as much as I expected from a Congressman. Can't think of anything suitably snarky to say, but I also spotted Joe Crowley (balder than his site would suggest), Ron Kind , John Barrow , Allison Schwartz and soon-to-be Congressmen Ed Perlmutter (more nerdy, less rugged than his site suggests) and Nick Lampson , wearing glasses. And those are just the ones I spotted before I was too drunk to see straight or read nametags.

After a while though, it was mostly just a bunch of drunk staffers milling around, drinking the last of the booze and trying to make a meal out of the remains of the buffet. Not sure when she kicked everyone out, but I stumbled drunkenly to Metro well after the official 9: 00 end time. There's nothing like an election year holiday party when yours is the party that won!