In donating to an inaugural fund, "the impression you're making is totally diluted," Cooper said.
In previous inaugurations, donors "were hit up. They had to give," Cooper said. "My guess is they all like this [ban] because they can decide how to spend their own money. They can do smaller, more targeted events. They can decide which staff member is going to try to talk to so-and-so."
To be sure, many of the shindigs involve trade groups, lobbyists and law firms entertaining their own members, customers and clients in town for the swearing-in.
But an inauguration inevitably brings the winning party's elite donors to town and a slew of big-ticket, limited-access events give them numerous opportunities to rub elbows with congressional and executive branch decision-makers.
For example, the Recording Industry Association of America is throwing a star-studded ball headlined by Barbadian singer Rihanna and rapper Ludacris, among others, and co-hosted by Courtney Cox and Rosanna Arquette, at the Ibiza nightclub on Tuesday night.
The $2,500-per ticket, invitation-only event is a benefit for the "Feeding America" domestic hunger relief charity, but it promises to bring together many members of Congress and high-level administration appointees, along with association members, at least some of whom have concerns about music piracy, Internet regulation and other issues overseen or influenced by the federal government.
Eighteen sponsors ponied up between $25,000 and $200,000 to underwrite the event.
They include Bank of America, which last week closed a deal to receive a fresh infusion of $20 billion in government bail-out funding.
The RIAA ball is slated to end at 2 a.m., but an inauguration after-party sponsored by a group of consultants and lobbyists runs until 4 a.m. at a bar on Washington's trendy U Street.
One of the co-sponsors, Democratic lobbyist Lyndon Boozer, said there's little lobbying benefit in most inaugural bashes.
"The value in it is social and celebratory," said Boozer.
"For those of us who are excited about winning back the White House, we're celebrating."
Among the glitzier gatherings is the Creative Coalition's ball at the Harmon Center for the Performing Arts, which features Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee and Ann Hathaway among dozens of other celebrities, along with 97 mostly Democratic congressional co-sponsors.
