Saturday evening

A saturday evening in Germany.... To be continued

Some senators such as Marco Rubio of Florida aren’t showing up for the Republican convention in Cleveland. Neither is the Bush family nor many other party elders, who recoil at the rhetoric and policies of likely GOP nominee Donald Trump.

But for many lobbyists and political strategists in both parties — plus the leaders of think tanks, industry groups and Fortune 500 companies — party conventions are still must-go events that are simply part of the job. Many heading to the GOP event on July 18, as well as the Democratic convention in Philadelphia a week later, say it’s just good business to show up. “Somebody is going to end up in charge, and our job is to help our clients figure out who they are,” said David Schnittger, the senior policy adviser at lobbying giant Squire Patton Boggs. “Regardless of how you feel about the candidates involved in the process, you have to be a part of it.” Jason Grumet, founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank designed to get the two parties talking to each other, said the critical mass of political types gathered in both cities at the time of the party meetings is irresistible.