The breakfasts have provided a remarkable opportunity for Durbin and Fitzgerald to get to know and trust each other as well as give visitors no-hassle access to both senators.
Breakfast is an overstatement.
All anyone gets is coffee and high-calorie doughnuts or muffins. And if you arrive late, you won't get any food or, if it is during spring break when families and school groups flood the Capitol, even a seat. But the doughnuts are not the reason to attend. The sessions, held in one of the Senate office buildings, present a exceptional chance to get a message directly to Durbin or Fitzgerald. You don't need to hire a lobbyist or governmental affairs firm or make a big campaign contribution to catch their attention, and you don't have to be a somebody whom somebody sent.