Quiet, subdued and small. Those aren’t qualities we’d expect from GOP bashes. We’ve come to count on free-flowing booze, backslapping, and decent hors d’oeuvres, for gosh sakes. After all, it’s not called the Grand Old Party for nothing.

But quiet, subdued and small are what most of the Republican-type parties scheduled for election night are looking like. Lobbying and consulting firms are holding small huddles in fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels around town to watch the returns around the country. And we’ve noticed that GOP sources who usually hype their parties are being remarkably quiet this year.

Even the official get-togethers are looking tame or nonexistent. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) started inviting reporters last week to cover its election-night  party at the Hyatt Regency. Meanwhile, though, the National Republican Congressional Committee was notably low-key, not planning any formal events.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) also planned no official soiree. That contrasts with 2004, when the group, weeks ahead of the election, announced it would hold a swanky victory party at the Ronald Reagan Building downtown.

Both sides, though, caution that the celebrations (or lack thereof) aren’t an indication of the parties’ expectations of how Election Night 2006 will pan out.

“We were just getting so much interest from reporters that we felt we had to be responsive,” a DCCC spokesman said of the media invites.

“I wouldn’t read anything into it,” an RNC spokesman said. “We’ve got people in the field working to get out the message and they’ll be doing that until the last poll closes.”

Hot tickets around town include the throw-down Campaigns & Elections magazine is holding at Lucky Strike bowling alley. Publisher Jordan Lieberman tells us he’s had to turn down “several hundred” ticket-seekers.

Gore plans to hang with D.C. pals

One big-name Dem who plans to be partying in Washington tonight is former veep Al Gore. Gore and his wife, Tipper, are slated to be in D.C. on election night as part of the Distinguished Speakers series sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership at the Kennedy Center.

But Gore’s plans weren’t always so certain. A rep for the event said the Gores had planned to attend the event and spend the rest of the evening “hanging out with friends.” Then Gore’s aides decided he’d be better off hanging closer to home, where  Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) is running neck-and-neck against Republican Bob Corker for the Senate seat of retiring Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Now, it seems that Gore is back on for the D.C. trip and still plans to schmooze with some pals. In recent days, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) have made appearances on Corker’s behalf. Ford, meanwhile, has also gotten a boost from Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

You could buy real art for that kind of money

Fans of former President Bill Clinton and Ohio Democratic senatorial candidate Rep. Sherrod Brown are apparently willing to shell out some serious bucks for a few snapshots. At a Columbus fundraiser last week, a tipster tells us that attendees were coughing up a cool $5,000 to have their picture taken with the ex-prez. 

The gambit paid off big, though: The event raked in between $300,000 and $500,000, our spy hears. Afterward, Clinton stayed to shake hands and autograph copies of his book (presumably, he didn’t charge for the signing ceremony), which some adoring Dems brought to the event at the Hyatt Capitol Square, across the street from the Ohio statehouse.

Allen takes Madonna’s spot on list of influential Jews

We’re guessing that this is one award embattled Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) won’t be tacking up on his office wall right next to his local Chamber of Commerce plaques and his trophy photos with the president. 

The Forward, a Jewish newspaper based in New York, is planning this week to name Allen to the “Forward 50,” an annual list of the 50 most influential members of the Jewish community. 

The Forward, you might recall, is the paper that first reported on Allen’s Jewish ancestry, a topic that caused the senator some discomfort during his tough reelection bid. Unfortunately for Allen, he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. The Forward chose Allen as its 51st selection, a spot that Kaballah-convert Madonna nabbed in past years. The newspaper’s list is slated to run on Friday. 

“It was a big deal to find out that this good old boy, considered a front-runner in ’08, is as Jewish as I am,” says Forward editor J.J. Goldberg of the unlikely pick. Goldberg noted that although Allen does not identify himself as Jewish, the revelations about his ancestry raised questions.

“If he doesn’t define himself as Jewish, well, that’s the last word,” Goldberg says. “But it’s one of the ways in which Jewish identity shook up America this year.”

Being (sort of) on the list puts Allen among unfamiliar company.  The list also includes his political dueling partners, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the heads of the House and Senate congressional campaigns, respectively.

“If Democrats take back Congress, the fact that the heads of both the House and Senate committees are two in-your-face Jews … shows the continuing impact of and contribution of Jews to the Democratic Party,” Goldberg says.  

Foley rehabs in posh Arizona digs

Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) may be in political exile, but does it really count as exile if there’s a pool, mountain views and horse stables? Lawyers confirmed last week that Foley checked into the luxe Sierra Tucson rehabilitation center to treat alcohol abuse in the wake of the scandal in which news reports revealed that he sent sexually explicit emails to underage congressional pages.

Sierra Tucson, located in the foothills of the Santa Catalina mountains outside Tucson, Ariz., treats addictions for $1,175 a day, according to its website. Treatments at the facility include “equine therapy” and “adventure therapy.”

Not only is Foley in comfortable digs, he’s also in good company: the Palm Beach Post also reports that former guests of Sierra Tuscon include Whitney Houston, Michael Douglas, Nicole Richie, Ringo Starr, Rob Lowe, Julie Andrews and Kim Delaney.