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Michelle Malkin: In Obama White House, No Bundler Left Behind
Like Capt. Renault in Casablanca, I am shocked, shocked to discover that access peddling is going on in the Obama White House. Perks for deep-pocketed donors? Presidential meetings for sale? The stale Chicago odor of pay-for-play wafting from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.? Knock me over with a feather.
Despite President Barack Obama’s claimed distaste for the campaign finance practice known as “bundling” (rounding up aggregate contributions from friends, business associates and employees), the House of Obama has been a campaign finance bundlers’ paradise from Day One. A new report by Matthew Mosk of The Washington Times just confirms the gob-smackingly obvious: It’s business as usual in the era of Hope and Change. O’s wealthiest Democratic donors have received lavish receptions, golf outings, bowling dates and movie nights with Obama.
And internal Democratic National Committee documents acquired by the Times reveal that “high-dollar fundraisers have been promised access to senior White House officials in exchange for pledges to donate $30,400 personally or to bundle $300,000 in contributions ahead of the 2010 midterm elections.” Yup, they’re just haggling over the price.
Many Obama bundlers have secured slots on federal advisory panels and commissions. Still more have benefited from the time-honored patronage tradition of rewarding political benefactors with ambassadorships. President Bill Clinton did it. President George W. Bush did it. Despite all his fantastical, Balloon Boy-level rhetoric of bringing a “new politics” to Washington, Obama’s done it, too.
His ambassador to London, Louis Susman, is a Chicago crony with no diplomatic experience who bundled $200,000 to $500,000 for Team Obama and is known as “The Vacuum Cleaner” for his fundraising prowess. His ambassador to France, entertainment mogul Charlie Rivkin, headed Obama’s California fundraising operations, raking in $500,000 for the campaign and another $300,000 for the inaugural. His ambassador to Spain, Boston moneyman Alan Solomont, also bundled the same amounts for the campaign and inaugural.
In June 2008, candidate Obama railed: “We need a president who will look out for the interests of hardworking families, not just their big campaign donors and corporate allies.” Immediately after the speech, he headed to a campaign fundraiser at the Manhattan headquarters of Credit Suisse, one of the major investment companies caught up in the subprime lending debacle. Obama collected $3 million last week at another Manhattan fundraiser after carping about Wall Street’s “self-interestedness.” Audacity is his middle name.
When Obama inveighs against Wall Street greed and politicians beholden to Big Business, remember this: The Wall Street gamblers that Obama and his wife carped about on the campaign trail shoveled money to his campaign hand over fist. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, hedge funds and private equity firms donated $2,992,456 to the Obama campaign in the 2008 cycle. No fewer than 100 Obama bundlers are investment CEOs and brokers: Nearly two dozen work for financial giants such as Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.
Obama happily accepted more than $200,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager James Torrey, more than $100,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones and more than $50,000 in bundled contributions from billionaire hedge-fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin, chief executive officer of Citadel Investment Group in Chicago. Another notable: Chicago investment banker James Reynolds, who raised more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign while chief executive of Loop Capital Markets. The municipal bond specialist was a longtime friend of Obama’s — feting the rising star in his Hyde Park home and convincing friends and associates to open up their wallets more than a decade ago.
In 2003, USA Today reported, Reynolds was caught on FBI wiretaps arranging what prosecutors called a “sham” consulting contract with a gal pal of a Philadelphia mayoral adviser. After the conversations, Reynolds snagged $300,000 in no-bid city contracts for Loop Capital Markets. City officials went to jail over the scam. Reynolds skated. The Obama campaign’s only statement? “Jim Reynolds has admitted that he made mistakes, but he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.”
Fortunately for Obama bundlers who may find themselves in legal trouble in the future, Clinton-era donor-maintenance fixer Eric Holder (who oversaw the pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich) is guarding the henhouse at the Justice Department.
Every corner of the Obama administration is stuffed with crony moneybags. Take the first lady’s social secretary, Desiree Rogers. More than a party planner, she’s a fundraising machine in her own right. According to left-wing watchdog Public Citizen, Rogers bundled more than $200,000 for Obama and contributed $28,500 to Democratic committees. Rogers’ ex-husband, John W. Rogers Jr., chief executive of multibillion-dollar Ariel Capital Management, played basketball with Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, at Princeton. Rogers also served as a campaign finance bundler for Team Obama — and hung with Obama in the White House on Super Bowl Sunday.
An indignant White House says this is about “friendship,” not influence peddling. But as Obama himself noted in 2007: “It is no coincidence that the best bundlers are often granted the greatest access, and access is power in Washington.”
Indeed, the Obama White House policy can be summed up in four words: No Bundler Left Behind.
— Michelle Malkin is author of Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild. Click here for more information. She can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 05:13 AM
Yes, every president has had their faults, but don’t forget of all the wonderful things that the last one gave us. Osama got free and still taunts us.
And that wonderful war in Iraq. “6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months at the most”
Iraqi oil will pay for it. The WMDs, Aluminum tubes, meetings in Prague, Yellow cake, mobile labs, and a guy worse than Hitler. And what happened to friend, Ahmed Chalabi?
“Kenny Boy” Lay and Enron.
The Patriot Act.
Katrina
Guantanamo
Abu Ghrabe
Economic meltdown
Selection by one vote.
Oh, I forgot, these were all caused by Clinton, Carter, Kennedy and FDR.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 05:45 AM
SO?
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 06:25 AM
Yet, all of these contributions have resulted in Obama doing the right thing for the middle class, low income, seniors, vets, children, etc. Here are a few:
-Expanded Healthcare for low income children
-Increased federal funding for stem cell research
-Executed the most comprehesive veteran’s bill since WW 2
-Expanded college lending through Pell Grants and direct Publci Assistance
-Saved over 500,000 teacher, fire and law enforcement jobs through the stimulus program
-Closed 50% of the drug donut hole for Seniors with a $80 billion payment from pharma companies
-Sinced into law an expanded hate crimes law
-Passed an increase in the miles per galloon requirement for automobiles
-Lowered taxes on 85% of the low and middle class population
Maybe it has to do with his personal intergrity which is something the Bush Administration was sorely lacking.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 07:52 AM
Local: I have a bridge for sale. Interested? It’s pretty cool. Environmentally friendly. Will help keep healthcare costs down.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 08:38 AM
So Mr.Icredulous,
On the list of accomplishments that I pointed out are you in denial? The facts are the facts. He has accomplishments much more positive legislation beyond the list and much more than W did in 8 years.
Turn off Fox News and starting reading the truth but not something like Malkin. You can actually go to government websites and read all of the passed legislation if you do not believe me.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 09:37 AM
Michelle, it hasn’t mattered who was in office since Reagan was elected. Since then, the most powerful branch of the government is not the legislative, judicial, or executive; it’s the financial.
Congress and the presidents are bought and sold. In the case of the Bushes, they were wealthy enough to be part of the financial branch before (and after) election. Reagan and Clinton, however, were purchased quite reasonably, even as each was convinced they were acting out of idealism.
So yes, corruption continues. McCain would not have stopped it had he been elected. If Palin had become president in the event of McCain’s death, she would have reveled in it, if her current behavior is any indication.
We have moved from a sort of democracy in the 50s to the class-centric current kleptocracy. Neither party nor ideology matters at this point. It is only money.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 11:33 AM
Ian,
The difference between the other President’s and this one is that at least they did not spend their entire time campaining on specious, false promises. Obama said he would be different. That the White House would operate with transparency and that special interests would have no place in his regime. Oh, and that you would have 72 hours to review any bill before a vote. So, he is the biggest liar of them all. It does make him worse.
Unbelievable!
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 02:44 PM
Once AGAIN, the Malkin haters respond nearly instantly to her column. These self avowed haters of “right wing radicalism” can’t wait to throw in their two cents worth to the one columnist they would like to see disappear. Guess what guys, we don’t believe you! If Michelle were to disappear you nuts wouldn’t have a life to live.
Many of us tried in vain to warn voters about this guy (Obama). But reaction was typical, “oh you’re just saying he’s a Chicago mobster because he is a very liberal democrat”, no we were saying that because he was a mobster that just happened to be a liberal democrat. We never hesitated to call Bush a “spend like a liberal democrat oligarch” either. You cannot allow yourselves to get so wrapped up in party loyalty that that becomes more important that the character representing your views. The “O” was a phenomenal mistake. My hope is he doesn’t cause more damage than we can fix once he is voted out in 2012.
» wrote on 11.02.09 @ 03:26 PM
Sorry AN50 but you are on the wrong side of history. I listed only some of the legislation that has been passed since Obama has been in office. I agree with it and think it is good for the country. It helps vets, seniors, students, children, the economy, research etc. I guess we just fundementally disagree on which direction the country should go.It is not party loyalty just the facts as to what legislation has been passed and the positive direction this country is heading. The world gave the American people the Nobel Peace Prize for voting Obama into office. Now we have the opportunity to lead the world by example. I for one do not want to blow this opportunity as Bush did after 911.
I am glad to be in the majority and the bad news for you is that is the way it will remain for many many years because of how pathetic the right wing of this country has become. With leaders like Beck,Hannity,Limbaugh,Palin,Bush and Cheney our work is easy. By the way the same old Fox News rant about Chicago style politics is getting very old.
» wrote on 11.03.09 @ 08:04 AM
local, do you have a job or are you on the receiving end of the socialist state? Because you sure do seem to have far too much time on your hands, and you sure are lazy about stating your sources.
You can call those “accomplishments”, but I don’t see one thing I wanted or asked for in your list. All I see is a government that is on the take. And I am one of the ones being taken from to make you happy with this list of things you’re imagining with your “idea of Obama” that you are in love with (taken from Tom Tomorrow cartoon)- the way you imagine Obama to be. The actual Obama is a power and adoration hungry socialist monster.
“-Lowered taxes on 85% of the low and middle class population” What cloud of medical marijuana smoke are you dwelling in? And then we have Ron, from the “well at least he’s not Bush” club. Lord have mercy.
» wrote on 11.03.09 @ 08:07 AM
The recently released White House visitors list
Obama’s inner circle of White House guests includes Malik Shabazz of the Black Panthers, Sharpton and Jackson. See for yourself ...
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/PDFs/white_house_visitors_release_2009_10_30.pdf
» wrote on 11.03.09 @ 08:14 AM
“The world gave the American people the Nobel Peace Prize for voting Obama into office.” - local
Ummm.. no. Actually a small group of liberals (not “the world”) gave OBAMA (not the American people) the prize for the “ideas” that he gave during his campaign that they assumed he would actually follow up on, because the prize was decided about a month after he got into office before he had a chance to enact his “change and “hope”.
They gave the prize to “the idea of Obama” not to the actual Obama.
» wrote on 11.03.09 @ 08:19 AM
Umm actually, you’re not in the majority anymore - Checked the polls lately? More and more are starting to see the real obama, instead of the illusion he created that so many believed in and were fooled by. The honeymoon is over for most but you are still left behind fantasizing over just another sell out president in the dream cloud of Hope and Utopia. Poor local.
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