by Mark Silva
Sen. Barack Obama has fared better than Sen. John McCain in fundraising among several Republican-leaning industries that supported President Bush's record campaign fundraising four years ago, Bloomberg News notes today.
The Democrat has collected $9.6 million in donations from people working for securities, mortgage and drug companies, McCain $6.6 million, Jonathan Salant reports. In 2004, people in those industries gave $10.6 million to Bush and $5.4 million to Democratic nominee John Kerry, according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics.
"McCain's inability to match Bush's performance in attracting traditional Republican donors illustrates the fundraising gap between the candidates,'' Salant finds. "Obama is seeking to bring in double or triple the $84.1 million in federal funds that McCain will have to spend in the final two months before the Nov. 4 election. In June, Obama declined to accept public financing, which caps his spending at the federal allotment.''
"Not all Republicans ``are opening their wallets to a McCain presidential run,'' Mallory Factor, a banker who co-hosts a weekly meeting of conservatives in New York and raised more than $1 million for Bush and his party four years ago, told Bloomberg.
"Some Republicans who ``support certain principles'' are shunning McCain, Factor said, citing the Arizona senator's initial opposition to Bush's tax cuts and his authorship of a campaign-finance law opposed by many in his party.
"Disdain for McCain is combined with enthusiasm for Obama in some quarters,'' Salant adds. "Many of the brokers, bankers and traders in the securities industry, who contributed $9.2 million to Bush and $4.8 million to Kerry four years ago, are now Obama supporters, motivated by issues such as the Illinois senator's opposition to the Iraq War. Obama has received $8.9 million and McCain $6.3 million from the industry from Jan. 1, 2007 through June 30 of this year, according to the center.
``Many people on Wall Street believed they had made enough money in life and were more concerned about the war and the generational effect that Obama brings to this election,'' Richard Hunt, a Washington-based lobbyist for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, which represents Goldman Sachs Group and Merrill Lynch & Co, told Bloomberg. Employees of New York-based Goldman Sachs, the biggest U.S. securities firm, were Obama's top donors among all firms through June. McCain's top backers work at New York-based Merrill Lynch.
See the Bloombergl report on Obama and McCain fundraising in the industries.
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Comments
Obama is owned by the Pharmaceutical Industry, Giant Agribusiness, Banking, Securities, the Oil Industry, Mining, etc etc etc. He accepts money from them and their lobbyists and employs their lobbyists on his campaign staff. This is very old news.
Posted by: MJ | August 15, 2008 7:59 AM
MJ:
McCain has dozens more lobbyists on his campaign staff than Obama does. Why aren't you going after his track record instead?
Posted by: BC | August 15, 2008 2:53 PM
Someone is telling BIG LIES! If we are to believe the Obama campaign, 90% of his Millions comes from small donations of $50 or less over the internet. So, who's telling the big fib?
Oh, we're supposed to beleive the great Obama are we? Everyone's doing it so why not me? Heck if 90% of his money comes from peons like me, I better be part of that crowd? I didn't beleive the bullhockey in his books either.
Posted by: Springfield | August 15, 2008 2:59 PM
This is hogwash plain and simple " "Many of the brokers, bankers and traders in the securities industry, who contributed $9.2 million to Bush and $4.8 million to Kerry four years ago, are now Obama supporters, motivated by issues such as the Illinois senator's opposition to the Iraq War."
You have to be drinking the kool-aid to believe these people are more concerned about the war in Iraq than making a fatter profit next year. Would the bail out of the greedy financial industry have anything to do with their concerns?
Just realize who is spewing this tripe and then ask if it's sincere "Many people on Wall Street believed they had made enough money in life and were more concerned about the war and the generational effect that Obama brings to this election,'' Richard Hunt, a Washington-based lobbyist for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, which represents Goldman Sachs Group and Merrill Lynch & Co."
Yep, keep drinking the kool-aid and this kind of stuff is too easy to believe without even questioning how phoney these people are.
Posted by: Springfield | August 15, 2008 3:06 PM
OBAMA OVERTHROWN BY REALITY
1. Obama is not overthrown without first overthrowing his ideas.
2. The failings of Obama’s friends do not overthrow Obama.
3. Obama is not overthrown without taking into account both his failures and successes.
4. The strong case for Obama is not overthrown by the weak case against him.
Posted by: Jeugenen | August 15, 2008 5:00 PM
McCain has dozens more lobbyists on his campaign staff than Obama does. Why aren't you going after his track record instead?
Posted by: BC | August 15, 2008 2:53 PM
That's obvious. Because The Swamp is the official Obama Campaign Blog. So first of all there is no shortage of McCain attackers here, and secondly if the readers didn't point out Obama's flaws then nobody here would.
Besides, what about Obama's claim of a new approach to politics? He tells us he's not an insider. Are you suggesting that it's OK that he is lying about that because everybody else is on the take too?
Posted by: MJ | August 15, 2008 9:18 PM