Big-Dollar Donors Are Major Force in Obama Campaign

In an effort to cast himself as independent of the influence of money on politics, Senator Barack Obama often highlights the campaign contributions of $200 or less that have amounted to fully half of the $340 million he has collected so far.

But records show that one-third of his record-breaking haul has come from donations of $1,000 or more: a total of $112 million, more than Senator John McCain, Mr. Obama's Republican rival, or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, his opponent in the Democratic primaries, raised in contributions of that size.

Behind those larger donations is a phalanx of more than 500 Obama "bundlers," fund-raisers who have each collected contributions totaling $50,000 or more. Many of the bundlers come from industries with critical interests in Washington. Nearly three dozen of the bundlers have raised more than $500,000 each, including more than a half-dozen who have passed the $1 million mark and one or two who have exceeded $2 million, according to interviews with fund-raisers.

While his campaign has cited its volume of small donations as a rationale for his decision to opt out of public financing for the general election, Mr. Obama has worked to build a network of big-dollar supporters from the time he began contemplating a run for the United States Senate. He tapped into well-connected people in Chicago prior to the 2004 Senate race, and once elected, set out across the country starting to cultivate some of his party's most influential money collectors.

He courted them with the savvy of a veteran politician, through phone calls, meals and one-on-one meetings; he wrote thank-you cards and remembered birthdays; he sent them autographed copies of his book and doted on their children.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[tbone99]

its about time the "myth" of two dollar donations funding his campaign is put to rest. I was sick of hearing it during the primary.What we have here is just a another politician, although one with a great P.R. firm behind him.

[sheikwil]

well he has to keep up with all those Oil companies that are buying or rather trying to buy McCain the election. Oops, I better go and donate my 25.00 to Obama's campaign again. As long as McCain is trying to buy this campaign, I will keep sacrificing to donate to Senator Obama.

[PixelMarx]

I think what I find most irksome about this story is the fact that it tries to paint big donors as something bad...guess what. I make around $60K annual, and I've managed to give around $100 a month since this campaign started. Which means I've given around $1500. Wow...I'm a big donor...and I expect some favors in return. It's pathetic journalism like this that tries to skew the election and generate a non-controversy that makes me sick.

[notthistime]

and there you have it PixelMarx

[uvymopkq]

He is bought and paid for by big unions and special intrest groups.

[CEPHALUS]

Yes,i guess you know who these reporters are working for eh?Trying to get their seat at the hot dog and burger party.
Cheap bastards.

[BethinIllinois]

People, no one is disputing regular Joes aren't sending in money. What they're trying to show is that big money is a BIG force here -- and that there's lots of big money there. With bundling to the DNC, people are writing HUGE checks. Do you think they're not looking for influence down the road? Dream on.

And this goes on in both campaigns, I know.

It's jsut that only Obama pretends he's funded primarily through little people, not big money.

[loax]

I send a donation every month of under $50.00. That is what fits my budget. I will continue to do so. At least, while a small amount I have faith in the campaign of the man I trust.

[Justsaynodeal]

I have been listening to you Internet small donors talk about how "the people" own this "presidency". This is the biggest con job in political history, and he was going to change the face and politics of Washington...........ROTFLMF0. He is into corporations for big money and favors. Wonder how much of that money came from telecoms? Wonder how much of it came from the energy companies...as he voted for Cheney's energy bill. Poor little Internet people, who are struggling to by $4-5 gallon of milk for your children or $3 a loaf bread or $4+ a gallon gas for your car. You can be proud of yourself because you believed in a dream, and that has some value in it. You believed in hope. and that was a good feeling. But some of us, and I have posted this before, knew that he was getting millions from large corporations with business in Washington. How sad for you, and by the several posts I have read here, you will be able to justify it all in your minds. Something like, well he had to do that to get elected, but once he wins, he will be "the people's president." If he wins, I hope you are right.

[Triciann]

Of course this will be hammered to death on MSM whereas the Washington Post article about the strange goings on in the McCain camp regarding campaign donations will be ignored. The latter is illegal. However, what the Obama campaign is doing is perfectly legal and it's not being hidden. The headline is devised to make it seem worse than it is.

As for access to Obama, I have a friend who has three children and is a stay at home mom. She's one of the small donors Obama talks about. However, Kelly has donated time and energy to the campaign because she knows an Obama presidency offers her children the chance of a better future. Back in June Kelly got to talk to Obama one on one for a considerable time during which she found him truly interested in the lives of working/middle class Pennsylvanians.

[optech007]

I thought we're supposed to be in a recession, Americans struggling with high gas prices, et cetera. So how is it people can still be able to donate all this money to 0bama?

[JackND]

call it an insurance policy

[Triciann]

optech007, Exactly and that is the game the Republicans with money are playing. Money does equate with power so keep the opposition struggling to make ends meet then their candidate is financially disadvantaged. That's why a lot of people are actually going without so that they can afford to donate to Obama.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

One third of his money from big donors that's means he would have taken in less than McBush because without his small donors I'm sure McBush got 90% of his money from big donors. The difference between 0bama only getting one third of the money from small donors without the other two thirds coming from small donors is winning or losing the election. 0bama and the DNC were still only able to stay even with the RNC and McBush.

[Bettysdad]

The only number that matters is how much the checks were for that the bundlers got, not how much the bundlers gave to Obama.

One can raise a couple grand at a local breast cancer walk. That doesn't make one a big donor to the Komen foundation. It means you worked real hard and got people to support you.

Lies. Damn lies. Statistics.

Typical right-wing NYT BS.

[1099]

"Typical right-wing NYT BS."

You are ridiculous calling the NYT right-wing. This is the same NYT who refused to publish McCain's op-ed a couple weeks a go.

Just face the fact that Obama gets a substantial amount of his campaign donations from people who aren't giving him chump change online. It's nothing to be ashamed of as this is how people get elected.

[Bettysdad]

That op-ed wasn't published because it was factually wrong, presented nothing new, and was simply a campaign ad.

You know nothing about the NYT.

[notthistime]

One can raise a couple grand at a local breast cancer walk. That doesn't make one a big donor to the Komen foundation. It means you worked real hard and got people to support you.

Exactly Bettysdad

[moda31]

how hard is it to understand a few basic facts? 1. nobody else has ever raised the kind of money this campaign has from so many small donors before. never have they claimed that this is their sole source of contributions. 2. there are actually quite a few "regular" individuals who can afford to make donations upward of $1000, that doesn't make them "big money" donors in the same way that PACs and lobbyists are. the problem isn't just the size of donations its where that money comes from; hundreds of thousands $25 donations from lobbyists would be just problematic as larger sums from lobbyist bundlers. this campaign's fundraising operation has been a first in a lot of ways, but it doesn't mean that all of a sudden campaign donations over a couple of hundred dollars, or bundlers that pull in their friends cease to exist all together.
i've donated several $25 contributions (my personal "max out"), but i've also "bundled" several hundred dollars from family and friends through my personal fundraising page on the campaign site. same concept, smaller scale.

[robynuva]

I have been giving since day one of the campaign, every month. This had added up to over $1000, but I am pretty sure that's not going to buy me much influence. Alone I am not a fat cat. Together with my fellow concerned Amerians, we are the engine funding this campaign. That is what is important.

[gala1]

Obama bought the superdelegates votes, plain and simple:

For elected officials who endorsed a candidate as of Feb. 25, the presidential candidate who gave more money to the superdelegate received the endorsement 82 percent of the time. In cases where Obama had made a contribution since 2005 but Clinton had given the superdelegate nothing, Obama got the superdelegates support 85 percent of the time. And Clinton got the support of 75 percent of superdelegates who got money from her but not from Obama. The Center combined contribution data with a list of superdelegates and their endorsements


http://www.capitaleye.org/capital_eye/inside.php?ID=338



It's one way of foisting Obama onto the ticket.
But you can't buy the voters, can you.

All this does is squander the election.

Obama is running against a taxidermied doddering republican. It doesn't get worse than that and he can't pull ahead.
Who do you think other than his gullible cadre of True Believers is really going to make this happen?

In times of crisis, voters invariably skew to the familiar.
And the Democratic Selection Committee knows that very well.

The only way to get a republican elected after 8 years of George Bush is for the Democrats to provide an unelectable candidate .
And that's exactly what they've done.

That's why I posted :
http://www.lynettelong.com/my_weblog/2008/07/bamboozling-the.html

The fix is in.

I'm writing in Hillary Clinton. I refuse to be gamed by Karl Rove.



-gala1

[Justsaynodeal]

But that isn't the question.. The question is how much does the 0-man owe to his big-dollar donors. Changing politics in DC by getting the lobbyist out is a major theme of the O-man's campaign

[gala1]

And this is where your money is going...........................

http://www.lynettelong.com/my_weblog/2008/07/bamboozling-the.html

gala1

[Justsaynodeal]

Or where 0-man's is coming from; Kristol, Noonan, Buchanan and Franz Luntz, the genus pollster and wordsmith of the GOP, have all made a concerted in print and on cable TV to promote 0's candidacy.

[Daniboy]

Do these big donors understand that Barack is the change guy-big money will buy no favors. He came out of Chicago-the clean political machine.

[CocteausTwin]

There is an insane amount of money involved in running for President. That being said I am glad there are people who help to fund the great candidate that is Big O.

[Daniboy]

If we get rid of all the Repubs-who will we be able to blame-we should keep just a couple around just for that reason. We don't want anyone blaming the Dems for anything.

[Coinyer101]

good idea!thanx!

[editrix66]

People are allowed to give up to $2300. I can afford to give $25 a month, and that is what I do. If I could give $1000 at one time, I would. We need to get rid of the Republicans.

[wdw101]

ya......that is going to happen