Romney Is Winning Bankers' Dollars

The bankers love Mitt Romney, but their affair with President Barack Obama hasn't gone completely cold.

A new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics finds that professionals from the finance, insurance and real estate sector are largely backing the former Massachusetts governor over the incumbent Democrat and Romney's rivals for the Republican nomination.

Employees (and spouses) from those industries have given Romney's campaign $7.5 million as of the third quarter of 2011 -- more than the seven other top GOP candidates and Obama received, put together. Obama has received $3.9 million; Texas Governor Rick Perry has received $2 million; none of the other Republican candidates took in more than $500,000.

And when it comes to five particularly big banks -- Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley -- Romney is also the clear favorite when it comes to contributions by their employees and their spouses.

SEE which candidates big banks are backing below:

The New York Times observed on Sunday that the gap between Romney and Obama "underscores the growing alienation from Mr. Obama among many rank-and-file financial professionals and Mr. Romney’s aggressive and successful efforts to woo them."

Contributions from the finance, insurance and real estate sector made up a whopping 23 percent of Romney's take. By contrast, another Center for Responsive Politics analysis found that less than 10 percent of Romney's total haul -- about $3 million -- was contributed by small-money donors, those who contribute $200 or less.

Small-money donors contributed $41 million to Obama -- nearly half of all the money his campaign has raised.

While taking in considerably less money total, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), pizza magnate Herman Cain and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) nevertheless received a higher percentage of their contributions from small donors than Obama did. Top honors, however, went to former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, whose campaign has refused to accept donations in excess of $100.

Comments

[UnleadPencil]

01:11 PM on 10/30/2011

The CEOs of JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo sat around at press and Chamber conferences in Atlanta last week bemoaning the lack of confidence in the business climate and investing. There was no mention nor admission of banking industry fault in the economic uncertainty. How can representatives of the first and fourth largest banks be seen as experts in repairing this economy? These are the guys who caused the uncertainty after taking billions in taxpayer bailout and sharing nothing in return.

The uncertainty is about whether citizens out here can keep their homes, find and keep a job or a career, get educated at a fair cost, buy things made in America or get a loan for their business. The Bankers' solution? Less regulation and less corporate taxes. That the lack of confidence comes from an uncertainty in taxation?

Citizens want Wall Street to succeed and investment to help fuel the economy, they just don't want financial institutions to cheat and skirt regulation - again - to the detriment of the citizenry.

[Vincent Garca]

04:30 AM on 10/20/2011

Illuminati.

[mrhandyman3105]

01:07 PM on 10/18/2011

KEY POINT HERE: (Limited Area of sample): "professionals from the finance, insurance and real estate sector"; "Employees (and spouses) from those industries". (Duh...Oh yeah!!, they wouldn't be biased..uh duh.......)

LOL. This article is designed to put a positive outlook upon a very dismal picture regarding the amount of "third quarter" republican political contributions compared to the recent announcement by the Democrats of record contributions and contributers.

No matter how they try and put a positive spin it the picture is still "Dark and Gloomy" for the Republicans.

[DanBeach]

12:50 PM on 10/18/2011

To the fervent proponents of ruthless corporate capitalism I say: make a millionaire CEO live as a poor sweatshop worker in Indonesia for one month and then ask him about the merits of the world economic system... 

[tincup2005]

12:00 PM on 10/18/2011

The bankers love Romney. What more do you need to know to keep him out of the White House? He wears the Scarlett Letter with pride for all to see. If you support him knowing this, you deserve the horror you will get.

[alamacTHC]

11:59 AM on 10/18/2011

The corporatist pigs can't lose on this one: Either they get their loyal servant--O'Bushma--back in power; or they get one of their own--Romney--to take the helm.

The only hope America has for a president who is NOT a bankster tool is for a real Democrat to run--and win--in the primaries next year, and go on to beat Romney in the general. Otherwise, it's continued Rule by Thieves, and we'll just have to hope that Occupy Wall Street and its progeny form the nexus of a real people's movement to take our country back.

PRIMARY CHALLENGER NEEDED

[whirlybird]

11:36 AM on 10/18/2011

This bodes well for Obama.

[mjclear]

11:11 AM on 10/18/2011

With Occupy Wall Street gaining momentum and becoming a national movement, it is debatable whether the financial endorsement of those corporations that the movement is excoriating is a pro or a con for Mr. Romney. It could be a sign of great change in our political process when the money of the bailed out banks might be the kiss of death for a candidate running for President. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the year ahead. Will his fellow Republican nominees begin to point out the sources of his financial support as a negative? President Obama certainly will, when and if the time comes.

[wandajbrn]

11:11 AM on 10/18/2011

Doesn't Romney know by now that every dollar he takes from Bankers now will be tied to him
later along side his "Corporations Are People Too" comment?????????? Just saying!

[pmoschetta]

01:56 PM on 10/18/2011

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/picture-of-the-day-mitt-romneys-money-shot/246658/#

Once this picture makes its rounds on advertisements and blogs, Romney will be forever associated with GREED!

[den1953]

11:11 AM on 10/18/2011

Amazing that some Americans have not figured out just who is running America and that we need a man in front of the curtain because of the US Constitution, so the men behind the curtain can carry on the business of the United States, the more the public up rises the more Corporate America is willing to take the vote away from the American people!

[pmoschetta]

01:56 PM on 10/18/2011

www.getmoneyout.com

[HeavyHitter]

10:40 AM on 10/18/2011

Romney is the anti-OWS candidate. Banks and other corporations are his best friends, and he sees nothing unnatural about that. He's a rich frat boy with an innate sense of entitlement - - pretty much the opposite of what is needed by our country.

[alamacTHC]

12:02 PM on 10/18/2011

O'Bushma is equally anti-OWS. The only hope We the People have for an honest President is if a primary challenger to the Sellout-in-Chief gets nominated; otherwise it's 4 more years of uninhibited corporatist kleptocracy.

PRIMARY CHALLENGER NEEDED

[pmoschetta]

01:57 PM on 10/18/2011

You won't get a challenger now, alamacTHC. The end date for filing to run for president is in 2 weeks, so go with what we have now

[HeavyHitter]

12:51 AM on 10/19/2011

That ship has sailed. Maybe Obama will grow a pair.

[dmsdzinr]

10:08 AM on 10/18/2011

Well we ALL know that Romney is just a Middle Class Average guy. (wink) Hey WHERE is the photo of Romney with his Money Grubbing Gang at Bain Capital????

[pmoschetta]

01:57 PM on 10/18/2011

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/banks-romney_n_1016274.html?ir=Business

[Gilbert Albright]

10:08 AM on 10/18/2011

Just like the Mafia, they are banking on Bribing and Influencing enough people in government to
allow them to continue to rape and pillage consumers at their present rate!

[guitarslinger68]

09:53 AM on 10/18/2011

Birds of a feather...Goldman Sachs gets a $10B dollar bailout under Obama, then kicks him to the curb. Oh, and Goldman immediately outsourced 1000 jobs to Singapore! Greedy, anti-American scum!

"Goldman is firing American workers at a time of record profits for the company, which raked in $2.7 billion in profits in the first three months of 2011 alone."

[fineartgalaxy]

09:04 AM on 10/18/2011

Banks do not care who gets elected. They have lobbyists for damage control. They have specialized lobbyists for every single politician in Washington. They do not have to hope like you and I that the best candidate may win. They make legislation. We just vote.