Revealed: Obama's record-breaking effort to tap wealthy donors for cash (The Guardian)

[alp227]

This is "revelatory" to The Guardian?

A record-breaking fundraising spree by Barack Obama has seen him make 30 separate visits to wealthy donors since April, according to a Guardian investigation into campaign finance trips that are running at more than twice the rate of the president's two-term predecessors.

Although unable to run again for election himself, Obama is estimated to have raised up to $40m for other Democrats since his last inauguration in January as he devotes a growing portion of the second term to financing efforts aimed at winning back control of Congress in next year's midterm elections.

Travelling to the 30 fundraisers, mostly held in private mansions and luxury hotels across 10 cities, has also required him to clock up more than 20,000 miles on Air Force One at an estimated cost to the US taxpayer of more than $6m.

In contrast, the Guardian research reveals presidents of both parties previously averaged only 13 fundraisers in the equivalent period of their second terms. George W Bush attended just 11 similar events, Bill Clinton managed 18 and Ronald Reagan only 10.

[Scuba]

1. OFA is here in Wisconsin, working hard to elect a corporate "Democrat" Governor.

[bluestate10]

6. You would rather have Scotty? nt

[Scuba]

7. Nope, but we have some candidates who are much, much better. The "chosen one" ...

... offshores jobs, votes against teachers, donates to charter schools, and supports digging an environmentally destructive mine in our state. Not much of a Democrat by my reckoning.

[Pisces]

2. Looks like he's doing his part to get Democrats elected. I hope we can do our part in '14. Imagine

what could have been accomplished if he had had a Congress to work with.

[markpkessinger]

3. Doing his part to get Democrats who are beholden to the 1% elected is more like it n/t

[bluestate10]

5. A person being rich seem to blind you to the possibility that person can be a

decent human being. That is sad.

[markpkessinger]

8. It isn't a question of being a "decent human being" or not . . .

. . . it's a question of being blinded by self-interest.

[Pisces]

9. Don't delude yourself. They are all beholden and so are the people running with any chance. We still

want our side to win. There are differences. One side is rational and the other is insane.

[bluestate10]

4. Does the fact that a person is rich disqualify him or her from giving money to

Democrats? What happens when that person AGREES with all Democratic principles, should they just close their wallets and vanish instead of trying to get Democrats elected to office? The President is doing exactly what he should be doing. I am sure that in every one of those events, there were local Democratic candidates at his side.

[hfojvt]

10. do they agree with Democratic principles?

or do they get to purchase a new, let's call it a 3rd way, to define Democratic principles?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022085948