Elite Obama Donor Robert Wolf, CEO of the US branch of Swiss Bank UBS, seen exiting his limousine upon his arrival at Private Obama Dinner for Elite Obama Donors Only. Elite Obama Donor Robert Wolf is currently under Senate investigation.
Posted on 01/20/2009 3:10:56 PM PST by bd476
Wall Street Journal
* JANUARY 9, 2009
Wall Street Is Big Donor to Inauguration
Obama Bans Funding From Corporations and Big Donors, but Financial Employees Put Up $5.7 Million
Other bundlers from the financial sector include executives from Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., two New York-based institutions that have accepted billions of dollars each in rescue money from the federal government.
...The analysis shows that Lou Susman , a Chicago-based managing director for Citigroup, bundled $265,000 in inaugural donations for Mr. Obama, including $50,000 donated personally and $50,000 more from the firm's employees.
< Snip >
Financial-executive donors to the Obama inauguration include an executive from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., which declared bankruptcy last fall. The executive has bundled at least $115,000 in donations so far for the inaugural, according to records made public by the Obama organization.
Excerpt. Wall Street Is Big Donor to Inauguration
Elite Obama Donor Robert Wolf, CEO of the US branch of Swiss Bank UBS, seen exiting his limousine upon his arrival at Private Obama Dinner for Elite Obama Donors Only. Elite Obama Donor Robert Wolf is currently under Senate investigation.
Excerpt from
Washington Post
Senate Probe's Targets Give to Campaigns
Report Accuses Bank Officials of Helping Clients Hide Money From the IRS
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 1, 2008; Page A05
"...UBS always has been a major donor in Washington, in addition to spending close to $1 million a year on lobbying. The bank has spent more on the 2008 elections, which are still more than three months away, than during the entire 2006 cycle. The UBS political committee distributed $2.21 million to politicians and political groups over the past 18 months.
The chairman of UBS Americas, Robert Wolf, helped raise more than $250,000 for Sen. Barack Obama's Democratic presidential bid.
< Snip >
Pragasam noted that Wolf's role in the Obama campaign predates the Senate investigation by more than a year, and that Wolf oversees the bank's American operations, while the Senate probe is focused on the activities of UBS offices in Switzerland.
"He was a very early supporter of Senator Obama, and began that support long before the Senate investigation into tax havens," she said...
Excerpt. Senate Probe's Targets Give to Campaigns
* * * * *
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 8:47am MST
Colorado business leaders among largest inaugural donors
Denver Business Journal
Six Colorado business leaders are among the top donors to Tuesday's inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Individual donors were limited to a maximum gift of $50,000 to support inaugural festivities.
Colorado donors listed by the CRP, which studies and reports on political contributions, as having donated $50,000 are:
* Merle Chambers of Denver, president of Leith Ventures LLC, a privately held investment company.
* Holly Lev of Boulder, co-founder of health-supplements company Organic India.
* Pat McConathy of Vail, an energy investor.
* Bruce Oreck of Boulder, an attorney with Oreck Bradley Crighton Adams & Chase and son of vacuum-cleaner magnate David Oreck.
* Thomas Strickland of Denver, chief legal officer for UnitedHealth Group Inc. and former U.S. Senate candidate.
* Pat Stryker of Fort Collins, an heiress and longtime progressive activist.
Colorado business leaders among largest inaugural donors
* * * * *
Politico
Big donors foot inaugural bill
By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 1/14/09 7:00 PM EST Updated: 1/15/09 10:19 AM EST
Wall Street
Barack Obama has boasted that his inauguration will be funded by the same small donors who propelled his presidential campaign to victory, but a new analysis shows the inaugural bill is being footed primarily by big-dollar contributors, including many from Wall Street.
Barack Obama has boasted that his Inauguration will be funded by the same small donors who propelled his presidential campaign to victory, but a new analysis shows the inaugural bill is being footed primarily by big-dollar contributors, including many from Wall Street.
In fact, nearly 80 percent of the $35.3 million raised by Obama’s inaugural committee can be traced to just 211 individual bundlers, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan watchdog group Public Citizen.
One Wall Street bundler, Louis Susman, a top Citigroup executive, steered the $300,000 maximum to the committee, the report found.
“No doubt many donors give simply because they want to be part of history,” said Craig Holman, a campaign finance lobbyist for Public Citizen. “But donors and bundlers who represent special interests with business pending before the government and who dole out five-figure checks to the inaugural committee usually want a seat at the table with the new administration.”
Though the federal government is pitching in $10 million toward the cost of Obama’s Inauguration, his team is planning festivities that could cost as much as $50 million.
The privately raised funds will go toward opening up the Inauguration so more can participate in it, said Inauguration spokeswoman Linda Douglass.
The cash will pay for Jumbotrons and audio systems on the mall that will allow the expected massive crowds to watch the proceedings, as well as low-cost or free inaugural balls or concerts.
There are almost no limits on inaugural fundraising and Douglass pointed out that Obama is voluntarily disclosing contributions in almost real time, barring contributions from corporations, lobbyists, political action committees and unions and capping individual contributions at $50,000 a person, and bundled contributions at $300,000 per bundler.
Other Wall Street bundlers who contributed include:
* Mark Gilbert, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers: $185,000
* Robert Wolf, CEO of UBS Americas: $100,000
* Jennifer Scully, a vice president at Goldman Sachs: $100,000
* Bruce Heyman, a manager at Goldman Sachs: $50,000
Bundlers are major fundraisers who corral checks from friends and associates and deliver them to a campaign or committee en masse.
Though Obama’s presidential campaign also had its share of bundlers -- many of whom are also bundling for the Inauguration -- the campaign boasted that more than half of the record-shattering $662 million it raised came from small donors.
Those donors don’t appear to have had as large an impact on inaugural fundraising, which is typically harder to do than campaign fundraising. It’s difficult to gauge their impact precisely, since Obama’s inauguration web site is not listing donors who gave less than $200, but of the 5,632 reported contributions to the inaugural committee, only 113 came in at $200.
Douglass said internal figures show that nearly 200,000 people have contributed to the inaugural committee and that the average donation is $34.
Big donors foot inaugural bill
* * * * *
Excerpt from:
San Francisco Chronicle
Google execs among big donors to inauguration
Verne Kopytoff, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, January 3, 2009
< Snip >
Some big donors
Bay Area business leaders are among the major donors to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. A sampling of the contributions:
Derek Dukes, founder of Dipity: $25,000
Robert Haas, former CEO of Levi Strauss: $50,000
Carole Hays, president of SHN Theaters: $100,000*
Chad Hurley, YouTube co-founder: $25,000
Mitchell Kapor, founder of Lotus Development: $50,000
Michael Kieschnick, president of Working Assets: $50,000
Bara Oscodar, CEO of Expert Communications: $50,000
Larry Page, co-founder of Google: $25,000
James Pooley, attorney with Morrison & Foerster: $25,000
Chris Sacca, a former Google manager, now angel investor: $50,000
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google: $25,000
Daniel Skaff, Sienna Ventures: $25,000
John Thompson, CEO of Symantec: $50,000
J. Minott Wessinger, president of McKenzie River Corp.: $100,000*
*Amount includes $50,000 donation from spouse.
Excerpt.
Google execs among big donors to inauguration
* * * * *
I truly shocked. About ABC news covering this, that is.
Let’s see...Freepers knew this BEFORE THE ELECTION!! Why are the ABC Obama groupies only NOW REPORTING THIS ‘NEWS’
As I have said early and often, this will be the most corrupt, investigated administration since, well Bill Clinton.
I think ABC news treated this as important industry figures who will assist Obama in fixing the economy.
/hahahahaha Thud
Big donors foot inaugural bill?
BS..THEY FOOTED THE BILL WITH OUR MONEY!!
The BETTER be their to kiss the royal ass.
But GASP! Bush made tax cuts for the RICH FAT CATS!!! Palin is an insider, shopaholic, greedy elitist!!! /liberal
It's possible that some of the anchors who are broadcasting live right now and re-writing history as they speak, are frightened by the incredible amount of power and money Obama handlers have accrued.
Also the announcers who are currently broadcasting are undoubtedly aware of the consequences any negative comments would have upon their future in broadcasting.
Meanwhile have you seen any written text of the comment Donna Brasile made on the Sunday morning George Stephanopoulous show where she interrupted angrily to say:
"The most important thing to know about Obama is that he is an African!"
The response was silence and then a quick change of subject.
Big donors foot inaugural bill?
BS..THEY FOOTED THE BILL WITH OUR MONEY!!
Now you’re getting it.
My prediction: He won't be for long.
Doesn't it?
I’ve been getting it! Our country will be in absolute tatters in 6 months!
I agree with you about it becoming the most corrupt administration and pray that you are right about it being investigated.
Post 9-—what in the world did he mean by that?
Government of the people, by the people, for the people.
The planes are reminiscent of the buses in New Orleans. Sickening that we are paying for this. The teabag idea on February 1st sounds like a good idea more and more.
Excellent post.
Hopefully that's a statement, not a question, otherwise - one can easily assume that the answer is in the affirmative. ;)
I'm not sure who you are referring to by "he."
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