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
* * * * *
“.. Call... For... An... Independent... Investigator... to... investigate... Obama... Fundraising... Irregularities...”
YEP!!!
The Elite Obama Donors have now been officially reassured that taxpayers will continue to pay for the Elite's private jets, their limos and their dinners for the next eight years.
The Elite Obama Donors will have a hearty laugh about it too as they file their expense receipts under administrative costs, conferences, and research about global warming, socialized health care and the Global Education Initiative.
Thank God the Democrat party is for the “little guy”.
Today’s Democrat Party, Rich liberal elites setting policy combined with ignorant, useful idiots doing the legwork and paid off with other people’s money.
BS..THEY FOOTED THE BILL WITH OUR MONEY!!
YEp but did any of us not already know this? bo is as crooked as they come and that’s why I think his days are numbered. He will be outed and ousted.
I’m shocked too.
Will the media actually tell a bit more to the public of which we have known for months now
These institutions were getting money before Barry was elected and in any position to help them.
Sorry but I am not seeing the connection. The last several months’ stink is Bush’s legacy.
blacks and liberals also forget that whites can be African too
The working class and lower class need to get it into their heads that the Dem party is now the elitist party.
They are not the party of JFK but more for Hollywood and the rich types.
Most of the richest counties and states are for the Dems and yet they preach their diversity while sitting in their ivory tower in their rich all white neighborhoods.
Damn. Nice post bd476.
This is the change for which the poor ignorant masses voted. Let ‘em suck it...
This is a post worth saving.
You know, something is now coming into focus. I couldn’t understand why so many on Wall St. backed this empty suit. I think I’ve figured out that they backed him BECAUSE he is an empty suit whom they can manipulate for the big bucks. Someone or someones high up wanted a puppet. Soros is not in this alone.
True, but did they do it that negative tone they used when scolding President Bush for spending a paltry $45 million for his second Inaugural, because the economy was slow and we were in a war?
Thanks, Glock Rocks!
LOL!
Reference bump! ;-)
ping to a keeper of a post...
You betcha!
Let's just take the 'black' out of the equation and what do we have?
If it talks like a socialist, demands things like a socialist then I'm pretty sure it's a Marxist.
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