Posted by
Always To The Right on Friday, October 31, 2008 12:56:53 PM
Obama’s success as the biggest fundraiser in history means that he would owe his donors more than anyone in history if he were to take office.
(That is, if you believe that big donors to political campaigns expect
something in return. How cynical of you to think that!)
But wait! I thought Barack Obama’s amazing fundraising success stems primarily from donations under $200. Right?
Wrong. That’s another myth you’ve been sold, sucker.
In fact
, George W. Bush in 2004 had a higher percentage of contributions of $200 or less than Barack Obama has had in this campaign. Last week, the
Washington Post published an article titled
Big Donors Drive Obama’s Money Edge
In fact, in 2004, 31 percent of Bush’s donations came from people giving $200 or less. For John Kerry, the percentage was even higher: 37 percent.
All of this is necessary background for an excellent article by Patrick Range MacDonald in the latest L.A. Weekly, about Obama’s big donors, and the influence those donors are likely to wield in an Obama administration.
MacDonald’s article explores the question whether Obama is going to be the first guy in history to take scads of money from people and not let it affect the way he governs.