LONDON, July 25, 2008
Americans In Europe Open Wallets For Obama
Democrat Has Raised About 10 Times More Than McCain From U.S. Citizens Living In Western Europe
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Federal Election Commission reports show Obama has raised at least $1 million from donors who identify themselves as Americans living in Great Britain, Germany and France, while John McCain has taken in at least $150,000.
Some donors say the huge disparity, which also exists in overall funding raising in which Obama has raked in $338 million to $126.3 million for McCain, is more about disliking Bush and the prospect of another Republican succeeding him than it is an affection for Obama.
"I contributed because of the absolutely appalling performance of the Bush administration during the last eight years," said Eileen Taylor, a chief operating officer for Deutsche Bank in London.
She made two $2,300 donations, the maximum allowed, and is also working on a voter registration drive to make it easier for Americans abroad to cast ballots in the November election.
"We're actively signing people up to vote," she said. "Democrats Abroad is working with a lot of companies to set up voter registration and absentee ballots. The key message is that it's not about the money. A lot of people are putting emotional energy into this campaign."
Only U.S. citizens are permitted to contribute to presidential campaigns. The European totals include contributions of $200 or more from each individual as election laws do not require campaigns to itemize lesser amounts. So it's possible Obama has received additional money from smaller donors. McCain, however, publishes all contributions, even amounts smaller than $200.
While Bush is unpopular at home, hostility to the outgoing president appears to be much deeper among expatriate donors than the general population in the United States. Obama's many backers in Europe say they are motivated by a yearning for America to once again be viewed with respect by the rest of the world.
Gerald Wood, an American living in Germany, said he contributed $1,000 to Obama because he wants to see America's reputation restored after it "worsened" during the Bush years.
"For me Barack Obama is the one who can improve America's image," he said, comparing the youthful candidate to John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. "I want more bipartisanship, to give the land a vision."
The amounts raised in Europe are not terribly significant in the costly White House race, but the disparity between the two candidates underscores the Democratic candidate's appeal on a continent where Obamamania seems to have taken hold of expatriates and Europeans alike.
It also may reflect the Obama campaign's adroit use of the Internet as a prime fundraising tool while the McCain camp was for a long time saddled with a Web site that made it difficult for Americans abroad to contribute.
Patricia Toner, a retired IBM employee who lives in southern France, said she gave a total of $2,000 to Obama's campaign after receiving a mass e-mail from a friend during the primary season that contained a link to the candidate's Web site.
"I'm a retired information technology professional and I found their Web site so well crafted," she said.
Mary Jo Jacobi, a Republican who was an adviser to President Reagan and the first President Bush, conceded that Obama had a big advantage over McCain in Internet campaigning.
"A lot of McCain backers were saying it was very hard or impossible to donate over the Web site," she said. "Obama made it easy. Obama has been much more sophisticated about Internet usage, and when you live overseas that's the easiest way to contribute."
She also acknowledged Obama's message of change had drawn a positive response among Americans abroad, pointing out that people who uproot themselves to work overseas are by nature receptive to change. An estimated quarter of a million Americans live in Britain alone.
In London, many of Obama's donors are members of London's high-flying financial and legal elite, and also include information technology executives, architects and a celebrity restaurateur.
It has become fashionable to support him ever since Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch, hosted a high profile fundraiser for Obama in April.
The occupations listed on the FEC reports are impressive: lawyers, corporate vice presidents and chief executives are common.
The Obama list includes corporate luminaries like Joanna Shields, the chief executive officer of the popular Bebo social networking site; Ruth Rogers, co-founder of the exclusive River Cafe and wife of celebrated architect Richard Rogers; David Giampaolo, chief executive officer of the private equity investment company Pi Capital; John Graham, a director of the investment firm Rogge Global Partners; and Cheryl Solomon, general counsel for The Gucci Group.
Each donor is permitted to give a maximum of $2,300 for each election, but since the primaries are regarded as a separate election, a person can make two separate donations of $2,300 before the general election in November. While some gave the maximum, others made contributions in the $10 and $25 range.
McCain also enjoyed support from a number of investment bankers and international banking executives, but he received donations from only 63 individuals in Britain while Obama has about 600 donors.
McCain did receive money from Charles Thompson, with Saudi Petroleum Overseas, and Tom Fenton, a former CBS News correspondent who has long been a fixture on the London journalistic scene.
Thompson refused to discuss his contribution. Fenton, an independent, paid $1,000 to attend a McCain lunch in London so he could sit with the candidate and judge him up close. He said he may also contribute to the Obama campaign as well.
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Obama is going to WIN and I dont care if taxes go up, sooner or later somebody has to start to pay for George W Bushies spending mess he has created. 10 Billion Dollars a Month just to keep the war in IRAQ going.
I bet if McLAME went over to Germany and France his welcome would not be so warm and positive and the REPUBLICANS know that. Blame it on Bush the world thinks the Republican Party are all a group of Haters and War Monsters and spend thrifts.
Did you hear McLame talk about health coverage on Sunday Morning on TV. Its CLEAR as Chrystal that McCain is in bed with the pharmasudical companys and is against any type of National Health Coverage. McLame is super Rich and so is his Wife they dont have to worry about health coverage. McLame is so tied up in the Lobbiests in DC its going to be more of McSame if McLame is elected.
-Same trend back in USA, I guess. Election day will tell. America will tell Repukons, stay in the damp shadow for 12-16 years. Digest what you succked from American''s blood.
''We don''t take money from Washington lobbyists or special-interest political action committees. Instead, we have a base of more than 1.5 million individual donors who ensure that this campaign answers to no one but the people.'' -- and financial records show this to be the case.
Registered lobbyists have donated large amounts of money to Sen. McCain''s campaign, even as he denounces their profession.
So far, McCain has received more than $181,600 from lobbyists and trade groups. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/27/america/27lobby.php
Idiots and their money . . .
I wish that I were still on active duty and stationed in Iraq, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to ask Sen Obama (on INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION), just:
WHAT makes him QUALIFIED to be my Commander-in-Chief?
WHAT is his background on military operations, history, and tactics?
What is his EXPERIENCE with the logistics required to field a mobile force?
Does he even KNOW what an E-6 makes?
Just WHAT does he know about the military?
He''s spouting off all this stuff he wants to do about the War on Terror, well, let''s see a RESUME!
Democrat Has Raised About 10 Times More Than McCain From U.S. Citizens Living In Western Europe"
A fool and his money shall soon part ways.
The Dems woulda been better off nominating...
Also, think about that fact: FOREIGNERS SUPPORT OBAMA OVER MCCAIN! What does that tell you? It proves that Obama is not the best choice for us. Why doesn''t Germany or France let us choose their next president?
your in-laws, parents, grandparents, neighbors and everyone else in America %u2013 each will spend $2,500 or more to reduce poverty around the world. The plan sponsored by Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive
Democratic presidential nominee, is estimated to cost the U.S. some $845 billion over the coming few
years in an effort to raise the standard of living around the globe.
Castro and Obama share many of the same values and principles for the country''s economy:
1. Redistribute the country''s wealth - Marxism 101
2. Grow the size of the government - Create new departments dedicated to supporting Item 1
3. Blame greedy American corporations for the pains of the US and the rest of the world
4 Increase taxes on those already paying the largest percentage and total amount. The top 1% already pay 39% of all taxes.
5 Nationalize healthcare
6 Campaign on a principle based on appealing to the lower income 50% of the US to despise the rich and convince 45% of the other half that their life is miserable so that once convinced of their doom and gloom, they will support the doomsayer and will want bigger government
"Africa First".
7. Convince the public, that America is perceived as evil, thus, hated by the rest of the world.
8. Abandon America''s principle of helping the world rid itself of dictatorships, thus, put our weapons down, throw our arms up, and retreat in shame from Iraq.
9. Support dictatorships throughout the world and elevate them to be recognized by the US as worthy leaders that need to be heard without preconditions - legitimize them
10. Grow the support base by expanding the lowest income class in the country by increasing and broadening entitlements; however, add to that the importation of poverty into the United States by giving Amnesty to well over 20 million illegal aliens in the country. Furthermore, promote this policy in order to attract even more illegal immigration prior to the granting of the amnesty in order to achieve the highest number of "new, uneducated, government-dependent poor class", I call the "new poor".
Go Ahead , take a Look.
11. Dictate to Americans that they should be ashamed for using 25% of the world''s energy while only having 3% of the population and that A/C thermostats in should be set at higher than 72 degrees.
12. Give up America''s sovereignty for the "good of the world" and to save the planet from "global warming" by supporting new treaties on international boundaries, not drilling in ANWR or offshore, but standing by while Castro plans to drill off the Florida coast.
13. Campaigning on a message of "change", because it sounds good.
The list can go on and on, as Castro and Obama share many principles for the formula for a failed state, but one in which the party of the "new poor" remains in power through the growth of government. As this party provides more and more entitlements for its citizens and big government prevails, the country becomes less and less productive. Eventually, America''s economy is no better off than Cuba''s. Therefore, Fidel, go ahead and send Obama that box of Cohibas, for he is a Marxist just like you.
cant even recall what he did a few weeks ago can he?
Apparently its ok if McCain campaigns in other countries with $1000/plate dinners making speeches to butter up war mongering greedy pigs, but its NOt ok for Barack to give a free speech on world affairs to the general public?
nice.