Barack Obama on a Record-Breaking Fundraising Spree Ahead of 2014 Elections

30 visits to wealthy donors since April

Reason

President Obama may be approaching lame-duck status, but he doesn't want to go quietly into the night, focusing on the upcoming midterm elections far more than previous second-term presidents did, in spite of his approval ratings hitting new lows.

From 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.

It's the campaign that never ends.

Follow these stories and more at Reason 24/7 and don't forget you can e-mail stories to us at [e-mail] and tweet us at @reason247. 

Comments

[The Late P Brooks]

A record-breaking fundraising spree by Barack Obama has seen him make 30 separate visits to wealthy donors since April

Obsessive compulsive campaigning; covered by the Obamacare?

[VG Zaytsev]

The contributions are going to wind up in his pocket.

He's going to be the first billionaire former president - and the media will love him for it.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Campaigner-in-Chief is gonna campaign until either he runs out of money or his wealthy, 1%er fatcat friends do.

[LarryA]

"Wait! Wait! How can that be? Everybody knows that the Democrats are the party of the poor minorities. It's the Republicans that are backed by fatcat 1% donors and evil megacorporations buying elections." [head detonates]

[Rich]

financing efforts aimed at winning back control of Congress in next year's midterm elections

IOW, "doing the business of the People".

[AlmightyJB]

You only have to make the right people happy.

[db]

Yeah, there have been VIP TFRs (temporary flight restrictions) all over the place this year corresponding to these visits. I think general aviation pilots are a little peeved about this (airlines and cargo carriers have special programs with FAA to allow them to more easily deal with flying in and around TFR airspace). Philadelphia and Cleveland are the upcoming visits that are causing problems in the East right now.

[Rich]

What?! I thought the president rode the gravy train!

[db]

There's a TFR over that, too.

[Sevo]

There's certainly one when that lying POS rides from SFO t downtown during rush hour.
The Obots vote for him and that hag anyway.

[Episiarch]

At this point, do Dem candidates really want Obama's endorsement? "Hi, vote for me; the guy who jacked your insurance costs way the fuck up says he endorses me!"

[DJF]

They might not want his endorsement, but they will take any cash he raises.

[db]

Bingo. I just wonder how many donations he's really getting, and how many are coming with "you're stepping back once you're out, right?" strings attached.

[Episiarch]

Even when that cash comes with a photo op and connection to him?

[JEP]

Epi, don't you see the pattern?

Obama will never be poisonous to any campaign because the effects of his actions and policies are delayed long enough so that they can't be accurately tied to any particular cause.

In the meantime between the cause and effect, the media and propaganda machines have ample time to start revising history. Obamacare won't fail because it's a shitty policy, it'll fail because of greedy capitalists, republicans, and people not paying their fair share.

[Episiarch]

I realize that that's the general pattern. But this is a new level of fuckup. It's visible now. People are feeling its pain now. Yeah, in the past, most shitty policies started fucking people well after those who instituted them left office. But not this time. This is why Obamacare is so messed up; it's fucking people now. And next year.

This one's going to be different.

[Ayn Random Variation]

But shriek said nobody's been by hurt this so we all need to calm down.

[Brett L]

"Hey, Barry, no offense, but I'm gonna take this money and motherfuck you with it. For the greater good."

I like it.

[Dweebston]

It's unalloyed fantasy, of course, but I rather hope that in six months Democratic incumbents are competing to distance themselves from the Obamacare implosion.

While I'm indulging in fantasy, maybe a chastized Congress will begin quietly dismembering the most egregious elements of the ACA in preperation for 2016.

[Sevo]

Dweebston|11.13.13 @ 12:48PM|#
"It's unalloyed fantasy, of course, but I rather hope that in six months Democratic incumbents are competing to distance themselves from the Obamacare implosion."

"Dianne Feinstein joins effort to change Affordable Care Act"
http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05el.....-care-act/

[Caleb Turberville]

Let the rent-seeking commence!

[KPres]

Get ready to see George Soros sky-rocket up the Forbes 400.

[The Late P Brooks]

Does he think he can keep all the money when he walks out of the White House for the last time?

I'm pretty sure they changed the rules.

[Caleb Turberville]

when he walks out of the White House for the last time?

I'm pretty sure if a Democrat wins in 2016, Obama will be given the title of Praeses Emeritus and a given the right to reside in the White House for all eternity.

[Rich]

"Let's Not Move!"

[Hugh Akston]

I wonder what the Campaigner-in-Chief is gonna do after the 22nd Amendment escorts him to the door. Most former presidents have bowed more or less gracefully out of the political spotlight, but I have a hard time imagining Barry do that.

[DJF]

I think he will do the usual ex-President thing, spend most of his time playing golf, with a few high profile but low work needed elder statesmen jobs.

I see no big cause that he will champion. I certainly don't see him getting into any job that requires actually dedicated work.

[Caleb Turberville]

I wonder what Obama's presidential library will look like.

Clinton got all symbolic with his design which was to resemble the "bridge to the 21st century."

I think the most appropriate symbolism for the Obama presidential library would be a carbon copy of the George W. Bush presidential library design. It would cause some liberals' heads to explode.

[Brett L]

It'll be a giant bust of His Nibs at the top of a volcano in Hawaii.

[DJF]

"""""Clinton got all symbolic with his design which was to resemble the "bridge to the 21st century.""'''

Wow, is that what it was suppose to be, I thought it looked like a big mobile home on blocks.

"""'I think the most appropriate symbolism for the Obama presidential library would be a carbon copy of the George W. Bush presidential library design. It would cause some liberals' heads to explode."''

Even if it was identical, they would praise it while condemning the Bush one

[Caleb Turberville]

Yeah. It also didn't help that the Clinton presidential library opened with a concert by U2. I don't know how, but Bono actually looked older in 2004 than he does now.

[Sevo]

"U2's Bono Courageously Embraces Capitalism"
"Bono also says, "In dealing with poverty here and around the world, welfare and foreign aid are a Band-Aid. Free enterprise is the cure."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ma.....apitalism/
Stopped clock, or do I owe the man an apology?

[Drake]

So nothing different than today?

[HazelMeade]

I think he'll go back to being a "community organizer". He's going to show his true colors and become an ACORN/Occupy big-wig going around campaigning for minimum wage hikes and bans on fossil fuels and every other prog-tard wishlist item. It will suck worse than having him as President because then he won't be constrained by political expedience. It will be full on socialist bullshit hour.

[Andrew S.]

The 22nd Amendment? You mean that racist law the Rethuglicans passed specifically to make sure that Obama couldn't be re-elected again?

Anyways, I disagree with DJF somewhat. I see Obama starting a foundation, like Clinton, to do... something. He'll lend his face to it and a little time, but otherwise he'll sit back, golf, and collect massive speaking fees.

[Pro Libertate]

Need oodles of money from rich people and corporations to stop rich people and corporations.

[Tim]

Oodles? Listen up gramps, this is 2013 the smallest denomination accepted is the mega-oodle.

[Pro Libertate]

It's probably all giga-oodles with this president.

[0x90]

"oodles of money from rich people and corporations"

For those to whom you refer, this would be seen as a feature, not a bug.

"to stop rich people and corporations."

And this would be believed to be the actual case, without even a hint of irony.

[Pro Libertate]

Our Ironimeter is broken, clearly.

[Tim]

The web is fulla people who just don't get it.

[Libertymike]

At the risk of offending Zeb (no football or sports related posts allowed), I just read of Todd Christiansen's passing, at 57. Besides being a great tight end and Super Bowl winner, he was an interesting guy with a prodigious vocabulary. I always enjoyed his color commentary. He was awesome with the late Charley Jones.

[Tim]

You know else was a great tight end?

[BakedPenguin]

Brooklyn Decker? (NSFW). Oh wait, you said was, not has.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Just win, baby. He was a good Raider.

[Pro Libertate]

Jeez, 57? That's effed up.

[mr simple]

Complications from surgery is the only reason given I could find. That could be a lot of things.

[Libertymike]

Yeah, same here. A couple of reports indicate that he had been suffering from liver problems and that he died during surgery this morning.

[Caleb Turberville]

He was the verbose, extremely literate guy, right? I think I saw him one of those NFL retrospective documentaries about one of the Raiders Super Bowl teams.

Geez, looking at his stats, you would think he would have be selected to the Hall of Fame by now. 5,000 yards receiving, 40 TDs, 5 Pro Bowl appearances, and 2 Super Bowl rings.

[Caleb Turberville]

...and he gained most of those stats in the Jim Plunkett years. Now that's saying something.

[Caleb Turberville]

By the way, as an Alabama fan, I would gladly sacrifice Namath's spot in the Hall of Fame for Stabler to be selected. I think the Snake is still in the Top 10 as far as winningest NFL QBs.

[Pro Libertate]

Definitely better than Namath.

[Caleb Turberville]

Probably equal to or better than Terry Bradshaw:

Stabler: TD-INT: 194-222, Yards: 27,938, 59% passing completion, 75 QB rating, 4 Pro Bowls, 1 NFL MVP, and 1 Super Bowl ring

Bradshaw: TD-INT: 212-210, Yards: 27,989, 52% passing completing, 70 QB rating, 1 NFL MVP, 4 Super Bowls rings, 2 Super Bowl MVPs

[Caleb Turberville]

Oops, Bradshaw: 3 Pro Bowls.

[Ted S.]

Namath is probably the most overrated player ever.

[Libertymike]

One could argue that his 4 seasons between 83 and 86 were the best 4 consecutive years for a tight end in NFL history.

Gosh, talk about a full head of hair!

[General Butt Naked]

He was good, but no Brick Holmes.

[Leigh]

You know what kills me? That a president gets to fly on AF1 all over, campaigning for his TEAM on the taxpayers dime. Those trips cost millions. I bet what it cost the taxpayer for his subsidized travels is far much more that the money raised. I don't know of any better solution as a president that wouldn't violate my libertarian cred, but this is one of those areas that really irks me. You guys have any ideas?

[creech]

Sure, Candidate Paul could promise that any campaign trips he makes as President would be by commercial carrier or chartered private aircraft.

[LarryA]

Secret Service requirements would make such travel more expensive than AF1.

[The Last American Hero]

Charge the DNC for the fundraising trips. Just like if you buy some personal and business stuff on a company credit card - split it out on the expense report and turn it in to the GAO for review and approval.