Obama For America to Continue Administration Trend Of Corporate Cronyism

While President Obama continues to speak about championing the middle class, small business, and transparency, he and the advocacy group supporting his agenda continue to receive a surprising amount of financial support from big business and big donors. Of course, in public, the president berates big business. It seems a new advocacy group dedicated solely to promoting Obama's agenda will follow this path as well. Furthermore, while the Obama Administration has cut White House tours, citing "sequestration," if you want access to President Obama, the fee is $50,000. That was the price to attend an Organizing For Action event at which President Obama spoke last month.

In a Washington Examiner article, Timothy Carney explains how "Obama’s campaign organization has evolved into a Super PAC called 'Organizing For Action,'" established exclusively to support President Obama's agenda. The OFA board of trustees must each raise $500,000, and all members receive four meetings a year with President Obama. As it turns out, that is the price of access to the president, nowadays. An even more exclusive donor club consists of those raising at least "$1 million for two consecutive years." That "30-member board will include a 10-person council made up of 'leaders in industry' committed to supporting the group’s agenda." There will also be a "task force on policy, whose chairmen will be expected to raise at least $250,000 to finance advocacy work on specific issues." This information can be found on a memo that describes OFA‘s finance leadership levels. Thus far, OFA has involved itself in gun control and immigration. In a conference call with fund-raisers, "the group’s leaders said they expect to take on climate change issues" soon.  

While OFA refuses to accept corporate cash, in the same way campaigns are not allowed to do so, wealthy higher-ups of corporations are still free to donate. Furthermore, "in private meetings and phone calls, Mr. Obama’s aides have made clear that [OFA] will rely heavily on a small number of deep-pocketed donors, not unlike the 'super PACs' whose influence on political campaigns Mr. Obama once deplored."

We know President Obama has no problem getting cozy with corporations. General Electric's CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, is President Obama's jobs czar. President Obama's first choice to lead Health and Human Services was former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, who advises a "lobbying firm that represents Charles Schwab, Comcast, Lockheed Martin, Verizon and a host of other corporate interests."

As though that isn't unsteadying enough, Google is extremely close to the Obama Administration. Google has donated large amounts of money to President Obama's campaign. "Since 2008, there has been a steady flow of cash, personnel, and technology from Google's California headquarters to Barack Obama." Additionally, Google spent $16.48 million on federal lobbying in 2012, almost twice what it spent in 2011. Google's chairman is one of President Obama's "closest informal advisors, and was even reportedly offered the post of treasury secretary. But Google's biggest contribution, however, has been specially-designed technology, not yet available to the public, which allowed Obama to connect with voters in ways his opponents could not." Google has a strong interest in seeing President Obama succeed. Google supports far-left policy which will benefit itself. As though the matter couldn't be sketchier, while Google was under investigation for "manipulating its searches to favor its own products," it donated "$25,000 to honor the FTC chairman," and Google walked away from the case informally and with no damage done.

If you or your company has a special interest in seeing President Obama's agenda succeed, all you have to do is donate to President Obama’s advocacy group, OFA, in your own name (not your company's name). If your pockets are big enough and you're willing to give "your fair share" to support President Obama's agenda, then you will have no problem having your voice heard by him. In some cases, you might even be offered a top administration position! However, if you are an average citizen, let alone one who disagrees with the president on policy, then … too bad?