Rich People Are Like, If We’re Buying The Election, At Least Give Us a Photo-Op

Jane Mayer’s New Yorker article on presidential fundraising is so, so good. You must read it! It is very long. There is a part in the middle that goes on about campaign finance reform (or, lack of) and PACs but if you slog through you will learn something and get to a really good part about Bill Clinton. It is worth it. It’s also great fun to read about How Things Are For Rich People, and also that President Obama is not very interested in catering to them, which: Fantastic. Dangerous, also, as the article will tell you, but fantastic.

These three quotes are all about Obama’s initial unwillingness to pose with donors. SO MUCH MORE where this came from, really. Read it. Read ittttt. (Read it.)

• One of the simplest ways, she notes, is to provide donors with “grip-and-grin” photographs with the President. “It doesn’t require a lot of effort on anyone’s part, but there’s been a reluctance to do it” in the Obama White House. “That can produce some hurt feelings.”

• This decision continues to provoke disbelief from some Democratic fund-raisers. “It’s as easy as falling off a log!” one says. “They just want a picture of themselves with the President that they can hang on the bathroom wall, so that their friends can see it when they take a piss.”

• Creating a sense of intimacy with the President is especially important with Democratic donors, a frustrated Obama fund-raiser argues: “Unlike Republicans, they have no business interest being furthered by the donation — they just like to be involved. So it makes them more needy. It’s like, ‘If you’re not going to deregulate my industry, or lower my taxes, can’t I at least get a picture?’ ”

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.