Crony capitalism from a guy who constantly attacks the rich. Rich Democrats are not so evil, only rich Republicans.
WASHINGTON — When President Obama named Hillary Rodham Clinton secretary of state after the 2008 election, he turned a rival into a loyalist. But he also lost Mrs. Clinton as one of the most popular Democratic fund-raisers for his re-election effort, since the nation’s chief diplomat is not allowed to engage in campaigning.
No mention of Obama paying off Hillary’s debt.
The same restriction applies to the State Department’s ambassadors around the world, nearly two dozen of whom were fervent supporters of Mr. Obama in 2008, raising tens of millions of dollars for his first presidential campaign. He rewarded these backers with coveted diplomatic appointments to London, Paris, Tokyo and other capitals. Now, as federal employees, they are legally barred from reopening their gilt-edged contact lists.
This pay-to-play scheme is one Obama has used to reward his bundlers with plumb jobs and taxpayer-backed loans.
…More than a dozen current or former ambassadors were listed by the 2008 campaign as being in the top tier of bundlers — fund-raisers who collected a minimum of $500,000 in checks from other donors and bundled them together. The campaign does not disclose specific figures above $500,000; the total for several of these people most likely ran into the multimillions.
Does not disclose? Mr. Transparency does not disclose as he and his surrogates demand Mitt Romney’s tax returns and information on donors to Super PACs. Hypocrites, everyone of them.
…Political appointees to high-profile ambassadorships are often greeted with skepticism abroad as cronies of the president. But they also bring a pre-existing relationship with the president. Mr. Obama, in announcing the appointment of Mr. Roos to Japan in 2009, noted, “He’s somebody who will be able to advise me directly on issues that may arise and opportunities that may arise in the U.S.-Japanese relationship.”
12 paragraphs down, the NYTimes drops this bomb.
…Nearly 80 percent of bundlers who raised $500,000 or more for Mr. Obama were appointed to posts in the administration, according to a 2011 report by the Center for Public Integrity, which tracks campaign finance issues. While most envoys got perches in coveted capitals like Prague, Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen or Oslo, a few were sent to commercially or politically delicate posts like Canada and South Africa.
