Culture of Corruption by Malkin Michelle

Author:Malkin, Michelle [Malkin, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781596986466
Publisher: Regnery Press
Published: 2010-08-09T04:00:00+00:00

LOUIS THE VACUUM CLEANER

Ambassadorships have long been used as patronage rewards for deep-pocketed donors. Clinton did it. Bush did it. And before his first 100 days had passed, Obama embraced business-as-usual, too. In May 2009, the UK Telegraph broke the news that Obama would appoint one of his biggest campaign fundraisers for the post of U.S. ambassador to Britain .76 Louis Susman has no diplomatic experience. But he has beaucoup bucks. The Chicago lawyer and banker (who worked for Solomon Brothers and retired as a Citigroup vice chairman in February 2009) gallivants with the Kennedys and the Kerrys in Hyannisport and Nantucket. He has raised massive amounts for Democrats since the Carter era. He bundled between $200,000 and $500,000 for Team Obama and is known as “The Vacuum Cleaner” and “The Big Bundler” for his fundraising prowess .77 (Research indicates that no reporter has ever asked how many homes Susman owns.)

The Washington Post’s Al Kamen tallied up more ambassadorial candidates from the money pit: Entertainment mogul Charlie Rivkin—who headed up Obama’s California fundraising operations, raking in $500,000 for the campaign and another $300,000 for the inaugural—was the leading candidate for a post in France. Boston money man Alan Solomont, who also bundled the same amounts for the campaign and inaugural, was the leading candidate for the ambassadorship in Spain.

About one-third of all ambassadorships are political appointees. Barack the Change Agent told the press he would not abandon historical precedent and that it would be “disingenuous” to commit to anything less.78

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