George Soros Giving $2 Million In Political Donations To Progressive Groups
George Soros is pledging $2 million to two outside groups supporting progressive causes and helping President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and other Democrats running in November, a Soros advisor said on Monday. Soros adviser Michael Vachon said in an email that the billionaire investor is concentrating his giving on grassroots organizing and “holding conservatives accountable for the flawed policies they promote.”
CFTC Will Decide Against Political Gambling
So much for the convergence of politics and finance.
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission is expected to veto a plan to create and market a derivatives product that would enable investors to wager on the victors of political races.
The Nadex planned to offer a derivatives based product called a “political event contract” to sell to individual investors and firms to bet on the 2012 presidential race and congressional races.
Meet Mitt Romney’s Most Influential Supporter: the Hedge Fund Kingmaker
Behind every successful politician, there is a successful man with extremely deep pockets and the power to bend the political world to his personal needs. Meet Paul Singer, defender of the 1 percent, a rising Republican power broker, and a strong supporter of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
Singer is the founder of a $19 billion hedge fund, Elliott Management. Within the hedge fund industry, he has earned himself a reputation as one of the smartest and toughest money managers in the business. His specialty lies in his firm’s extraordinary skill in buying up distressed assets and sovereign debts at a deep discount, then sued the companies or countries for the full face value of the assets it purchased.
Meet The Billionaires Who Are Bankrolling Election 2012
If you have enough money, you can control the world. Or at least you can try to.
Even as billionaire Harold Clarke Simmons tries desperately to knock our “socialist” president out of office, other billionaires have been more subtly attempting to shape the political fate of the United States.
Who are these secretive men and women–and who do they support?
Upper East Side Madam’s First Big-Name Client REVEALED
DNAinfo today broke the news that the All-American boy turned creepy sleazeball John Edwards was allegedly one of Anna Gristina’s clients.
He spent the evening in the company of one of Gristina’s prostitutes back in 2007, in the midst of a NYC stop on his 2008 presidential campaign tour.
The prostitute recognized him and reported the liaison immediately, but the DA decided not to involve the feds at the time.
Meet the Texas Billionaire Who’s Paid $18 Million and Counting to Defeat Socialist Obama in 2012
And you can expect that number to double before the election cycle is over.
Texas billionaire Harold Clark Simmons is doing everything in his power to make sure that any Republican–he doesn’t much care which–knocks President Obama out of office this year.
Can Clinton Redeem Obama in the Eyes of Wall Street?
President Obama has enlisted former president Bill Clinton in the hopes of gaining more deep-pocketed donors.
From Bloomberg:
Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to make joint appearances with President Barack Obama at a series of campaign fundraisers, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Obama to Wall Street: I’m Lost Without Your Love
Can Barack Obama make amends with Wall Street? Did he really
If he did, he must have quickly realized that life without Wall Street isn’t even worth the trouble. So far, individuals from the investment and securities industry have donated $2.3 million, a far cry from the $7.13 million that they gave by the same point in 2008.The same demographic has contributed ten times that amount to Mitt Romney’s campaign. think he could make it on his own?
Shady Tax Territory–Editor’s Notes, February 24, 2012
Election 2012 is a complex web of contradictions, lies, and missteps. But how could Mitt Romney have avoided his most critical mistake: the fact that his very identity actually alienates him from those who share his profession?
His candidacy brought the lifestyle of the private equity owner into the spotlight once and for all, and now Obama is eager to play the hand he’s been dealt to his advantage. Taxes have long been a divisive issue for Americans–almost everyone seems to feel that they pay too much and others pay too little. Those who shirk taxes or pay high-flying accoutants to “massage” numbers into perfect alignment with tax code are thought of as immoral–or as creative and intelligent.
Is the Attack on Private Equity a Democratic Conspiracy?
We are not conspiracy theorists here at The Wall Street Job Report. However, sometimes it’s hard not to believe that the government works in concert to further their own agenda.
President Obama just announced his plan to change the tax code specifically related to private equity and hedge fund executives. In his class warfare rhetoric Obama decried the current tax rate that private equity professionals pay as unfair, unjust, greedy, evil and downright Romneyesque (ok, we added the last part).
This Is All Your Fault, Stupid Mitt Romney
Previously, these high-earning individuals enjoyed a veil of secrecy in their exclusive 15% tax clubs, accessible only to those with the means to live entirely off of earnings derived from their investments. That beautiful way of life, though, may soon come to a bitter end. Its very existence is threatened by a new tax proposed by President Obama, which would require private equity and hedge fund executives to pay the same tax bracket as the little people who toil away in the jobs their investments create.Who hates Mitt Romney more than Newt Gingrich? Hedge fund and and private equity execs.
Heck Yes Washington Is Corrupt — It’s Legalized Bribery!
The impact of money on politics in the United States is a hotly debated topic.
Disgraced and jailed notorious ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff offers his inside perspective on the corrupt nexus between Wall Street, big money contributors, and politicians. He says:
You can be completely contemptible, frankly, within the system and be completely legal and that is part of the problem of Washington,” he says. “Basically what it comes down to is making a relationship with a senator, Congressman or his staff and then availing oneself of the relationship and going into your friend and seeing if that friend would reasonably agree to the thing you are asking for. And that, by the way, is all fine, except for the money part.
Chris Christie tells Warren Buffett to “Stuff It”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has heard enough from billionaire Warren Buffett, and told him to put up or shut up.
On Tuesday Governor Christie appeared on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” and said, “He should just write a check and shut up. Really, and just contribute. The fact of the matter is that I’m tired of hearing about it. If he wants to give the government more money, he’s got the ability to write a check — go ahead and write it.”
Richard Cordray is Fast Becoming The Most Hated Man In Banking
Richard Cordray, the newly installed head of the Consumer Financial Productions Bureau (CFPB), launched an inquiry into bank overdraft fees.
The consumer watchdog previously announced (as reported in CompliancEX) investigations into collection companies, credit report entities and payday lenders and is now setting its sites on fees charged by banks when consumers overdraw their accounts.
SEC Settlements Continue to Let Garbage Pile High on Wall Street
Once again, the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking worn out and toothless as it tries to clean up the messes piled high and wide on Wall Street.
This week, the SEC settled with two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers whose funds’ collapses marked the start of the financial crisis. In 2007, the managers, Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, blew up their $1.8-billion pair of funds, and now the SEC wants them to pay a fine of $1 million.
Obama and Wall Street: An S&M Relationship?
The worlds of Wall Street and politics are colliding.
Politicians and Wall Street executives have always cultivated a special relationship. Politicians need wealthy benefactors and Wall Street needs politicians to ignore them and let them make money.
Private Equity to Mitt Romney – Please drop out of the race!
The American public had little if any knowledge of or interest in the world of Private Equity.
Then along came Mitt Romney.
The Private Equity space has been very fortunate over the years. This small niche has produced several billionaires while avoiding the white-hot glare of political, public, media and regulatory scrutiny.
Obama’s 2013 Budget Attacks Wall Street, But Makes Compliance Professionals Happy
President Obama introduced his new budget for 2013 with guns blazing, attacking Wall Street and the Republicans.
Obama offered a blistering castigation against Wall Street and demanded significant budget increases for watchdog agencies.
Hedge Fund Manager Cohen Schmoozes with NJ Gov. Christie
You have to admire Steve Cohen’s time management skills.
While running his eponymous hedge fund, the billionaire investor is also reported to be in discussions to purchase stakes in both the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.
And you can now add political power player to the impressive list of Cohen’s accomplishments, which currently includes hedge fund mogul and sports team almost owner.
One comment
To the Editor,
It appears that the current Administration in Washington exhibits little, if any, respect for people who have religious principles.
Witness, the burning of copies of the Koran which are sacred books of one major religion. Despite an alleged apology, the mere fact the incident occurred is ample evidence of a deeply rooted disrespect. “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” when referring to de facto representatives of the Obama Presidency.
Furthermore, witness the Administration’s demand that the Catholic Church, and other Christians and Jews, ignore their principles and beliefs and pay for, and therefore encourage, birth control methods and abortion. Originally, the Administration indicated it respected Religious Freedom, but it has acted otherwise.
In my opinion, these are two of many examples of attempts to sway Citizens and believers away from long held beliefs and away from what they deem to be ethical behavior.
As an aside, one wonders what would be the case if certain companies did NOT profit because of the Obama dictum. Does the old saying “follow the money” apply with Obama’s dictums? Let’s think about this point, too.
Regards.
(I hope the points covered in this correspondence are clear.)
by Edward B. Walsh on February 24, 2012 at 3:53 pm. #