Mitt Romney is making no secret of his allegiances with the banking sector. Does he really think this will win him the election?
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Following reports Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be hosting a lavish $75,000-a-head dinner for bankers on the eve of the Olympics, it seems his donor connections with Barclays go back even further.
Data from the Federal Election Commission show Patrick J. Durkin, a registered Barclays lobbyist, raised a massive $184,630 to the Romney campaign.
In February, the Boston Globe reported that Romney was even name dropping Durkin on invitations:
An invitation to Romney’s policy round-table on Thursday lists Patrick J. Durkin, a lobbyist and managing director of Barclay’s Capital who bundled $606,950 for Romney in the last half of last year, as the financial services “industry chair”.
Romney is not only under fire for cosying up to the banking sector, but CBS reported that most of his top fundraisers remain anonymous:
Romney has not identified all of his so-called fundraising “bundlers” who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, even after President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign released the names of his top fundraisers.
The lack of disclosure prevents voters from knowing who wields influence within a presidential campaign.
Keeping their identities secret could end up stinging Romney — like the mishandled release of his income tax returns – if voters conclude he is withholding politically damaging information.
Last week, Left Foot Forward reported on Romney’s plans to host a private fundraising Olympics dinner for mostly bankers and banking lobbyists.
The Boston Globe reported:
Among those hosting the events is Patrick Durkin, a registered lobbyist for Barclays, which has been at the heart of a rate-fixing scandal. Durkin, who has been a top Romney bundler, is one of seven chairs for the reception and among the 13 co-chairs for the dinner.
Others involved in hosting the events are Dwight Poler, managing director at the European branch of Bain Capital, the firm Romney founded; Raj Bhattacharyya, managing director at Deutsche Bank; andDan Bricken, a managing director at Wells Fargo Securities.
Among the others involved are Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets; Eric Varvel, the chief executive officer of Bank of Credit Suisse; and Gregg Lemkau, who is the Goldman Sachs head of mergers and acquisitions for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
London is one of the world banking hubs, with plenty of Americans who are involved in the securities and investment industries that Romney has targeted. This is Romney’s second trip to London to raise money for his presidential campaign.
• Obscene: Romney to host $75,000 London fundraiser – hosted by a lobbyist for Barclays 11 Jul 2012
• Super Tuesday continues Republican death spiral towards November presidential elections 7 Mar 2012
• Obama’s playing against a weak field, but it’ll never be as bad as last time 21 Feb 2012
• Romney bizarrely pleased that Donald Trump has endorsed him 3 Feb 2012
As Shamik Das wrote on Left Foot Forward:
Bankers, banking lobbyists and other finance industry fat cats pumping millions and millions and millions into Mitt Romney’s election fund – a man who, if elected, will repeal the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (pdf), an Act that implements financial regulatory reform and keeps his chums in check. The Romney campaign: The most corrupt in recent US history?
Mitt Romney is making no secret of his allegiances with the banking sector. Does he really think this will win him the election?
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24 Responses to “Romney’s bankerlove extends as Barclays lobbyist raises $184k for Presidential campaign”
NewsatLeft
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Political Planet
Romney’s bankerlove extends as Barclays lobbyist raises $184k for Presidential campaign: Mitt Romney is making n… http://t.co/bf5NaoIW
Katie Stanton
It upsets me when we go to the trouble of putting innuendos in our headlines and no one notices: http://t.co/smnK3OeH
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Left Foot Forward – Romney’s bankerlove extends as Barclays lobbyist raises $184k for… http://t.co/VJHz7ZQg
Derek Lucas
Romney's bankerlove extends as Barclays lobbyist raises $184k for Presidential campaign, reports @LFFKatie: http://t.co/mgjGRn5l