While Barack Obama likes to talk about how he’ll change Washington, and how it’s wrong for Washington insiders to be making big bucks from other Washington insiders, Obama once again is just talk. Jen Rubin links to an article showing that Barack Obama in just a few short years has taken in over $126,000 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, more than any other politician in D.C. except one. Here are the top ten:
All Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign Contributions, 1989-2008
| Name | Office | State | Party | Grand Total | Total from PACs |
Total from Individuals |
| Dodd, Christopher J | S | CT | D | $165,400 | $48,500 | $116,900 |
| Obama, Barack | S | IL | D | $126,349 | $6,000 | $120,349 |
| Kerry, John | S | MA | D | $111,000 | $2,000 | $109,000 |
| Bennett, Robert F | S | UT | R | $107,999 | $71,499 | $36,500 |
| Bachus, Spencer | H | AL | R | $103,300 | $70,500 | $32,800 |
| Blunt, Roy | H | MO | R | $96,950 | $78,500 | $18,450 |
| Kanjorski, Paul E | H | PA | D | $96,000 | $57,500 | $38,500 |
| Bond, Christopher S ‘Kit’ | S | MO | R | $95,400 | $64,000 | $31,400 |
| Shelby, Richard C | S | AL | R | $80,000 | $23,000 | $57,000 |
| Reed, Jack | S | RI | D | $78,250 | $43,500 | $34,750 |
| Reid, Harry | S | NV | D | $77,000 | $60,500 $16,500 |
You can go to the article to see the rest of the chart. John McCain received about $21,000. As Rubin points out, the reason the politicians at the top of the list received so much cash was because the companies knew that they could count on them to do what they wanted them to do. So while Obama pontificates about special interests controlling Washington, he’s been in on it from the very start of his Senate career.
[...] I’ve already written that Barack Obama, after less than four years in the Senate, already has received the second highest amount of “campaign contributions” from the failed Fannie Mae corporation, to the tune of $126,000. Ace links to a new video from C-Span wherein the CEO of Fannie Mae calls the Democrats and the congressional Black Caucus their “friends and family”. The collapse of Fannie Mae is a gigantic boondoggle which will cost the taxpayers billions of dollars. And it is all due to Fannie Mae’s friends, like Barack Obama, who for years have been payed off to overlook the abuses that were taking place at the company. As Ace says, McCain really needs to make a campaign ad about this. Everyone should understand what happened here due to Barack Obama and the others who were involved. [...]
Democrats created the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac problems years ago, in a well intentioned but failed effort to allow low income groups to buy houses. They stopped ALL eforts at reform until it was too late. Now they are trying to blame Bush, McCain and Republicans, everyone but themselves. That’s the Gods truth and here is the proof:
http://strategicthought-charles77.blogspot.com/2008/09/democrats-created-fannie-mae-and.html
Absolutely correct. And Obama was paid a lot of money to look the other way. So Obama must be held accountable.