Obama’s Chicago Fundraising
BY Sarah Laskow | July 14, 2008
Early in his political career, Barack Obama had no qualms about turning to wealthy donors to finance his campaigns, it seems. Folded into Ryan Lizza’s long account of Obama’s Chicago days are details about the Democratic nominee’s first forays into fundraising.
“Obama was adept at gliding back and forth between the South Side, where he campaigned for votes, and the wealthy Gold Coast, the lakefront neighborhood of high-rise condominiums and deluxe shopping, where he raised money,” Lizza writes in The New Yorker.
For anyone who’s wondered how Obama became friendly with controversial developer Tony Rezko, Lizza’s description of Chicago politics offers one explanation. While Obama’s political career was blossoming, the traditional system of patronage jobs was declining, and the power of money was ascendant, according to Lizza. Donations from developers like Rezko and other moneyed interests were seen as the key to winning office.
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