As you may have heard, President Obama will be running for office again. In 2008, he had a whole bunch of support from Wall Street, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and a bunch of whole hedge fund managers. Things got slightly tense in the last few years and while some financiers vowed to never, ever trust Obama with their hearts again (not after what he did to them!), some remained loyal and others can be gotten to. Prior to announcing his reelection campaign, the President held a meeting at the White House, organized by the DNC and attended by bankers and hedge fund managers, with two goals. Goal number one: getting a few things straight and goal number two: seeing who can be counted on.
The event…kicked off an aggressive push by Mr. Obama to win back the allegiance of one of his most vital sources of campaign cash — in part by trying to convince Wall Street that his policies, far from undercutting the investor class, have helped bring banks and financial markets back to health…“The first goal was to get recognition that the administration has led the economy from an unimaginably difficult place to where we are today,” said Blair W. Effron, an investment banker closely involved in Mr. Obama’s fund-raising efforts. “Now the second goal is to turn that into support.”
A few weeks later, Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, held meetings with Wall Street donors, including one held at the home of Avenue Capital founder (and Hillary turned Barack supporter) Marc Lasry. Next month, Obama will “dine with bankers, hedge fund executives and private equity investors at the Upper East Side restaurant Daniel.” Tasting menus won’t be enough to sway everyone, though, which is why the president has enlisted some wingmen to help him get the job done.
Mr. Obama’s campaign has deployed a corps of loyal Wall Street supporters who have fanned out to defend the president’s record and stoke fatigued donors. They include Robert Wolf, the chief executive of UBS Group Americas; the hedge fund managers Orin S. Kramer and Eric Mindich; and Mark T. Gallogly, a co-founder of Centerbridge Partners. Mr. Mindich and Mr. Wolf were among those at the White House meeting, along with some prominent names from the hedge fund world: James G. Dinan of York Capital Management, Glenn Dubin of Highbridge Capital Management and Paul Tudor Jones…The campaign and its allies are also seeking to recruit a new group of high-level bundlers, supporters who recruit other donors. They include Antonio Weiss, the global head of investment banking at Lazard; Charles Myers, a senior managing director at Evercore Partners; and James E. Staley, the head of JPMorgan Chase’s investment bank.
The campaign is also courting prominent Wall Street figures who could serve as Mr. Obama’s ambassadors at firms known for leaning Republican: Lenard B. Tessler, a managing director at Cerberus Capital who donated to Mr. Romney and Mrs. Clinton in 2008, and Hamilton E. James, the president of the private equity behemoth Blackstone.
Whoever reels in this guy sleeps in the Lincoln bedroom on Inauguration night and no questions asked about stealing robes and other “mementos” during checkout.
Ya Lennie was on a plane when the IC voted on Chrysler. Someone want to get him up to speed?
To all my fellow hedge funders and i-bankers,
Obama is a lost cause, please join me for my important fund raising effort the resign jose reyes 2012 campaign. black tie dinner at citi field tuesday night vs. the padres.
-D. Einhorn
We’ve tried this President thing and it hasn’t worked all that well, perhaps we could go without one the next term and see how that goes?
Me: 6 minute abs? What? No!
Me: Step into my office?
You: Why?
Me: Because you’re fired, that’s why!
I never thought I’d say this on DB post about Obama, but Reyes has got a .370 BABIP working right now. Einhorn would be wise not to overpay him in ’12
And the third goal of the event was to show that Mr. Obama could make monkeys fly out of his ass.
Robert Wolf’s campaign contribution: an expired $25 for $30 coupon at Applebees
make “becoming funny and/or intelligent” a goal of yours before commenting again.
This guy’s got some f*cking nerve
I know, sooo immature
-Guy with a serious monkeys flying out of ass problem
asking for money with one hand while fisting the economy with the other.
Did you ever watch Waynes World?
-guy who didnt think the post was especially funny but at least got the reference.
is the NKI
but way more visceral in Bruce Almighty….
-guy who only watched it for the Jen Anniston climax scene, and who is also really sick of the “guy who” add-ons…
you’re an idiot.
wonder what color obama’s wristband is?
What about Chicago?
He should consider having the next event at Minetta’s.
One would think the chairman of UBS Americas might have something more pressing to attend to…
To Do:
1) Raise $$$ for Barry
2) Put finishing touches on resume
3) Mail out cover letters
Bess,
You forgot to mention the entertainment. Apparently, Emma Lasry performed her hit single “Closet Bitch”.
Obama is POS
Highbridge Capital and Centerbridge Capital were both invited to the White House. Those guys at Lowbridge Capital must be so pissed they didn’t get invited.
-AIG Quantitative Hedge Fund Analyst
What about HandBridge?
Is that you, Dimon?
I guess I’m not a “Fat Cat Banker who does not get it” so long as I hand off a lump sum to the campaign effort? Total hogwash. I’m thinking that if my bank pays enough, then Holder will put a nice big splash of blood on my door and I can continue to short what my brokers are pushing, right?
Too busy working.
Bank executives think they’re being treated to a nice event when really he got the place booked on a Groupon deal.
So guys, about that whole vilifying you, taxing the shit out of you, and laying waste to your business model thing…Bush’s fault.