Corporate Leader Daily § Round 1: Obama vs. Hillary

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Corporate Leader Debate : Round 1: Obama vs. Hillary

Cash is king in campaigns. We talk to the money men who round up contributions.

By: Hilary Lewis
Premiere Issue , Page 18

Sure, politicians have always loved corporate America for its clout. Now they want money: With PACs neutered and individual campaign contributions ascendant, “bundlers” who can leverage colleagues and contacts to turn small individual units ($2,300 for the primary; $2,300 for the general election) into big collective sums are the fundraising superstars. Corporate Leader faces off two top CEO bundlers supporting the Democrats. (Next issue: the Republicans.)

Candidate
Hillary Clinton	Barack Obama
Bundler
Haim Saban, CEO, Saban Capital Group	Steven McKeever, CEO, Hidden Beach Recordings
Campaign Position
One of Clinton’s largest individual fundraisers	Member of Obama’s California finance committee
Money Raised
More than $1 million	In the low- to mid-six figures
Why Her?	Why Him?
“She’s proven her leadership capacity and ability to work across the aisle and build consensus in the Senate, and that’s the kind of change we need. She is a hawk on national security, but she’s pragmatic, and she has the Clinton name, which is second to none in terms of building bridges with other countries around the world.”	“His character is astounding, and he’s extraordinarily smart. I know what this country looks like around the world, and I can’t think of a better way to send a new message than to have Barack as our president.”
What are you doing to raise money?
“I’m on a mission to do all I can as a private citizen to make sure she ends up as president.”	“Twisting people’s arms at dinner tables.”
Is your candidate anti-business?
“She’s not anti-business. Put your personal interests aside and think about the country. So maybe the big insurance companies will make $4 billion a year instead of $5 billion, but thousands of people would have health care. So, tough!”	“He’s very pro-business; he’s always looking at a rounded picture. The exception might be really outrageous examples of CEO pay, but I’ve never heard him say anything that’s a threat to business.”