James Warren reports on Rahm Emanuel’s warchest for Chicago mayor. 23 checks for over $100,000. Note Haim Saban, the big Israel lobbyist, gives nearly a quarter million. How can you go against this guy in the Democratic Party, without some reckoning? You can’t. This is why Obama folded on Netanyahu. He needs Saban. Perelman too. I wonder how many other Israel-right-or-wrong folks gave money. When are we going to have the conversation?
the real story is the head-turning sums for a Midwest mayoral election from very far away.
Israeli-born Hollywood producer Haim Saban and his wife contributed two checks of $110,000 each. Those alone would constitute a sizeable percentage of the total raised by two of Emanuel’s three leading opponents for the nonpartisan election set for Feb. 22. If one doesn’t receive more than 50 percent of that vote, the top two finishers wind up in a runoff.
David Geffen ($100,000), Stephen Spielberg ($75,000) and Eli Broad ($25,000) are among the L.A. notables contributing and doing so just before a Jan. 1 change in Illinois law limiting individual contributions to $5,000 each for primary and general elections. Others giving to Emanuel included Apple boss Steve Jobs and wife ($100,000), Facebook founding partner Sean Parker and entertainment industry figures Jeff Katzenberg ($25,000), Terry Semel, Garth Ancier and agent John Fogelman.
23 individuals wrote checks of $100,000 or more, with eight coming from out of state. Among the 75 donors who gave at least $50,000 are two prominent business figures from the “Right Coast,” namely New Yorkers Donald Trump and Ronald Perelman.
