NPR: Obama Talks About Money from Oil Co. Employees

Obama Talks About Money from Oil Co. Employees

Getting money from someone who works for an oil company and getting money from oil companies are different things. So says Sen. Barack Obama.

In an interview with the South Bend (Indiana) Tribune, reporter Ed Ronco asks Obama about his commercials that say he doesn't take money from oil companies. Here's the transcript of the exchange:

Tribune: In that same commercial [where Obama talks about a windfall profit on oil companies], you're at a gas station and you say you don't take money from oil companies. Nobody takes money from oil companies, because corporations can't give to campaigns. And critics have said that you do take some money from CEOs of those companies.
Obama: Well, what you said is not entirely true. Oil companies have PACs (political action committees). Oil companies have lobbyists. They organize and provide big bundles of money to candidates all across the board. And we don't take money from PACs and we don't take money from lobbyists. Not just from oil companies -- we don't take drug PAC money, we don't take insurance PAC money, we don't take bank PAC money or lobbyist money. So it's true that I've received money from various people who might work in the oil industry, because we campaign nationwide, we get money from everybody. We've got 1,300,000 donors. But that would include a guy who works at the gas station at the corner who sent me $25 over the Internet.

Interesting how the CEO of an oil company who donates to Obama was sort of magically transformed into the guy who works at the corner gas station and gives $25. Now that's political spinning at its best.

After the interview, Obama went on to give a speech before an overflow crowd of 3,500 at South Bend's Washington High. South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke gave a "surprise" endorsement of Obama. "Because he connects our minds and our hearts," Luecke said of supporting Obama. "He makes so many different connections."

The event at South Bend was the first stop in a three-day tour of Indiana, which holds its primary on May 6th. Recent polls have basically shown Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton in a tie among the state's Democratic voters.

10:10 AM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

This is common sense. What makes it a politcal spin?

Sent by Independent | 10:22 AM ET | 04-10-2008

Obama is hair-splitting, but so are you. The key difference between his campaign and the Clinton campaign:
"We don't take money from PACs and we don't take money from lobbyists... we don't take drug PAC money, we don't take insurance PAC money, we don't take bank PAC money or lobbyist money."

Sent by davidconnell | 10:22 AM ET | 04-10-2008

Mayor, if he connected with your MIND you might be singing a different tune.

This whole thing with Obama reminds me of Chance the gardener from "Being There." LOL

Sent by deek | 10:43 AM ET | 04-10-2008

Whoops, I gotta read a little better next time. I still say you might be using the heart over the mind anyway, mayor.

Sent by deek | 10:44 AM ET | 04-10-2008

How do you expect him to answer with sniper fire raining down all around him?

This is a dead letter issue. While Obama is talented, he is still a politician. He's just much more palatable when he spins than HRC is when she lies.

Sent by Sweetie | 10:59 AM ET | 04-10-2008

When I see and hear Obama speak I'm reminded of the childhood fable, "The Emperors New Clothes" or some story like that...when will the Obama Campaign get that America is beginning to see thru the rhetoric and will soon wake up from his deceptions being touted as transparent honesty...barf bag now!

Sent by ard | 11:15 AM ET | 04-10-2008

Tell me this story was dug up by the intern at NPR.

Sent by Roger | 11:53 AM ET | 04-10-2008

This feels like anti-Obama spin on your behalf. Obama's average donation close to the minimum. With 1.3 million donors, it's clear that if he is getting individual contributions from employees of oil companies, it's certainly not making him beholden to them. If this post were fair, it would contrast that with the other candidates who do take lobbyist and PAC money.

Sent by anonymous | 12:16 PM ET | 04-10-2008

How do we know they really have 1.3 million distinct donors and not a pile of donors giving small amounts many times over? That would be interesting to find out.

Sent by deek | 12:33 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Ard:
If Obama reminds you of the "The Emperors New Clothes"
I guess Bush reminds me of "ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES" while honorable citizens die in Iraq:- Blackwater, Haliburton and their numerous LLC's KBR laugh all the way to the Bank.
If this does not make anyone sick, I wonder what does.

Sent by Christy | 12:43 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Deek:
Why don't you try experimenting with a few people as donors and send out $40 million in small sums of $25 that would give you an idea of what is involved, let alone keep it a secret.
Please think practical implications before sending stuff out, well no wonder Bush got into the white house twice with this kind of supporters.

Sent by Christy | 12:49 PM ET | 04-10-2008

New rule: if you work for an unfavorable industry that needs to be reformed, you're not allowed to support change.

Sent by Sweetie | 12:58 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Christy,

There is much to be said about those childhood stories...we could learn so much from them...don't you agree? Remember, people really don't change, they just become more visible...

Sent by ard | 1:24 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Christy, it's a legitimate question.

$1 million in $200 undisclosed donations is only 5000 transactions; that could be done in a weekend by a team. Not such a logistical impossibility.

The question remains, how do we know they really have 1.3 million distinct donors?

Sent by deek | 1:28 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Remind me again why I am supposed to care about this particular news item?

Sent by George de Man | 1:49 PM ET | 04-10-2008

HRC is always caught in a bind because she is not as smart as she is perceived to be. There is a reason why she failed the Washington Bar exam.

Sent by Christy | 2:51 PM ET | 04-10-2008

Deek:
That would be a stupid thing to do. That could bring a whole campaign down. That is a secret that cannot be kept, someone would sell for money.
And if you use a few computers that can easily be traced.
Please I do not have to teach you this. Please think.

Sent by Christy | 3:53 PM ET | 04-10-2008

I think just fine, sweetie.

I won't go into the complimicated world of proxy servers and cookies and spoofed IP addresses, that would take too much time here.

That main point is that donations under $200 are not required to be disclosed and if someone or someone's put their mind to it, they could easily transfer millions of dollars in $200 increments with no problem whatsoever.

Again, the question still remains, how do we know they really have 1.3 million distinct donors?

Sent by deek | 12:29 PM ET | 04-11-2008

@deek
The question remains, how do you know that Hillary is not a robot, programmed to win the election and subsequently drop nuclear bombs on the continental USA? Just saying.

Sent by anonymous | 3:45 PM ET | 04-18-2008

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