Republican
fundraisers on Wall St shy away from Bush By David Wighton in New York and James Harding in
Washington Published: August 26 2004 20:58 | Last
updated: August 26 2004 20:58
Wall Street's enthusiasm
for US President George W. Bush appears to have cooled as
the presidential race tightens and concerns grow about
foreign policy and fiscal deficits.
Some leading fundraisers of Mr Bush's re-election bid
have stopped active campaigning and others privately voice
reservations.
The New York financial community is expected to give the
Republicans a lavish welcome when the president's party
arrives for its national convention next week. Wall Street
has been a big contributor to Mr Bush's record-breaking
re-election fund. But one senior Wall Street figure, once
talked of as a possible Bush cabinet member, said that he
and other prominent Republicans had been raising money with
increasing reluctance. “Many are doing so with a heavy heart
and some not at all.” He cited foreign policy and the
ballooning federal deficit as Wall Street Republicans' main
concerns.
A Republican in the financial services industry concurs.
“Many of them may be maxed out,” he said, referring to
campaign contributions that have hit the legal ceiling, “but
they are backing away from Bush.”
The deficit has been criticised by Peter Peterson,
chairman and co-founder of Blackstone Group, the New York
investment firm, and former commerce secretary under
President Richard Nixon. In his new book, Running on Empty,
he accuses both parties of recklessness but attacks the
Republican leadership for a “new level of fiscal
irresponsibility”.
One New York dinner in June 2003 raised more than $4m,
partly thanks to the efforts of Stan O'Neal, chief executive
of Merrill Lynch. Yet Mr O'Neal has done no fundraising for
the campaign at all since then and friends say he is not
supporting Mr Bush. “He is best described as independent,”
said one. Another senior Wall Street figure, who has given
money to the campaign, said he was among many Wall Street
bosses who were impressed with Mr Bush's handling of the
September 11 attacks. “But since then, I have lost faith
over foreign policy and tax,” he said.
Even those who are campaigning for Mr Bush sound
increasingly defensive. “Whether or not you like him, you
can't change leaders during a war,” said the head of one
Wall Street firm.
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