Even as President Barack Obama and Democrats strive to make “income inequality” a central theme come November’s midterm elections, Obama former campaign manager-turned-Organizing for Action (OFA) chief, Jim Messina, is cashing in on his high-powered corporate crony connections and bagging big bucks in the process.
Messina is delivering $50,000 speeches to big oil groups and foreign governments like the United Arab Emirate of Sharjah.
Politico reports that Messina’s crony capitalist cash dash is raising eyebrows among Democratic insiders. “There’s a freneticism” to it, one former Obama adviser said. “He doesn’t seem to be saying no to anything.”
Messina has taken big money speaking gigs from Western Energy Institute, National Association of Real Estate Investments Trusts, and several health care groups. He also spoke at a big oil conference in Azerbaijan. Last month, the American Gaming Association hired Messina to hawk online gambling. Still, say Messina’s friends, “It doesn’t mean that Jim condones everything that any individual group has done or said or would do.”
Messina is just the latest Obama crony to cash in. According to The Hill, over 30 former staffers, members of Congress, and White House officials with Obamacare experience have walked through Washington’s revolving door to bag millions lobbying on the very law they helped ram through and implement.
Despite scoring $50,000 speeches from big oil–a sum nearly equal to the median household income–Messina’s OFA website says the Obama campaign-turned-advocacy group is busy battling global warming and fighting for “clean energy.”