Obama Wins Over Chicago Fed's Canning, a Top Bush Fundraiser

[BeyondGeography]

Jay Newton-Small
Wed Apr 25, 12:09 AM ET

<April 25 (Bloomberg) -- John Canning has impeccable Republican credentials: He was a Pioneer, one of President George W. Bush's top fundraisers. He's the head of a leveraged- buyout firm. He's the deputy board chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Now he has given the maximum campaign contribution, $4,600, to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).

Canning says he's fed up with the Republican Party. ``It's become a party that's taken Neanderthal positions on things like stem-cell research and global warming,'' Canning, who was appointed to the Fed post in 2004, said in an interview. ``I no longer find myself on the same page.''>

<...One Bush Pioneer who contributed to Obama, Framingham, Massachusetts-based Staples Inc. founder Thomas Stemberg, also gave to Romney, a former governor of the state. He didn't return phone calls seeking comment. Another, Chicago publicist Jayne Carr Thompson, declined to discuss her contribution to Obama except to say, ``He is a great representative of Illinois.''>

<...Obama also is attracting support from Republicans who aren't prominent in business. It's hard to go to one of his events and not meet at least one Republican, either curious about the senator or already converted.

Until two weeks ago, Kristen Martin was a lifelong registered Republican. On April 15, she wore a blue ``Obama Volunteer'' T-shirt while working a $25-a-person fund-raising crowd in Tampa, Florida.

``One of the reasons I support him is his stance on the war in Iraq,'' said Martin, 31, a registered nurse. ``It's just kills me the way we're viewed overseas.''

David Warden, 50, spent 30 years in the Navy, retiring with the rank of master chief. At an Obama low-dollar fundraiser in Milwaukee on April 15, he blushed and said he was a lifelong Republican.

``I like his perspective, his fresh ideas,'' said Warden, who gave $25 and said he's not considering any other candidates. ``This is the first Democrat I've ever supported, let alone gave money to.''>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070425/pl_bloomberg/a57jfm1ofyvy_1

[Bombtrack]

1. Another example of Obama's unique ability to appeal to centrists as well as he does hardcore lefties

2 media examples I can think of are Matt Stone and Greg "Opie" Hughes (of Opie and Anthony fame) both of which have said they'd vote for him despite their shows annoying propensity for dumb Republican bullshit getting a free pass.

[rox63]

2. Impressive!

I'm still undecided about which Dem to support in '08. But I'll have to pay closer attention to what Obama's saying that's winning over these unlikely supporters.