Former President Bill Clinton’s persuasion skills have led to a million dollar payday for a pro-Obama Super PAC from the most likely of sources: billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros.
Soros’ consigliere Michael Vachon challenged a room full of wealthy liberals from the Democracy Alliance to boost President Barack Obama’s campaign by writing big checks to the Priorities USA Action Super PAC, which can rake in unlimited amounts of cash. Soros’ announcement came just after the former impeached president beseeched the wealthy liberals to chip in, according to the New York Times.
A longtime political adviser to Mr. Soros, Michael Vachon, made the announcement at a luncheon on Thursday hosted by the Democracy Alliance, a group of liberal donors who have already invested heavily in building grassroots organizations and research institutes. Mr. Soros will also give an additional $500,000 to two super PACs backing congressional Democrats. Other donors at the lunch were expected to commit between at least $10 million more to Democratic super PACs, suggesting that many — like Mr. Soros — had overcome their aversion to the purely advertising-oriented super PACs.
That aversion may be overstated. The Alliance, a secretive group of wealthy liberals that does not disclose its donors, lifted its prohibition on giving to campaigns and Super PACs in 2011, following a visit from Vice President Joe Biden. Representatives from Priorities USA and the White House have attended several Alliance meetings since then and a handful of the group’s members have stepped up their donations to Obama’s reelection effort in 2012.
Alliance leaders have pledged to pump $100 million into the 2012 election—a steep figure given it only has 150 members.
The Alliance has not responded to numerous requests for comment from the Washington Free Beacon.