Obama’s bundlers occupy dozens of key positions

Barack Obama has long decried the corrupting influence of money in politics. As a candidate, he ran against lobbyists and the pay-for-play culture of Washington. As president, he has continued to hammer the theme, most recently in his impassioned attacks on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission.

Given this, it’s a little surprising to learn that Obama has not only embraced the sordid money-driven culture of DC, but actually outdone his predecessors. An analysis by the American Foreign Service Association, for example, found that Obama has stuffed the diplomatic corps with more political appointees (i.e., cronies) than any president in the past 40 years. Only a year into the administration, close of half of the president’s biggest donors already have federal jobs.

Below is a list of Obama campaign bundlers and the taxpayer-funded positions they’ve received:

The Big Changers’ Club ($500,000+)

Avant, Nicole (Los Angeles, CA)
Position: Ambassador to the Bahamas

Barzun, Matthew (Louisville, KY)
Position: Ambassador to Sweden

Beyer, Don (Alexandria, VA)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Bleich, Jeff (Piedmont, CA)
Position: Ambassador to Australia

Danzig, Richard (Washington, DC)
Position: Member, Defense Policy Board

Donahoe, Eileen Chamberlain (Washington, DC)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to UN Human Rights Council

Eacho, William (Bethesda, MD)
Position: Ambassador to Austria

Forester, Christine (San Diego, CA)
Position: Member, Presidential Committee on the Arts and Humanities

Genachowski, Julius (Washington, DC)
Position: FCC Chairman

Gips, Don (Boulder, CO)
Position: Ambassador to South Africa

Gutman, Howard (Washington, DC)
Position: Ambassador to Belgium

Harris, Scott (Washington, DC)
Position: General Counsel, Department of Energy

Katz, Allan (Tallahassee, FL)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Portugal

Kennard, William (Washington, DC)
Position: Ambassador to the European Union

Oreck, Bruce (Boulder, CO)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Finland

Overton, Spencer (Chevy Chase, MD)
Position: Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy

Perrelli, Tom (Arlington, VA)
Position: Assistant Attorney General

Rivkin, Charlie (Los Angeles, CA)
Position: Ambassador to France and Monaco

Roos, John (Hillsborough, CA)
Position: Ambassador to Japan

Sanchez, Frank (Tampa, FL)
Position: Undersecretary of International Trade

Solomont, Alan (Boston, MA)
Position: Ambassador to Spain

Spinner, Steve (Menlo Park, CA)
Position: Loan Programs Advisor, Department of Energy

Stroum, Cynthia (Seattle, WA)
Position: Ambassador to Luxembourg

West, Tony (Oakland, CA)
Position: Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division