Wealthy Democrats: Stop 'Anti-Business Behavior'
Some wealthy Democrats and Obama supporters have voiced concerns recently with perceived attacks by fellow Democrats on business and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's business record.
One of Obama's top campaign fundraisers said Tuesday he was disappointed that the campaign would attack Romney's work in private equity while also raising money from private equity firms.
"I think it's difficult to attack or demonize an industry and then take money from it," Don Peebles told BuzzFeed Politics. "I think it's inconsistent. I wonder why the leaders of that industry are supporting him."
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Peebles, who is considered the largest African-American real estate developer in the United States, has raised over $100,000 for Obama's 2012 reelection effort.
Earlier, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he has gotten "disturbed at some of the Democrats' behavior, anti-business behavior, the sentiment, the attacks on work ethic and successful people. I think its counterproductive,"
Calling himself "barely a Democrat at this point," Dimon said he still supports many of the goals of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party.
"It doesn't mean I don't have their values," Dimon said. "I want jobs. I want a more equitable society. I don't mind paying higher taxes. I do think we're our brother's keeper, but I think attacking that which creates all things is not the right way to go about it."
When asked if the Obama White House in particular has been anti-business, Dimon answered, "It's true to say we have not had common collaboration."
Campaign ads were released this week by the Obama campaign and Priorities USA, a pro-Obama super PAC.
The Priorities USA ad features Pat Wells, who lost his job at a steel mill after Bain Capital, the private equity company that Romney led, shut down.
"He'll give you the same he gave us -- nothing. He'll take it all," Wells says of Romney.
A similar ad was put out by the Obama campaign this week. The ad interviews former workers at another steel mill that was shut down by Bain Capital.
"If he's going to run the country the way he ran our business, I wouldn't want him there," one of the former workers states. "He's so out of touch with the average person in this country. How could you care? How could you care for the average working person if you feel that way?"
The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler, who writes the "Fact Checker" blog, gave the ad "one Pinocchio," which means there are no outright falsehoods, but some exaggerations, omissions and "shading of the facts."
"The biggest problem with this ad is that it takes a single data point -- Bain's investment in GS Industries -- and tries to draw larger conclusions about Romney's business practices and his values," Kessler wrote.
The Romney campaign countered with a Web ad highlighting a successful steel plant that grew and created jobs while owned by Bain Capital.
The attacks on Romney's business record echo those made by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry during the Republican primaries.
Vice President Joe Biden continued the attacks on Romney's business record at a speech Wednesday morning in Youngstown, Ohio.
"Romney made sure the guys on top got to play by a separate set of rules. He ran massive debts and the middle class lost," Biden said, according to BuzzFeed Politics reporter Zeke Miller via Twitter.
While Peebles, who was disturbed by the ads, reached out to BuzzFeed Politics to raise his concerns, he noted that he is still supporting Obama.
"I'm definitely a supporter of his, I'm going to remain a supporter of his," Peebles said.
