Fortune Portrays Hillary Clinton as Corporate Sweetheart

     After reading all 3,500 words from the July 9 Fortune magazine cover story, “Who business is betting on,” you might think it’s Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)

     According to the story, the liberal Clinton (who has a 95 percent liberal rating from the left’s Americans for Democratic Action) has assembled a parade of CEO endorsements – even from Republicans. Based on that, readers are supposed to believe Clinton is good for corporate America.

     Reporter Nina Easton was spinning just a bit.

     The story claimed one of Clinton’s biggest coups was securing the support of Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack and his wife, Christy Mack. “A Bush ‘Ranger,’ he had raised at least $200,000 for the President’s reelection bid and was one of the most prominent business names on the GOP donor lists,” wrote Easton.

     But John Mack has never been dedicated to solely to Republican Party candidates.  Dating back as far as 1994, Mack has contributed to both Republican and Democratic candidates, according to Opensecrets.org. Those included candidates anywhere on the political spectrum from Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) (who has a 100 percent liberal rating by the ADA) to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R.-Ga.) (who has a 0 percent liberal rating by the ADA).

     Also, the Macks founded the Bravewell Collaborative, an organization that “was established as an operating foundation dedicated to transforming the culture and delivery of healthcare by returning the soul to medicine.” Easton hinted their interest in Clinton was health care related – “The conversation that night [at a dinner meeting the Macks held with Clinton] ranged widely, but always returned to one subject: health-care reform.”

     Clinton actively campaigned for a comprehensive plan to provide universal health care for all Americans in 1993.  The plan was soundly defeated in 1994, but she is still associated with promoting an overhaul of the American health care system.

     Easton’s list from top to bottom was more of a list of rich liberals and corporate pragmatists that have donated to candidates of both parties and not the true portrait of where CEOs in America are politically.

     And who were the CEOs in Clinton’s camp according to the article? 

Sheryl Sandberg, vice president of global online sales at Google. Sandberg was a known Democratic contributor who donated heavily to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Steve Rattner, Managing Principle of the Quadrangle Group, who had a history of donating to liberal causes – totaling more than $700,000. Steven Spielberg , Dreamworks Co-founder and known liberal activist. Haim Saban, CEO of Saban Capital Group, who has already donated over $47,000 to Democratic candidates and Democratic committees in 2007. James D. Robinson, partner of RRE Ventures, who has a long history of campaign donations to both Democratic and Republican candidates. Jeffrey Volk, Citigroup executive, donated to George W. Bush in the 2003 and 2004, but also donated to Sen. James Webb (D.-Va.) in 2006.

      Easton’s article downplayed the corporate backing of the three Republican candidates. However GOP candidates Sen. John McCain, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney all have just as many CEO donors as Clinton according to the Fortune piece.

     Fortune Magazine hasn’t been a beacon of balanced business journalism. Andy Serwer, managing editor of Fortune Magazine, part of Time-Warner’s CNN, has a history of advocating liberal positions on some issues including on minimum wage, gas prices and has often had a pessimistic view of the economy.

     Easton, who has described herself as being “straight down the middle,” has taken the left-of-center position on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report with Brit Hume” discussion panel.

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