US comedian Maher gives $1 million to Obama re-election campaign
US comedian Bill Maher. AP photo
LOS ANGELES — US comedian Bill Maher has donated $1 million to a Democratic super PAC supporting President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
Maher announced the donation to Priorities USA Action on Thursday, saying “having a country governed by Barack Obama rather than any of the Republican candidates” was “worth a million dollars,” his spokeswoman said.
“This is the wisest investment I think I could make,” he said during a live-stream video show, urging other wealthy liberals to do the same and “give until it hurts,” according to the publicist.
Tweeting after the Yahoo online comedy show “CrazyStupidPolitics,” Maher joked: “Most important advice I ever got in show business, as true today as then: always bring ur wallet onstage.”
“Thank u everybody who’s hit me up after the show, and a great San Jose audience. Obama donation was a surprise to Yahoo too fyi!” he added.
Bill Burton, the head of Priorities USA Action and former Obama White House deputy press secretary, tweeted back: “Thx to @billmaher for the generous donation, we’ll direct his $ to our efforts to ‘kick ass’, as requested.”
Other donors to Priorities US Action have included Dreamworks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, who gave $2 million last year, and director Steven Spielberg who donated $100,000, according to the opensecrets.org website.
Obama aides have denied the president had tarnished his claim to be a warrior for the middle class by backing a fund bankrolled by rich donors and corporations fighting for his reelection.
The president will now allow top White House staffers and senior campaign advisors to speak at events organized by Priorities USA Action.
Obama had previously railed at a Supreme Court decision gutting campaign finance laws and allowing such “super PACs” to raise unlimited cash from anonymous donors to pour into negative advertising barrages.
