John McCain endorsed by high-profile (and very rich) Hillary Clinton fundraiser

(UPDATE: Updated information attached below.)

Among ardent Hillary Clinton supporters, one of those who most vocally declined to follow the candidate's lead and line up behind Barack Obama was Lynn Forester de Rothschild (born in New Jersey, she married into the famed British banking family in 2000).

Back in early July, as Obama and Clinton briefly worked the fundraising circuit together, de Rothschild made clear she would have none of the push for party unity. At the time, she told CNN that "frankly I don't like [Obama]. I feel like he is an elitist. I feel like he has not given me reason to trust him."

Nothing has changed for her since then, and today she formally announced her support for John McCain. In a statement released by his campaign, de Rothschild said:

In an election as important at this, we must choose the candidate who has a proven record of bipartisanship and reforming government, and that's John McCain. We can't afford a president who lacks experience and judgment and has never crossed party lines to work for meaningful reform.

Amid tough economic times and foreign policy concerns, we need someone who is ready to lead. Although I am a Democrat, I recognize that it's more important to put country ahead of party and that's why I support John McCain.

A lawyer and wealthy entrepreneur in her own right who splits her time between New York and a country estate in England, de Rothschild raised scads of money for Clinton and is a member of the Democratic National Committee's Platform Committee (though perhaps not for long).

The statement from the McCain campaign says she plans to campaign for him through election day. Probably not, however, among the lunch-bucket crowd in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and elsewhere.

(UPDATE: In an appearance this afternoon on CNN, de Rothschild told Wolf Blitzer she had resigned from the platform panel, effective today. Quizzed by Blitzer whether, as a supporter of abortion rights, she was concerned that a McCain administration could result in a Supeme Court that overturns the Roe vs. Wade decision that established abortion as federally protected, de Rothschild said she was not.

(Noting that she is a graduate of Columbia Law School, she argued that abortion rights are protected by the Constitution and that she was confident a future high court would not rule otherwise. She also zinged the Democratic Party for, in her view, using abortion and other social topics, such as gay rights, as "wedge" issues to divide voters.)

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: CafePress.com

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Comments

[Michael]

Hmmm...a racist money grabber that doesn't want to pay more taxes for her wealth -- anyone??

[Whippy]

That would be *Lady* Lynn Forester de Rothschild. She's titled, you know. (And she seems to think she's *en*titled.)

Irony isn't dead.

(And "elitist" seems to be the new "uppity".)

[Robert]

An African American who grew up on food stamps is called an elitist by:

"...A lawyer and wealthy entrepreneur in her own right who splits her time between New York and a country estate in England...:" who married into a British banking family.

What is an elitist?

[Franklin]

Funny that someone who married into a British banking family (ultra-wealthy) finds Obama to be an 'elitist'. Wait, maybe she means he's not rich enough to be president? I mean, McCain's the one married to a billionaire.

That press release sounds like it came directly from the McCain campaign with a blank for her name.

Maybe she's just angling for that McCain tax cut. She'll be the only one he helps.

[KS]

She is calling him "elitist"?! These people are hysterical.

[Jim Brinkmeyer]

Hell hath no fury . . .

This is brilliant. A rich, well connected, white lady turns against the son of a welfare mom who cut his political teeth on the south side of Chicago, derides him for being "elitist."

So now I know we've entered the Twilight Zone. If a novelist wrote a book about this stuff no one would believe it.

[AnPiobaire]

Good for her! If I were here I wouldn't let an elitist within a polo stick's distance of her English country estate!

[DONALD F RIPLEY]

The endorsement of Mc Cain by a former Clinton supporter, baased on experience, fails to consider the fact that Sara Palin may well become President and has little or no experience.
The Rotheschild woman is simply angry and making up silly reasons for her miffed opinion
DFR

[Ferris]

How do we know that she's not just sexist?

[David Brands]

Now I've seen everything. A Rothschild calling Obama an elitist. Classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. A black elitist, no less.

[Andy]

Someone named Forester de Rothschild is calling someone named Obama elitist? That's just silly.

[Howard]

That's funny coming from a true elitist. All I can say is, Good Riddance to Bad Trash.

[Lola Sanderman]

LMAO Oh my God, that is priceless. So the most historically elitist people (the Rothchilds) British-bankers no less, feel that Obama is elitist?

Does anyone else see the irony in this? Is this a person that speaks on middle-class values?

We should listen to Aristocrats now?

Last time I checked, she and the Vanderbilts were not hanging in Obama's circles. But it seems that John McCain is very familiar with the Hampton "summer crowd."

McCain is Middle-American, Middle-Class values-- RIGHT. Wow! The Irony is almost an SNL skit.

[GHM]

You got to be kidding
This moron that tries to own or buy candidates by her money voice counts.
This is trash news.
Stop trying to create news.

[TruAmerican]

A true American soul! Way to go. I registered as a Democrat too. But I am too voting for McCain and Plain!

[Inkfingers]

Hilarious! The wealthy Rothschild believes Obama is "an elitist." She's rather throw her lot in with the populist John and Cindy. 'Nuff said.

[Chris]

Let me see if I've got this straight...

Someone whose biggest claim to fame is that she married into an uber-wealthy european banking family (and is some sort of big hot-shot lawyer/entrepreneur in her own right) has the audacity to call Barack Obama an ELITIST?!

Really? An elitist? Did she really go THERE?

WOW.

[Juviah]

Race will be a factor in this election and I hope we elect the right candidate.

[Daudi]

De Rothchild calls Obama an elitist?! Is that a joke? McCain's scorched earth campaign makes her think that he is going to reach across party lines if elected? Sarah Palin is an example of bipartisanship? Sometimes I wonder who let the crazies out of the loony bin for this election. We are currently reeling from 8 years of idiotic and bull-headed leadership and seem almost destined to continue down the same path.

[Andy Stern]

John McCain's stand on most issues is diametrically opposed to Hillary Clinton's. Barak Obama has closer views. It would seem that Ms. de Rothschild is cutting off her nose to spite her face.

[hst]

She thinks he's an elitist???

[Rudy Acuna< PhD]

I have never believed in royalty or that rich people deserved special treatment. Evidently de Rothschield has been in politics for her own capricious motives. Because she has money she was given a seat in te DNC. A lesser (poorer) person would be dismissed from the body. For people like myself, politics is not a whim or a personal pastime. People depend on policies as to whether they have enough to eat, get medical care, have safe streets, can send their kids to decent schools, buy a home, have meat or other protein on the table. No matter who gets in, Rothschild will have her servants and consume more than her share of resources. The DNC should be ashamed to have let her sup at its table.

[Silas Dogood]

I knew who this was about as soon as I saw the title.

Gee, what a surpise. A wealthy Zionist endorses McCain - who is far more likely then Obama to continue our proxy war on behalf of Israel against Muslims and non-Jewish middle-easterners that has cost Americans literally trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. All on behalf of Israel - and all fomented by neocon agents in the Bush adminsitration and who now advise McCain.

Again - what a shocker! Next stop: Iran.

[Franklin]

Also, since when do random wealthy fundraisers 'campaign' for one of the nominees? Why would anyone but the media care what she has to say in the first place?

I hope this story is carried well and put out into the media. I have a feeling its going to make McCain look even more out of touch. No matter how stupid they think the public are, they really underestimate us when they think having a rich heiress call Obama 'elitist' will carry any water.

Just goes to show how far from it's intended definition they have skewed the term 'elitist'.

[surfer]

Ummm, Obama is an "elitist"??
This from a Rothschild. . .what does that make Obama?
Wow.
Yeah, McCain is real blue collar kinda guy. Uh Huh.