Thu. September 27, 2012
Chicago, IL -
Joe Ricketts, the TD Ameritrade founder and patriarch of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs, has launched a multi-million dollar TV ad campaign aimed at defeating President Barack Obama.
In one of the ads titled "Why I Changed My Vote", three women explain why they "regret" voting for the president in 2008.
Earlier this year, the Nebraska billionaire considered but ultimately rejected funding an ad tying President Obama closely to his one-time pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., whose race-related comments were repudiated by Obama during the 2008 campaign.
The new $10-million campaign will be paid by Joe Ricketts' Super PAC, Ending Spending Action Fund.
The attacks on Obama launched Thursday coincide with a fundraiser for the Obama campaign hosted by Ricketts' daughter Laura Ricketts, who has been very public about being lesbian.
The Democratic National Committee's LGBT Leadership Council, co-chaired by Laura Ricketts, will host a fundraiser Thursday night with First Lady Michelle Obama at a private residence in Chicago.
Laura Ricketts, who co-owns the Chicago Cubs with her brothers Pete and Tom Ricketts, is also on the board of Lambda Legal. She recently created LPAC, a lesbian Super PAC, with Chicago businesswoman Sarah Schmidt.
When discussing family politics with WBEZ radio in July, Laura Ricketts said, "Each of our political engagement is really driven by deep passion and belief in what is right for this country... .A lot of people say to me, how can you get along?... [But] I don't think we're different from any other family, people just pay a little more attention to what we do."
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