高盛改變支持對象 不再力挺奧巴馬

When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, no major U.S. corporation did More to finance his campaign than Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

2008年奧巴馬(Barack Obama)競選總統時，高盛集團(Goldman Sachs Group Inc.)對其競選活動的資助爲美國大公司之最。

This election, none has done more to help defeat him.

而在本次總統選舉中，在幫助擊敗奧巴馬方面則沒有誰比高盛更賣力了。

Prompted by what they call regulatory attacks on their business and personal attacks on their character, executives and employees of Goldman Sachs have largely abandoned Mr. Obama and are now the top sources of money to presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.

高盛的高管和員工們說，奧巴馬對高盛的業務發動了監管攻擊、對他們的人格發動了人身攻擊。受此推動，他們在本次大選中已基本上拋棄了奧巴馬，現在成了共和黨總統候選人羅姆尼(Mitt Romney)和共和黨的最主要資金來源。

In the four decades since Congress created the campaign-finance system, no company's employees have switched sides so abruptly, moving from top supporters of one camp to the top of its rival, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of campaign-finance data compiled by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

《華爾街日報》對無黨派機構響應性政治中心(Center for Responsive Politics)所彙編的競選活動資助數據進行分析後發現，在美國國會建立競選活動資助體系以來的40年中，還沒有哪家公司的員工曾經如此突然地改變過自己的支持對象，從一個陣營的最大資金支持者轉變爲了其敵對陣營的最大資金支持者。

Employees at Goldman donated more than $1 million to Mr. Obama when he first ran for president. This election, they have given the president's campaign $136,000偉less than Mr. Obama has collected from employees of the State Department. The employees have contributed nothing to the leading Democratic super PAC supporting his re-election.

奧巴馬第一次競選美國總統時，高盛的員工向他捐助了100多萬美元。而在此次大選中，高盛員工對奧巴馬競選活動的捐助只有13.6萬美元，比奧巴馬從美國國務院(State Department)工作人員中募集的捐款還要少。高盛員工沒向牽頭支持奧巴馬連任的民主黨超級政治行動委員會(PAC)捐助過一分錢。

By contrast, Goldman employees have given Mr. Romney's campaign $900,000, plus another $900,000 to the super PAC founded to help him.

與此形成鮮明對比的是，高盛員工捐助給羅姆尼競選活動的資金已經達到90萬美元，此外還向爲幫助羅姆尼當選而成立的超級政治行動委員會捐資90萬美元。

Underscoring the magnitude of the reversal, Goldman has been the No. 1 source of campaign cash to Democrats among companies during the 23 years the Center for Responsive Politics has been collecting such data.

在響應性政治中心收集競選活動資助數據的23年中，高盛曾一直是美國企業中向民主黨人競選捐資最多的公司，這彰顯了高盛此次政治立場的轉變是多麼巨大。

In interviews with more than a dozen past and current Goldman executives, many said they felt betrayed by Democratic lawmakers and the White House, for years considered friendly allies. Several Goldman executives said they didn't want to speak out publicly against the president, and that their donations speak for themselves.

在記者採訪的十幾位高盛前任和現任高管中，許多人都說他們覺得被民主黨國會議員們和白宮出賣了，而他們多年來一直認爲後者是自己的盟友。高盛的幾位高管說，他們不想公開表態反對奧巴馬，他們的捐資行爲可以代表他們的態度。

Jim Donovan, a banker formerly in charge of Goldman's relations with Bain & Co., the private-equity firm run by Mr. Romney, helped draw his colleagues' attention to the GOP candidate. 'As a longtime friend to Mitt and Ann, I can attest that his conviction and strength on fixing the U.S. economy is compelling as are his values,' said Mr. Donovan, who handles Mr. Romney's personal investments. 'That is why there has been such a strong outpouring of support for Mitt from all sectors.'

曾負責高盛與貝恩公司(Bain & Co.)關係的銀行家多諾萬(Jim Donovan)幫了羅姆尼一把，將高盛員工的注意力轉移到了羅姆尼身上。多諾萬當時與之打交道的貝恩公司由羅姆尼運營。他說，作爲羅姆尼夫婦的老朋友，我敢保證，就像羅姆尼的價值觀一樣，他在解決美國經濟問題方面的堅定性和力量也是非常令人信服的；正因爲這樣，羅姆尼纔會從方方面面得到如此強大的支持。多諾萬負責爲羅姆尼打理個人投資。

A Goldman spokesman said, 'Donations are made by individual employees according to their own views.' Goldman is prohibited by law from making corporate donations to political candidates; the firm also has a rule against donating to super PACs and other independent entities.

高盛的一位發言人說，該公司的捐資是由公司員工依據自己本人的觀點採取的個人行爲，高盛依據美國法律不得以公司名義向政治候選人提供捐款；高盛還有一條禁止公司向超級政治行動委員會和其他獨立實體捐款的內部規定。

Resentments against the White House began, said senior Goldman executives, because the firm thought it would be consulted when the Obama administration began crafting regulations in response to the financial crisis. They weren't. Instead, they were surprised by a measure dubbed the Volcker rule, which would damage one of Goldman's lucrative businesses.

高盛的一些高管說，該公司原本認爲，奧巴馬政府開始起草本次金融危機後亡羊補牢的監管法規時會諮詢它的意見，而實際上卻沒有，這時候高盛方面對白宮的不滿情緒開始出現。高盛吃驚地發現，白宮方面反而出臺了一項被稱作“沃爾克法規”(Volcker rule)的措施，它會使高盛一項有利可圖的業務受到損害。

Goldman executives, especially those who had raised millions of dollars for Mr. Obama's election, said they were offended by the president's populist rhetoric, including his famous quip about 'fat cat bankers.'

高盛的高管們（特別是那些當年曾爲奧巴馬的競選活動募集了數百萬美元資金的人）說，他們反感奧巴馬的民粹主義言論，包括那句有關“肥貓銀行家”的著名俏皮話。

Both the White House and the Obama campaign declined to comment on the Goldman contributions.

白宮和奧巴馬的競選團隊都拒絕對高盛的捐資行爲發表評論。

Goldman's changing allegiance reflects a broader turnabout in the financial-services industry, once a top source of campaign cash for the Democratic Party.

高盛改變支持對象的舉動反映出，金融服務業正在更大範圍內發生一場改變所支持陣營的行動，金融業曾經是民主黨最主要的競選資金來源。

Employees of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs - five politically active banks - donated $3.5 million to Mr. Obama in 2008. They have given Mr. Obama $650,000 for the 2012 race, while sending $3.3 million to Mr. Romney.

摩根大通(J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.)、花旗集團(Citigroup Inc.)、美國銀行(Bank of America Corp.)、摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)和高盛是美國五家在政治上很活躍的銀行，其員工在2008年總共向奧巴馬捐資350萬美元。而在2012年的總統選舉中，他們給予奧巴馬的捐款只有65萬美元，給予羅姆尼的捐款則達330萬美元。