Inaugural Donations Hit Web

Wondering if your neighbor gave $50,000 to help Obama stage his inauguration? Now there’s an easy way to find out. In a bid to continue the transparency of Obama’s campaign, his Presidential Inaugural Committee launched a website yesterday that lists all contributions of more than $200. So far the committee has raised $10 million, which will be put toward JumboTrons and fruit punch, among other things. In a departure from 2004, when President Bush raised $18 million from corporations, trade associations, and company executives, Obama has banned contributions from corporations, foreigners, and lobbyists. He’s also put a $50,000 cap on donations. “From the beginning, we’ve said we’re going to plan the most open and accessible inauguration in history, and that includes using 21st-century technology to give the American people access to information about donors to our committee,” PIC co-chairwoman Penny Pritzker said in a statement.