Looks like President Obama is hoping to return to the good ol’ Clinton fundraising days. Obama and White House officials have begun a behind-the-scenes push to win over big-money donors for the 2012 election. To lure these “bundlers,” Obama and his aides have been offering perks for everything from access to chief West Wing officials to possible food tastings by the White House chef. Obama’s 2008 campaign broke records for its grassroots contributions—an image Obama would like to keep—but the president has been courting several large groups in recent weeks to get donations the traditional way. Campaign officials have declined to comment on any specific fundraising goal for 2012, but they did say they expect it to be above the $745 million raised in 2008.
