Mr. Miser and the Black Presidential Candidate

I think, as a society, we have a very base understanding of misers. Misers, in our eyes, are very bitter and angry and old men who like to walk about in black felt car coats or (in the warmer months) wool black three-piece suits. They probably have a watch at the end of a fancy chain. There's a chance they have a son named Chad, Gregory, or Winston, and there's a chance they have a daughter named Muffy, Shelia, or Emily (girls names are always less pompous). And, it is assumed, they vote Republican.

Wait, what?

"[Carl] Pohlad, the banker, investor and Twins owner, and his family have contributed or bundled as much as $217,000 for Obama, Politico reported."

Now, the word "bundled" seemed a bit odd to me and my liberal arts education, so I looked it up. According to the same website, Politico:

The participation of these surrogate fundraisers in presidential politics coincides with a rise in campaigns’ reliance on “bundlers,” people who tap into their own networks to steer donations to a candidate.

The system was refined by the past campaigns of President Bush, who nurtured competition between fundraisers who pledged to drive between $100,000 and $200,000 to the 2004 reelection campaign. In exchange, the bundlers gained better access to the president through exclusive events and, potentially, influence after the election.

None of this seems to apply to Old Carl, because he is really really old. Like, super old. Dude's turning 93 later this month, so it doesn't really seem like he's shooting for one of these coveted places within the government. If you've ever seen him at a public event, he seems barely able to stay alive, much less awake, much less awake and resting in his newly-appointed position as Ambassador to Tahiti. This would seem to be coming from the family more, although there isn't available information on individual donations in this story. I really hope it's mostly the family, because that points to them wanting to do the right thing, which would also include signing Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds and having them hit much home runs.