Obama’s Campaign ATM and other Insights

Power Players

In the fast paced world of politics and this bruising presidential campaign, we can follow the major headlines, but what do the insiders really think were the most interesting and significant developments?

ABC's Diane Sawyer took a pause to catch up with colleagues George Stephanopoulos, Jake Tapper and Jonathan Karl to chew over the things that raised their politically astute eyebrows this week — from Michigan to the Beltway, all the way to Hollywood.

After Rick Santorum almost won the Michigan primary on Tuesday, we learned from ABC News' Jonathan Karl that the conservative candidate had some help from unlikely voters. Democrats. He caught up with a couple of Democrats in Michigan who even had the gall to show up at the Rick Santorum campaign party.

But George Stephanopoulos was more drawn to another development back in Washington. Congressional gridlock finally reached a breaking point for Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. After 33 years of public service Snowe announced she will not seek re-election. Does this moment signal a change in the fierce partisan politics inside the Beltway? Or will it dampen Republicans' chances of taking control of the Senate in November? Everyone is asking, what is the real reason this longtime Senator is stepping down?

And finally, why is President Obama so interested in Hollywood right now? With some of his traditional moneymen, like financier George Soros sitting out the campaign cycle, Obama has to look to Tinseltown for some dough. As Jake Tapper points, Hollywood is the Presidential campaign's ATM this year. And he is hitting that ATM with regularity as he raises staggering amounts of money to fund his campaign.