Obama set for high-profile Vegas fundraiser
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/26/art.vegas.gi.jpg caption="President Obama will be in Las Vegas Tuesday to headline a fundraising event for Harry Reid."](CNN) - President Obama is set for a night out in Las Vegas Tuesday, but his latest foray to the city of lights is entirely business related.
The president is slated to headline a fundraising event at Caesar's Palace for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat whose approval ratings back home have sunk below 40 percent as his re-election campaign gears up.
The star-studded event, set to raise at least $1 million for Reid's campaign coffers, will take place in Caesar's Coliseum - the 4,000 seat auditorium where singer Bette Midler regularly performs.
A Reid spokesman tells CNN that Midler is among the entertainers on hand for the evening, as well as Vegas performer Clint Holmes, comedienne Rita Rudner, and singers Sheryl Crow and Rachel Yamagata.
The fundraiser, during which Reid and Obama will speak, couldn't come at a better time for the Senate's top Democrat, who is considered among the most vulnerable in the chamber despite the fact Republicans are still scrambling to find a serious opponent to challenge him.
Despite the lack of official opposition, a Mason-Dixon survey released earlier this month suggests only about a third of Nevada's voters would vote to re-elect Reid to a fifth Senate term, while 45 percent said they would definitely vote for another candidate.
Meanwhile, conservative political action committee Our Country Deserves Better is already gunning to capitalize on Reid's sagging poll numbers, launching what they call a "a television, radio, and Internet advertising blitz throughout the state of Nevada reminding voters that Harry Reid has stiffed taxpayers with huge government bailouts and wasteful pork-barrel spending."
The conservative PAC said it would spend over $100,000 in its initial ad campaign, and pledged to dish out over $1 million between now and the November 2010 midterm elections.
"Republicans were successful in defeating Sen. Reid's predecessor, Tom Daschle, in 2004," said CNN Political Editor Mark Preston. "They have now focusing their efforts on trying to defeat another Democratic leader in the next election."
Obama plans to remain in Nevada Wednesday for a visit to Nellis Air Force Base for a tour of the facility's solar electric plant, the largest in North America. The president then heads to Beverly Hills for a pair of fundraisers sponsored by the Democratic National Committee.
–CNN's Ed Henry, Shawna Shepherd and Mark Preston contributed to this report
TO ALL THE Wall Street Executives, who were denied Bonuses:
You guys must Sue these Politicians, for they are themselves fundraising, while denying others of their Warned Wages.
Come out,come out where ever you are TCM.I see the same right wing corporate bloggers here using their multitude of names to further their paid agenda.I wonder how much they get paid for a hard days worth of telling lies.
Being from Vegas and a liberal, I still don't like Harry Reid. He's shady and has spoken against closing Gitmo. I would probably vote for a moderate conservative instead of Harry Reid in the next election.
Proud Member..Party of No May 26th, 2009 5:48 pm ET
Three words: Worst President Ever!
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Totally agree, Bush really sucked. Let's hope this one doesn't murder 3000 people, then send 4500 soldiers to their death searching for the tooth fairy (aka, WMD's), based on intelligence he tortured out of them. Then go on to cause the entire economy to spiral out of control and into the toilet bowl while in the process failing to win EITHER war, and letting Osama Bin Laden to run around free, despite the modern marvels of torture. Instead of leaving 'No child behind', he left EVERY child behind. Jobs over seas, contitution treated like toilet paper, invasion of privacy and complete incompetence in.........ALL......categories.
Eh, but I really don't think any president ever has to fear doing worse in every single category there is. Bush has "Worst President Ever" for life, that's for certain.
Here's one Democrat who thinks Reid can go. From his scandal getting highway dollars used for a project that increases the value to his own property, to his refusal to seat a duly appointed Senator Burris in Illinois (I don't like Burris either, but I don't get to decide), to his poor handling of the Sen. Spector committee assignments issue – Reid is a liability to the Democratic Party. New leadership is needed.
@yoyolite – and you sound like an uneducated illegal immigrant. Go to school and learn to write and spell before putting your ill-worded, etc. blogs out for everyone to read!
so let me get this right. Its was ok for Bush and other republicans to go to another senators state to help him get elected, but because Reid is from Nevada and the largest city is Las Vegas its wrong. Typical republican BS.
LOL.... It's amazing how teo faced the Republicans are. You guys didn't have any trouble with "W" taking 3 YEARS worth of vacation in his 8 years of being president, now did you?
Who do you think paid for THAT?
And how often did "W" make trips on AF1 for fundraising? President Obama would have to be some kinda guy to do his work in Washington and around the world and still vacation and fund-raise like ol' W.
Of course, W didn't have much to do in Washington and no one wanted him to visit, so I guess he had to do SOMETHING!
@yoyolite – all of your comments are so racist! Take your hate back across the border. We don't need your kind over here – have enough already! You cannot spell worth beans, either, and should be embarassed for all of us to read your nonsense!
I don't think he can win enough to pay off our debt.
Another example of "do as I say, not as I do" Obama. It's alright for Barry and his merry band of thieves to party it up in Vegas but not for corporate America.
Obama......Worst President Ever.
Congratulations on your GED, Dallas Independent. Ya got yerself an ejumakation
To the editor on duty:
Caesars does not contain an apostrophe. It is NOT spelled Caesar's.
Whaaaaa! Obama should be in his office in the White House solving our problems! Not flying around in an AEROPLANE!
blah blah blah.
I guess some of you nitwits have no idea that Obama can get as much done in AIR FORCE ONE than he can do at theWhite House.
Air Force One is not a cessna! Dolts!
The reason this event is in Las Vegas is because it is a FUNDRAISER for Harry Reid, who guess what???? Happens to be a Senator from NEVADA. I bought my $250 ticket just because MY President is speaking. You could easily pay that much for Bette Midler or Sheryl Crow .... But I tend to not pay those big prices for LV shows. I will however pay that kind of $$$ to see MY President. Besides the money not just goes to Mr. Reid's relection fund, it goes to the Democratic Party.
We should have put Hillery in office.
Hey RSB, if there was no Las Vegas, there would be no car dealerships in St. George and you (obviously a used car salesman) would be out of a job ahahhaha.
A Vegas trip?... thats a pretty lavish evening for the president of a country in "economic crisis"...! Isn't Obama the same guy who said that our politicians SHOULDN'T be out spending tax payer's dollars on exotic vacations and Vegas nights?!? Seems like all that CHANGE we were promised is gonna be poured into slot machines... even IF the Obamas can LEGITLY prove that this trip is being paid for at their own expense,.. what kind of leader goes on a costly vacation while his people are struggling..?And YOU KNOW, a week later he'll be doing interviews for EVERY popular magazine about how great his trip was....
Now, who was it that said someone can't just jet off to Las Vegas on the taxpayer dime?
Comment to Obamamama... What another trip... ????? Obama has opened alot of doors and not been able to shut them or even a clue as to how.. and yet he flies off to Vegas, Yes he has done alot since office it s called SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! and lie and cover up for Pelosi and the rest of the tax cheaters he has selected...Go Obama!!! Yeah right!!!!!
Let me do the famous come back from democrats...It must be Bush's fault... please come up with something else that is getting soooooooo old!!!!
Hey America! How about learning about the facts before posting your nonsense about American taxpayers paying for campaign fund raising trips! TAXPAYERS DO NOT PAY for campaign fund raising trips!!! It is truly a shame that so many choose to assume what they know nothing about.
Stevo May 26th, 2009 5:50 pm ET
Seems this president travels around more that sitting in his Oval Office working on fixing the problems that this country has right now
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You must mean the problems left by the previous administration. Are u stupid much every day or are u just having a GOP moment right now?
I thought it was greedy and excessive to go to Vegas.
Yeah...Bush was on vacation a lot. Republicans, your argument is pathetic.
Fundraiser in Vegas OR dealing with two nuclear hot buttons. Israel is ready to flatten Iran and North Korea tested another missle in the last hour. Maybe some thought should go into Obama's endless campaigning.