San Francisco opens wallet to President Obama
San Francisco (CNN) - We all know that San Francisco's an overwhelmingly Democratic leaning city. And if you are a Democratic president running for re-election, the city's also a pretty good place to fund raise, and that's just what President Barack Obama's doing Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The president headlines two fundraisers Wednesday night. The first is a small dinner at a private residence and the second is being held at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. National Football League hall of famer Jerry Rice, a former wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, is scheduled to speak at the second event, which is expected to have approximately 2,500 people in attendance.
Thursday morning Obama headlines a breakfast at the St. Regis hotel. A source with knowledge of the events says the gatherings will "include a broad range of the President's supporters with tickets starting at $25 and ranging to the legal maximum limit of $35,800."
All money raised is expected to go to the Obama Victory Fund, which is split between the president's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
In the 2008 election cycle San Francisco was the source of $46.4 million in federal contributions, with 82 percent going to Democratic candidates, party committees and Democratic leaning organizations, according to FEC data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The president heads to San Francisco after holding a town hall earlier in the day at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The president is highlighting his proposals to reduce the nation's deficit at a trio of town halls this week. The first was held Tuesday in northern Virginia, with the final town hall scheduled for Reno, Nevada Thursday.
The president also headlines two fundraisers in Los Angeles on Thursday. The first is a 60-person dinner at the Sony Pictures lot, with the second at a restaurant in Brentwood. In the 2008 cycle, Los Angeles County was the source of $150.4 million in political contributions.
The president announced on April 4 that he was setting up his re-election campaign. Last week he personally kicked off his fundraising drive by headlining three events in his hometown of Chicago. Next week Obama's first round of fundraising ends with a gathering in New York City. Obama shattered all records by raising nearly $750 million in his bid for the White House in 2008.
Besides being a smart place for Democratic candidates to raise money, the Golden state's also generally a safe spot for Democrats in presidential contests. Obama topped fellow Sen. John McCain by a 61 to 37 percent margin to win California's 55 electoral votes in the 2008 election. George H.W. Bush's 1988 victory in the state was the last time a Republican presidential candidate carried California.
–CNN National Political Correspondent Jessica Yellin contributed to this story
When you have worked hard all of your life to pay your own way, not be a burden to Society, and raise your children to be the same, somehow this is wrong. Greed has nothing to do with it. It is pride and an immense sense of doing what is right and required without Government intervention. There is a "right way" to get money – EARN IT!
Wallets in California...the state is flat broke, so it must be those rich Republicans everyone is always talking about...not. The truth be told, it is the rich Democrats everyone would like us to believe don't exist.
Gee – you mean the Koch brothers and his Holiness Norquist haven't bought san francisco yet?
San Francisco supports Obozo?? seems about right
The President will prevail in 2012. He has withstood the hateful all out assaults by the GOP, the extremists right wing nut jobs known as the Tea Party, The looney tunes birthers on a daily bases each and everyday. Yet he still retains his dignity. His resolve has only made him stronger. The GOP list of possible candidates would be crushed to bits with that kind of pressure. In the future, if the GOP still exists, after the Tea Party gets through with it, and by some horror, When and if we have another Republican in the Oval office you can be sure that they will receive the same hateful, disrespectful treatment that they have thrown at President Obama. This President won handily over McCain. He, Palin and all the GOP are sore losers. They have obstructed and fillibustered every thing that he has tried to improve the economy.
Let's see.. I'm the most power man in the free world.. Where do I want to spend 4/20? San Francisco sounds nice.
Welcome BUDdy! 🙂
Obama should be pushing to raise taxes on these very wealthy San Francisco people. Hopefully, Obama will give some of these monies he raises to the Democrat Party to pay their bills so they can get out of being in the red.
Lol, listen to right wing nuts, heres fact obama will be reelected. my portfolio sure is looking good since obama took over, how about urs cons/tea party/gop whatever u guys call urselves these days
You've got 12 months left sir to do the following:
1.) Get troops totally out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
2.) Use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to "Bring Real Change" to the way Washington does business. You need to go on the air and address the nation's citizens for about 5 minutes each time some Republican works against you in a HIGHLY PARTISAN manner. For example you should have called Mitch McConnell out nationally. Define CHANGE clearly well before the election and have concrete examples validating the claim.
3.) Publish a comprehensive 20 year ENERGY POLICY than plans out how we get off of OIL. There is no such thing as "domestic oil" because oil will always be sold to the highest bidder. There is however, "domestic solar & wind" energy. It's made here, it's used here. [If we're on a path to get off PETROLEUM, we won't fight as many WARS and run as high a DEFICT as we do today].
4.) Begin to pay off the National Debt. Let the GOP make noise about spending. You focus on PAYING OFF THE NATIONAL CREDIT CARD
5.) CONTINUE creating new jobs like you've done over the past two years. Don't let the GOP take credit for your work.
6.) CONTINUE restoring American's bank accounts. The DJIA is up 4,000 points since you took office that's more than 50%. The Republicans use to point to that in the days of Reagan as evidence the President was doing a good job on the economy.
Do all these things and your re-election is secured.