Shut Fox Down

Previous Page

BY JIM FLINK It was dubbed "Starmaggedon." George Clooney's $15 million fundraiser for President Obama shattered the president's personal fundraising record for a one-night affair. The Wall Street Journal notes, it culminates a week when the president made a paradigm shift in his support of gay marriage. "I'm sure it will win him some points in Hollywood circles that are traditionally supportive of gay marriage." This is the kind of deep-pocketed Hollywood crowd analysts say Mr. Obama needs to fund his campaign coffers. The National Post notes, guests included Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr, Salma Hayek and Barbra Streisand. "About 150 well-heeled guests paid ... $40,000 a ticket to get into the exclusive soirée, the latest in a string of big-money events..." So what did the select group of guests get for their price of admission? A few jokes, and a serious warning from the president that he faces a steep uphill climb in his re-election hopes. The Wrap quotes the president from the party rostrum... "2008 in some ways was lightning in a bottle ... That passion that we brought to bear in 2008 is going to have to express itself maybe not in such flashy form, it's going to have to be steady, but we're going to have to keep those fires burning all the way through November and beyond." Critics were quick to point out, this week has been full of big-dollar fundraisers for Mr. Obama. And there's been a theme emerging... around another presidential pronouncement this week. The one supporting same-sex marriages. "On Monday, the president is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser in New York sponsored by gay and Latino supporters. On June 6, he heads back to Los Angeles for a LGBT gala, which organizers say quickly exceeded its 700-person limit after the president's announcement." Fox News calls Mr. Obama's West Coast trip a victory lap in his gay rights announcement. "By the time he got to George Clooney's house for the main event, he'd already stopped in Seattle, where voters will weigh in on gay marriage later this year." The Atlantic Wire says, if you think any of this week's Obama strategies were by coincidence, from the Biden announcement Sunday to the Clooney bash Thursday, you're mistaken. "Obama's recipe for reelection is melding motivated constituencies. ... This is micro-targeting and constituent corralling."