The place to see-and-be-seen on Thursday evening was at a tent outside of George Clooney’s Tudor-style home in Los Angeles. The charming Hollywood actor hosted a star-studded fundraising affair for Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, just two days after the president announced his support for marriage equality.
As the president’s caravan winded along the canyon roads heading to Clooney’s mansion, he was greeted with cheers from neighbors. Children posted “Presidents drink free” on their lemonade stands, while others held signs saying “Our gay family says thanks Mr. President.”
According to the Huffington Post, each guest paid $40,000 to attend, accounting for about $6 million of the evening’s financial haul for Obama’s campaign and the Democratic Party. The remainder came from a raffle for small dollar donors, raising nearly $15 million for Obama’s presidential campaign, a record for a single fundraiser. “We raised a lot of money because people love George,” Obama joked. “They like me; they love George.”
Guests were served an elaborate dinner menu catered by Wolfgang Puck which included an artichoke salad followed by roasted duckling “Peking-style” with tiny buns, a duo of lamb and beef cheek with potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and sweet corn tortelloni.
Among those at the dinner were such actors and performers as Robert Downey Jr., Barbra Streisand and her husband James Brolin, Jack Black, Salma Hayek and Tobey Maguire, who shared a table with Clooney and Clooney’s girlfriend Stacey Kiebler.
Obama raised the issue gay marriage obliquely, saying simply to enthusiastic applause: “Obviously, yesterday we made some news.”
“It was a logical extension of what America is supposed to be,” the president said to the 150-person crowd. “It grew directly out of this difference in visions: Are we a country that includes everybody and gives everybody a shot and treats everybody fairly?”
“So bottom line is I still believe in the American people, and I still believe in you. And I hope you still believe in me,” he concluded, to applause. “Because I’m as determined as I’ve ever been to make sure that this country stays on the right path—we’re moving forward; we’re not going backwards.”
Photo: thenews.com.pk
