President Obama teed off a trip to the west coast with a pricey fundraiser Friday the 13th in San Francisco, pushing his agenda for the next ten years and the contention that his administration has made great progress on the economy, education, health care, and climate change.
The fundraiser was followed by a friends and senior staff dinner before Obama jetted off to Palm Springs, presumably to hone his signature golf game.
Some 60 Obama supporters paid up to an estimated $405 per minute to see the chief executive speak in the living room of tech financier Sandy Robertson and his wife Jeanne’s Russian Hill home. Attendees spent between $10,000 and $32,400 to see Obama in the Robertsons’ mansion which, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, overlooks Alcatraz, Coit Tower, and the Bay Bridge.
In an eight minute opening statement, Obama promoted 2014 as a “breakout year for America” following a “debilitating recession,” reported the Chronicle. He then blamed voter turnout and cynicism for the results of the 2014-midterm elections and pushed his asserted goal to, “restore a sense of possibility in our politics and our government.”
He went on to promote his forceful plan for the home stretch of his term in office and vision for 2016: “I’ve only got two years left, but two years is a long time… and two years is also the time in which we’re going to be setting the stage for the next presidential election & the next 10 years of American policy.”
Despite previous comments about voter cynicism, Obama asserted that hard working families are “feeling a little bit more hopeful,” rhetorically asking the crowd, “How do we sustain this moment in such a way that the overall growth that we’re seeing..” in the stock market is extended to families. He suggested such an effort might require sacrifice and investments, according to the Chronicle, with a payoff that may not be seen for 10, or even 50 years.
Press was ushered out of the event before the Q&A portion of the evening ensued. The latter portion of the evening lasted a reported 40 minutes.
The Chronicle caught up with major Democrat donors Wade and Lorna Randlett of San Francisco, who “said the president spent about 40 minutes after the introduction answering questions on a variety of subjects from the audience, which included Vernon Davis, the 49ers tight end.”
Reports say billionaire Tesla mogul Elon Musk joined a Spruce restaurant dinner party, as did Obama’s right hand Valerie Jarrett, CBS San Francisco broadcasted. Other friends and senior staff were also reportedly in attendance at the dinner.
President Obama is set to arrive in Palm Springs on Valentine’s Day and spend the rest of the weekend there, the Chronicle reported, hitting the links before returning to the capitol on Monday, Presidents’ Day.
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