Obama turns birthday into fundraiser
The majority of Americans disapprove of Barack Obama’s job as president, unemployment continues to soar and the economy is crumbling. What does that all mean? Well, it’s time to party, obviously.
President Obama celebrated his fiftieth birthday Wednesday night with a fundraising event in Chicago, Illinois, where 2,400 people came together to support the president following one of the most chaotic months of his administration. While most might want to spend this milestone celebrating the accomplishments of their life, the president didn’t have all too much to be excited about last night.“This last week was a frustrating week,” said Obama on Wednesday. “We know we've still got a lot of work to do on the economy. I hope we can avoid another self-inflicted wound like we've seen over the last couple of weeks, because we don't have time to play these partisan games.”At a time when anyone else might want to celebrate the good, Obama used his birthday fundraiser to thank supporters and talk about where to go from here. Though times may be tough for both the president and the country, he used his birthday to garner support for his 2012 run.“It doesn't matter how tough it gets in Washington because I know you've got my back. I know we will bring about the change that all of us believe in. We're in for a long battle.”Those that got the back of Mr. Obama showed their support with more than just greeting cards and gift certificates to Best Buy; guests shelled out $35,800 a pop to attend the presidential party at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. An extra contribution of $50 got guests into a concert featuring Jennifer Hudson and Herbie Hancock. Tickets for that event, not included in the nearly $40,000 price tag, ranged up to $10,000. For those patrons, they got to ring in Obama’s fiftieth with preferred seating and a photo with the president.Those that couldn’t afford the event were seen protesting the party outside of the Aragon. A group of Latino demonstrators led chants of “Hey, hey, Obama, don’t deport my mama,” reports the Washington Post.The president was back in DC today, his actual birthday, and treated his staff to lunch at a Washington burger joint. Reportedly the not-so-thrifty president also ordered fries and shake, so maybe the economy isn’t so bad after all.
