The Los Angeles Times is touting the "open wallets" of Hollywood to aid President Obama. Richard Verrier and Matea Gold reported a dinner and a Wednesday reception at the Holmby Hills "legendary estate" of "The Bold and the Beautiful" producer Bradley Bell and his wife, Colleen, co-hosted by actor Will Ferrell and his wife, Viveca, "sold out faster than any fundraiser in the last several years, according to Ken Solomon, co-chairman of Obama's Southern California fundraising committee."
Solomon runs the Tennis Channel and the Ovation arts channel and serves on the president's commission on the arts and humanities. "The reception, featuring an acoustic set by recent Grammy winners the Foo Fighters, will run $250 to $500 per person. A small private dinner, which will cost $35,800 a head, will follow. The two events are expected to raise more than $3 million for the campaign and Democratic National Committee."
One might hope Ferrell doesn't entertain the crowd by peeing his pants (as he did on MTV) or by simulating masturbation with a baseball bat (as he did on The Daily Show).
Verrier and Gold are selling the "robust" Hollywood support despite Obama refusing to take Hollywood's side on the Stop Online Piracy Act: "The robust turnout underscores the ties that bind many in the entertainment industry to the Democratic president on topics such as abortion rights and the environment." In other words, save the whales and the baby harp seals, but the "unwanted" human children must be eliminated.
This line inspired giggles. "Hollywood money for the most part is actually quite pure," said veteran Los Angeles Democratic fundraiser John Emerson, the other co-chairman of Obama's Southern California finance team. "It's given by people who really believe in the issues. They're not writing the checks because they're after some regulatory change."
Former congressman and Hollywood lobbyist Dan Glickman added: "On issues like censorship, how to deal with the less fortunate in society, dealing with the poor -- they're pretty strong advocates of the progressive agenda...They're not one-issue voters."
The Times also added:
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, fundraisers working in the film, television and music industries have raised $4.75 million for Obama's election through the end of 2011 — well above the $3.7 million raised for Obama by the same industry groups during the entire 2008 election cycle....
And when First Lady Michelle Obama visited Los Angeles two weeks ago to headline two campaign fundraisers, the sold-out events brought in more than $1 million, organizers said.
You might notice in reading this piece on "robust" Obama fundraising that the people quoted in it are either Obama organizers or people willing to grant Obama a wide berth on refusing to back them on SOPA. "Our bad," they seem to say about their lobbying defeat. If there is a Hollywood liberal unhappy with Obama, they didn't make the Times.
Let's not even start by asking if a Hollywood Republican received a phone call on this story.
