All Business, Few Attacks From Obama At Hollywood Fundraiser

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(LOS ANGELES) It's unlike Barack Obama to hide his talent for fundraising, but last night was different. At two star-studded events in Beverly Hills, Obama raised under $10 million, sources close to the campaign confirmed. But instead of boasting about their haul, they emphasized that the amount was less than what was raised in small online donations in the 24 hours after Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican Convention.

Earlier in the day, his opponent John McCain hit Obama hard for last night's fundraisers, telling an Ohio crowd, "Talk about siding with the people, siding with the people just before he flew off to Hollywood for a fundraiser with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends."

"Let me tell you, my friends, there's no place I'd rather be than here with the working men and women of Ohio," McCain said.

Obama took a more subdued approach at the fundraisers, speaking soberly about the economy rather than joking and mocking his opponent. "This should be a celebratory evening, we've got 48 days to go in a campaign, a campaign that started 19 months ago, at a time when a lot of folks thought we might not get here," Obama said at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel but he added, "I'm not in a celebratory mood."

At the $2,300 a person reception headlined by Barbra Streisand, Obama spoke about the tumultuous financial markets, Hurricane Ike, and the deadly train crash outside of Los Angeles. Celebrities such as Ron Howard, Sarah Silverman, Magic Johnson, and Pierce Brosnan were on hand.

Earlier in the evening, Obama spoke at a $28,500/person dinner at the Greyston Mansion, where he was surrounded by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodi Foster, Will Farrell, among others. Obama said he was confident he would win the election because, 'I've looked at John McCain, I've looked at Sarah Palin, I've looked at their agenda, and they don't have one."

Obama heads back to the campaign trail today – with two events scheduled in Nevada.

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by femaledem September 17, 2008 7:00 PM EDT: NO GETS IT..to run a campaign you need money lots of it even in local and state campaigns..You need to pay everybody,advertising in every way,news,TV,internet..travel,food,staff that''s just a small list..advertisers CHARGE BIG because this is where they make their $$ SO GET OFF OF OBAMA..MCAIN IS KNEE DEEP IN HIS FRIENDS/Except he also has $300 million plus to take from wife cindys bank account and Palin can drwa on the pork $$ FROM the federal gov as well as the $84.1 million McCain just received of taxpayers $$..MCCain has a drawer full of IOU''S and his backers are not letting him forget it!!!! Palin is just their MILF..they know she has no $$$ except the PIG/PORK$$$ for that *** bridge!!!; Reply to this comment


by nvorr September 17, 2008 1:12 PM EDT: McCain groused about Obama mixing it up with celebrities. He told a rally in Vienna, Ohio on Tuesday that Obama %u201Ctalks about siding with the people, siding with the people just before he flies off to Hollywood for a fundraiser with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends. Let me tell you my friends, there%u2019s no place I%u2019d rather be than here with the working men and women of Ohio.%u201D

A night earlier, McCain was with deep-pocketed donors in Florida and raised $5 million, a fact noted by Obama%u2019s campaign.

%u201CI don%u2019t know who showed up down in Florida where he raised $5 million but my guess is that it wasn%u2019t a lot of nurses, firefighters and police officers,%u201D Obama%u2019s senior strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters. %u201CThe whole corporate lobbying community is rallying to his side. We%u2019re going to have to struggle to keep pace. You can%u2019t challenge that group and not expect them to have a lot of money.%u201D

McCain either has amnesia,is just plain senile, or blinded by jealousy (on top of being a hypocrit). I take that back. He''s all four.; Reply to this comment


by interobserv September 17, 2008 1:09 PM EDT: How about all that Keating money for McCain?; Reply to this comment


by dnsallday September 17, 2008 1:02 PM EDT: I hope the Republicans dont'' crucify Sarah palin like they did to Harriet Myers.; Reply to this comment


by kykate1 September 17, 2008 12:19 PM EDT: McSame would rather be in Ohio with the little people becasue when he held his own August 26 Hollywood Fundraiser which included a number of Hollywood Republicans, it took a two day event and only manager to bring in $4.7 million. but I guess when you have Pat Boone as you A-lister it is hard to score the big bucks.; Reply to this comment


by kshubak September 17, 2008 12:06 PM EDT: I praise these people for paying these big bucks for this dinner. This tells me they are not just concerned about their taxes being raised. It tells me because they are willing to have their taxes raised, they are unselfish and willing to help out the people of the country.; Reply to this comment


by lordmi September 17, 2008 11:50 AM EDT: john43218 - what are You talking about?
Obama was right with Iraq war, both - stupid to start and needed to close. It is going this way. Right?
he was right, that terrorists are in Pakistan. That is correct.
For several months he was arguing - Market should have regulation. Now we see - he was right.
And on, and on, and on.
McWar''s integrity?
Give me a break.
Since Vietnam he is Alphonso, sitting on Cindy''s shoulders with everything.
He has NO idea about money to earn, to make, to spend. He has NO idea about economy, market, and life ordinary people live.
That is why he is lying EVERY single day
with every word.
The last - he is Psychopath.
That what You name integrity?
Give me a break, seems, You have even less.
The truth is," Sanders continued, "that the fundamentals of our economy are strong if you are within the top 1 percent of our country. If you''re a million or billionaire, you know what, Senator McCain is right. For those people, the fundamentals of the economy are strong."; Reply to this comment


by lordmi September 17, 2008 11:41 AM EDT: Old McIdiot still thinks - that''s corruption???
What an idiot, could not split Big things and small.
Ticket of Idiots will fall soon - No knowledge, No understanding,no culture, no honesty.
This year Nation would not be fooled.; Reply to this comment


by oleander8 September 17, 2008 11:27 AM EDT: Democrats don''t have as many fat-cats as the Republicans, but I guess they have a few!; Reply to this comment