On April 21, Culver City’s Sony Pictures Studio will welcome President Barack Obama to a fundraiser for his recently initiated re-election campaign. The trip marks Obama’s sixth visit to the Los Angeles area since being elected president.
The president officially began his re-election effort last week, filing the required documents with the Federal Election Commission and sending an email to supporters, including a two-minute video with volunteers from his last presidential campaign explaining the value of working on the re-election campaign.
Obama stated in the email that he is starting his campaign now because “the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with … people organizing block-by- block, talking to neighbors, co-workers and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.”
The Republican National Committee responded with an Internet commercial and Web site titled, “Hope Isn’t Hiring.” The committee began a three-day fundraising effort aiming to raise $270,000 – a figure representing $1,000 for each electoral vote required to win the 2012 presidency.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said the president is “putting politics ahead of the work of the people.”
“Despite a looming government shutdown, a new military operation in Libya and Tax Day around the corner, President Obama made the decision to focus on kicking off his billion-dollar campaign,” Priebus continued.
Obama seemingly preempted the charge in his email by saying, “Though I’m focused on the job you elected me to do … the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.”
General admission tickets for the event are $250. People under age 40 can purchase tickets for $100, and VIP seating is available for $2,500. Tickets can be obtained on the campaign’s Web site, Barackobama.com.