His popularity has decreased considerably in recent months but it seems US President Barack Obama is attempting to repair the damage by unleashing his strongest weapon - his devoted wife Michelle.
The glamorous First Lady has taken a back seat since her husband was elected as America's 44th President in 2008.
However she has returned to the forefront in recent weeks in a bid to rescue Mr Obama as he and his Democratic Party prepare for what could be the worst U.S. election rout in 68 years, according to the final opinion poll before today’s mid-term vote.
First Lady Michelle Obama flew off to California to attend four fundraisers. She threw in two “official” appointments so we the taxpayers will most likely pick up most of her travel tab. Couldn’t she have stayed in Washington, DC to raise awareness about supporting military families? Is her appearance on iCarly really necessary official business?Keith Koffler has the scoop:
Mrs. Obama will be in California today and tomorrow, visiting Los Angeles, Pasadena, Oakland and San Francisco. She will hold two official “first lady” events and be the star attraction at FOUR fundraisers.Koffler went on to note that her appearance at the military event and the iCarly taping will be open to the press. The fundraisers will be off limits except for a small pool of print reporters. And they better not try taping her with their iPhones. (06-14) 13:29 PDT OAKLAND -- First lady Michelle Obama talked about her campaign to curb childhood obesity Tuesday as 250 breakfast guests paid up to $2,500 for baked eggs, berries and organic coffee at Oakland's Claremont Hotel to raise money for her husband's re-election campaign.
Whether she would have attended the official events if she wasn’t going to troll for money is anyone’s guess. But what seems likely is the cost of flying Michelle out to the West Coast so she can soak the legions of wealthy Californian Democrats for cash is being mitigated by having the official appearances on the schedule.
The first lady’s office did not respond to a request for information about whether and how much of the trip will be paid for by the government. But with official events scheduled, it’s very safe to assume that a chunk – perhaps most – of the first lady’s travel aboard a specially equipped air force plane along with her security detail and entourage will be paid for by taxpayers.
Outside the swank hotel, fans of the first lady - and a handful of protesters including an Oakland woman who disrupted President Obama's fundraiser at a San Francisco hotel in April - lined the street as her motorcade drove by.
In a half-hour address pumping Obama's 2012 campaign, Michelle Obama implored guests including celebrity chef Alice Waters and Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee to "be with us for the next phase of this journey," adding that "Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal."
After the Oakland event, the first lady crossed San Francisco Bay to a campaign luncheon in San Francisco where attendees paid $2,500 each. That event marked the end of her two-day swing in California that included just one public event, a discussion with military families in Beverly Hills.
Her visit prompted criticism from Republicans that the first lady is spending taxpayer money to foot much of the bill for her fundraiser-heavy trip to California this week to help the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Presidents and first ladies of both political parties typically raise campaign funds while using public resources to pay for their travels. But Obama's goal to raise $1 billion for his 2012 re-election campaign has handed Republicans an opportunity to attack the White House as Congress debates whether to limit or raise the nation's debt ceiling.
Events 'flimsy excuse'
With the economy sputtering and millions of Americans unemployed, "it's troubling that the president and his wife use the cover of some flimsy excuse to come to the Bay Area when the real purpose of the trip is fundraising," said Harmeet Dhillon, chairwoman of the San Francisco Republican Party. "I don't think the taxpayers should be footing the bill."
Political campaigns typically pay costs related to fundraising events, such as hotels. But the first lady's trip to California involves official transportation from Washington, security, staffing and other expenses - many of which are covered by taxpayers.
The Chronicle contacted the Obama 2012 campaign office on Monday to clarify which expenses are footed by taxpayers. The newspaper was referred to the first lady's office at the White House, which did not respond to e-mailed questions on the matter.
"What you see happening is that the public events are used as cover to justify the fundraising," said former California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring. "It's about, 'What's an excuse we can build for bringing them out there?' "
Modest by comparison
Michelle Obama's fundraisers are not as expensive or as large as those on her husband's last trip to the Bay Area in April, when he starred at four fundraising events for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Those events ranged from a $35,800-a-person dinner in San Francisco to a sold-out Masonic Auditorium appearance where admission was as low as $25 a person.
Her events have attracted enthusiastic sponsors and supporters, two-thirds of whom are women, insiders said. At a high-end fundraiser in Pasadena on Monday - while her husband starred in three fundraisers in Miami - the first lady warned that the 2012 re-election campaign would be arduous.
"Now more than ever we need your help to finish what we started," she told California donors.
Tom Del Beccaro, who heads the California GOP, said the first lady's expenses are being increasingly scrutinized, including her "expensive vacations," such as a trip to Spain with friends in the summer of 2010. He said average Americans are watching her White House parties and fundraising travels with a sense that the Obamas are increasingly out of touch.
But Democratic strategist Katie Merrill, who heads the Merrill Strategy Group in Berkeley, countered that the first lady "is incredibly popular with American voters - and certainly California voters."
"She's a great surrogate for the administration, and the people of California should be happy to have her come out and talk about the things she's doing around healthy families and (services) to military families," Merrill said. "It's work that actually matters to people."
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