Reported $7.8-million night for Obama, but the bus goes astray

Well, welcome back from vacation, Buster. Barack Obama had a boffo bundling night tonight in San Francisco.

He reportedly raised a total of $7.8 million at three different stops in the same hotel, the Fairmont. That's what you call efficiently raking it in. Not even taxi fare between ballrooms.

That's also supposedly the most money the freshman senator has raised in a single night so far.

According to the arcane rules of political campaigns, designed to protect people who sometimes tell what Huckleberry Finn colorfully called stretchers, we're not allowed to tell you who gave us that grandiose figure. Suffice it to say, it was not the Chris Dodd or Rudy Giuliani campaigns.

The lucrative night was capped by the Obama traveling press bus smoothly pulling in and joining a motorcade away....

...from the hotel. Later, everyone realized they were in the wrong motorcade.

They were following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who no doubt was flattered. But she wasn't going to the airport and on to Albuquerque like the Obama campaign tonight.

Don't worry. The press bus, including The Times' dutiful Seema Mehta, caught up with the correct motorcade.

This Obama trip to San Francisco turned out better than the one last spring where he was caught talking about those gun-loving, faith-believing, bitter small town people in the Midwest, remarks at an allegedly private fundraiser that hurt him significantly in places such as Pennsylvania, where he lost badly to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.

The first group of Sunday night donors in the Fairmont was about 60 South Asians, each of whom had shelled out $2,300. Obama told them that he had a lot of friends at Occidental College who were Indian or Pakistani, that he liked their food, had affection for the region's people and added: "The future of America is built on the strength of immigrant communities."

The next stop was the main ballroom with 350 VIPs, which means they paid $28,500 per couple. They heard the about-to-be-Democratic nominee say that Americans are desperate for change and maybe suggest something about Republicans being the devil.

"They [Americans] understand," Obama said, "the disaster of these last eight years. But we also know that change is always tough. Even when people are having a tough time, sometimes the devil you know may be preferable to the unknown." He said he would have to work hard these next 79 days.

Then Obama added: "Democrats, because we've been burned in the last few elections, get nervous and skittish right around this time. They say, 'Oh no, here the Republicans come -– they’re so mean and they're going to be doing all these things. Obama is a funny name and who knows what they’re going to do.' "

At the evening's final stop Obama was introduced by Pelosi, who called him "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."

Obama sounded revved up too. "It would be nice to think that after eight years of economic disaster," he said, "after eight years of bungled foreign policy, of being engaged in a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged, that cost us a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, that people would say, 'Let's toss the bums out. Toss the bums out. We’re starting from scratch. We're starting over. This is not working.'

"So I understand why a lot of folks are saying, this [Obama's election] should just happen. Why are we having to run all these television commercials? Why do we have to raise all this money? Just read the papers. These are the knuckleheads who have been in charge. Throw ’em out. But American politics aren’t that simple."

He said the next few weeks could get ugly. Obama predicted Sen. John McCain would talk only about Obama. "They know they can't win on the issues," Obama said. "So what they'll do is they'll try to scare people. 'He's risky. He's risky. We're not sure.' "

Obama said he would hit back swiftly. "You have a candidate who doesn't take any guff," he said about himself.

--Andrew Malcolm

Photo credit: Associated Press 

Comments

[maz hess]

If barack would have discussed saturday in the megachurch the same way as mccain has done everybody would have called him an angry black man. On the other hand barack can thank hillary for the cruel primaries because he can show now that he is a thinker without risking that sombody would dare to doubt his ability to fight back very hard.

[plankbob]

I was recently laid off from my job at age 58 after years of loyal service. I'm a hardworking white male but I'm not bitter or clinging to guns or any gods. I just sent the Obama campaign $25.

[Montana Treetip]

I smell a sickening stench originating from the depths of your pathetic fawning over Obama. It is the smell of BS. I am stricken by this Malcolm as so sad. The critical thought factor has officially been thrown under the bus.

[baz]

Just wonderin'... why is the Media basically mute, that McCain wasn't in the *cone of silence,* when Obama was being interviewed Saturday Night?
Can you imagine the Media uproar, had the situation been reversed, and Obama had been in a hotel, then motorcade, rather than in the *quiet* room?
Pretty amazing the double-standard in the Media these days.

[Michael K.]

> "Don't worry. The press bus, including The Times' dutiful Seema Mehta, caught up with the correct motorcade. "

Mr. Andrew:

Pass this on to your colleagues and try to get this through your thick skulls

YOU ARE NOT THE STORY. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PRESS, SO LONG AS IT IS FREE FROM POLITICAL SUPPRESSION, IS OF ABSOLUTELY NO CONCERN TO THE PUBLIC. DO NOT WRITE ABOUT IT, DO NOT PUBLISH IT. TRY TO MAINTAIN SOME LEVEL OF OBJECTIVITY AND OUTSIDE VIEWPOINT.

If you'd like to write about how the press is being subverted by moguls for political reasons, that's completely fair. If the government wiretaps your phones and denies access to information supposedly available through FOIA, please do tell Otherwise, investigate, fact-check (, spellcheck) and report.

And no more ugly puppies and celebrity whores, please! We can get our fill of those on FOX News.

[marc christophe]

knuckleheads? Bums? "Scare [voters] because name sounds funny?" "God sent us obama?" What kind of crap is this? Let me guess...the bad old GOP is "evil" because it has the temerity to discuss Obama's experience and qualifications..furthermore, any attempt to discuss the issues is a manifestation of "racism" and "fear tactics". This sniveling, one-term, socialist megalomaniac has decidedly lost my vote.

[Robt]

It's telling that Oscama's biggest one night haul comes from the nations moral toilet. "Pervertion" is all that anyone thinks of when SF is mentioned anymore.

[Larry]

Risky? Obama? Nahhhhh.
Let's see.
Who's yo daddy?
Obama's daddy was a devout comminist muslim and an America-hater, not to metion a racist activist.
Who's yo preacha?
Obama's mentor and preacher, Reverend Wright, is a devout America-hater and a racist bigot whose hate-speak is now known to everyone with half a brain. Obama sat and listened faithfully to Wright untill it was inconvenient to his campaign.
Who's yo mama?
Obama's mother hatred the United States and was a communist activist.
Who's yo uncle?
A communist from kenya.
Who's yo wife?
Michelle was never proud to be an American.
Obama has no energy policy, no foriegn policy, no domestic policy, and he has flipped and flopped more often than John Kerry on every major issue.
Obama wants you to trust him while he hikes taxes, surrenders your military, negotiates with terrorists.

Why would anyone think the media's Messiah is risky. Why would one feel "scared?"

[Shana McCarthy]

That smug smile on this atrocious, arrogant, egotistical liar makes me want to vomit. If elected, he will be the worse leader we have ever had. He believes he is smarter than anyone else on this lovely earth; that does not a good president and especially, especially commander in chief make. His answer of the question of abortion "above my pay grade" was condesanding, wrong, and stupid. He did not answer the question, which is the norm for him as he seems to evade questions all the time. Do we know this man? Hell, no. I believe he is a sleeper and we cannot afford to place our nation in this man's hands.

[Dave]

I am back in the undecided column. The recent "whitey" remarks from Howard Dean is a psycological ploy. He intended to create a barrier between Baral Obama and the DNC so Barak could attempt to leave the Baggage the DNC has brought with the DNC and not him. It seems planned given the stay cool remarks. With the injection of Rebulicans into Baraks inner circle,a-lpro-lif VP and the Large donor funraisers in place of a working class town meeting. The mind games are ovious and very insulting. I hope he can stop the trend and remove those responsible for it so it never happens again.

[Montana Treetip]

I smell a sickening stench originating from the depths of your pathetic fawning over Obama. It is the smell of BS. I am stricken by this Malcolm as so sad. The critical thought factor has officially been thrown under the bus.

[Creamsykle]

Man, this is going to hurt for good old John. Barack is going to have so much more money than him soon that McCain isn't even going to be able to defend himself from the swift kick in the arse Obama is about to deliver, McCain deserves every bit of it too.

[theo]

plankbob, sorry to hear about your job situation. i wish you the best.

obama's a keen intellect who thinks and knows how to kick ass mohammad ali style. i'm ready for the final round.

enough already. obama08

[theo]

shana - we don't know much about mccain. the media has blown obama's life way out of proportion.

mccain's lying with corruption during the keating 5, his abandoning of his 1st wife while she was down and out, his reversal on every key independent issue save carbon taxing is ludicrously lax.

and the fact that we have 1 trillion debt that balloon to 9 trillion in 10 years with mccain's digging a deeper hole with w's tax cuts, 4,000 dead americans and hundreds of thousands of dead iraqis and for what? mccain would double-down on more of the same.

american people and politics always miss the forest from trees. a spoiled complacent young bunch who don't know the titantic is sinking, stuck inside a national bubble, just worried about who has the best looking cocktail dress.

[cspolj]

Here you go again with SoetoroObama trying to play the race card. What a loser! First against Hillary and now McCain. I don't think people will have a hard time believing that SoetoroObama is a race baiter and the total media bias in favor of him since those charges have now come from both democrats and republicans.

[harry primate]

Dear Shana,

"That smug smile on this atrocious, arrogant, egotistical liar makes me want to vomit. If elected, he will be the worse leader we have ever had. He believes he is smarter than anyone else on this lovely earth; that does not a good president and especially, especially commander in chief make........"

This is an accurate description of the current "Decider"?

This election is so polarized that I fear for my country. After all "Deciders" aren't "Compromisers." And I believe the old adage was "Stand together" not "Stained together"?

People say Americans should support the president whatever, however I don't see that ever happening from your side.

Apparently it's "My Way or the Highway" irregardless of the National debt, blood shed for oil and erosion of our constitutional rights? Your logic eludes me?

G_d save the King?

[JN]

Im not afraid of anybody that uses words like, "guff." LOL

BUt the REPS are going to throw bombs at him whenever they can. He better be prepared 4 the fight of his life.

That Mr. Nice GUy crap got the dems an 8 year a$$ kicking last time.

[Michael K.]

Mrs. Shana McCarthy: I'm saddened that you feel so sorry for yourself that you feel the need to tear other people down because they are happy. I'm also sorry that you are exposed to the hatred you obviously are. Given his faith, I'm sure Senator Obama would forgive you for your hurtful comments.

When a United Stated presidential nominee tells you a question is above their pay grade, they are referring to God. This means that they are both religious and have humility.

He *IS* smarter than most people on Earth. And that's a WONDERFUL thing. Especially when nuclear weapons are involved. Anyone with above average intelligence would be an improvement. I don't want a bunch of frat boys running the country. I'd like someone who can develop long-term strategies to complex problems. You're entitled to your opinion and can vote for the grandson of an Admiral, lousy pilot and political hack if you like.

[Mike]

We have had 8 years of the worst president in American history. By far. McCain "the maverick" was his loyal sidekick in handing the economy to Wall Street crooks and corporate cronies. McCain is already figuring out how to add more wars and military violence to the world--his campaign manager played a crucial role advising Georgia as a paid lobbyist in the runup to Georgia's stupid military offensive into South Ossetia that set the Russians off. McCain is too impetuous, old, stubborn, and angry to lead America.

[Boston Beatnik]

William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers William Ayers

[pekopper]

I've been harsh on Obama recently. For my tastes, he is much too conservative..., But what he said tonight winning, I believe he knows he will win and will win... I agree with him 100% He will win and I think he just may be the Progressive that progressives are looking for, but maybe not quite what we expected...

By the way: Nominate Caroline Kennedy to VP!!