$3.5mn collected by Bill Clinton, Obama at fundraiser
Former President Bill Clinton made a joint appearance with President Barack Obama at a gala fundraiser in New York for the latter's re-election bid and exhorted people to vote for Obama saying the alternative would be "calamitous" for the US and the world.
The fundraising included a reception with big-money donors, a gala at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, and a star-studded "Barack on Broadway" concert.
The events raised more than $3.5 million.
With Obama at his side, the former president spoke to around 50 Obama supporters who paid $40,000 each to attend a reception at the Manhattan home of hedge fund billionaire Marc Lasry, the founder of Avenue Capital Group.
The husband of now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the gathering that Obama has "good policies (and) a good record.
"He's made the best of a very challenging situation. He deserves to be reelected," Clinton said.
Clinton said that Mitt Romney and the Republicans "have adopted Europe's economic policy" of "austerity and unemployment".
Obama must "win this election and win it unambiguously", Clinton said.
"The alternative would be, in my opinion, calamitous for our country and the world," Clinton said as he stood alongside Obama amid donors who paid $40,000 a head and sipped cocktails.
At the packed Waldorf ballroom, some 500 people paid a minimum of $2,500 per ticket to cheer the two Democratic heavyweights.
Rocker Jon Bon Jovi gave a performance. The fundraising ended with a Broadway concert, complete with stars like James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin, for about 1,700 people.
Source: United States News.Net
- 413 reads
