Only Top Shelf for the Obama Campaign
The Obama campaign is not just spending thousands on coffee. It's also racked up a fairly sizable bill for wine and assorted booze. In total, the Obama campaign has charged over $6,100 at Sam's Wine and Spirits in Chicago. And the luxuries don't stop there. They spent nearly $2,800 on 14 meals at an Italian restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa, each averaging close to $200. The Obama campaign spent another $2,200 on three meals at Smith & Wollensky in Chicago. They even spent $149 on a single meal at the uber-posh Stone Lotus, which calls itself a liquor spa. These kind of charges may not be unheard of on Wall Street and at New York City law firms, but they are unheard of on campaigns.
The Obama campaign makes a fuss about the percentage of contributions it receives in the form of small donations of $50 or less. It paints the picture of a donor base that is engaged in politics for the first time, of people just barely making ends meet -- but who believe in Obama's message so desperately that they're willing to make a sacrifice in contributing to his campaign. If Obama staffers actually believe this narrative, you would think it would instill a sense of modesty in their expenditures. Sure, they would spend every penny they can to ensure their guy is elected, but they wouldn't indulge their every whim. No matter how much of it their campaign raised, they would dispense with luxuries -- perhaps even red wine.
Would a donor who had to sacrifice to support Obama be happy knowing that his money was used to buy triple soy lattes at $5 a pop? And what opinion should one have about the staff of the people's candidate if that staff demands top shelf accommodations? How would these same people steward the country through its economic challenges? Obama's staff acts as if they're already in the White House. Well, they should know that it would be illegal for them to accept such meals if they were already there.www.weeklystandard.com
No comments:
Post a Comment