President Obama’s $1 Million Pizza Party In Detroit!

**Mikeg** · April-10-12, 06:53 AM

President Obama’s $1 Million Pizza Party In Detroit!

By Carol Cain
CBS 62

President Barack Obama is coming to the Motor City for a $1 million pizza party being thrown for him compliments of Denise Ilitch, daughter of Little Caesars’ founders Mike and Marian Ilitch. Ilitch is opening her home April 18 for the fundraiser where movers and shakers are being asked to pony up thousands to add to his re-election coffer while getting a chance to rub shoulders with the most powerful man on the planet. “I’m honored to have been asked,” by the Obama campaign to host,” Ilitch said ........

When asked what she planned to serve, she said: “Pizza! But, we’ll be serving it on sterling silver plates!”

The plates are a nice touch for the 1% ers who are being asked to "pony-up" those big bucks!

**Blueidone** · April-10-12, 07:38 AM

I hope you don't think this is something new and specific to Obama. This kind of fundraising party has been going on for many, many years in both parties. It is standard operating procedure in elections at all levels.

Many years ago I was asked to run for a city council position in one of Detroit's smaller suburbs. I had no money and when I asked how much it would cost I was told $15,000. When I asked how I would pay for it, I was told..."Don't worry about it. Fundraising will take care of it and we will get people and groups who have money to donate to your campaign."

I politely declined, not having the desire to go into politics and not wanting to be beholding to those who might donate if I did.

**Mikeg** · April-10-12, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by Blueidone

I hope you don't think this is something new and specific to Obama. This kind of fundraising party has been going on for many, many years in both parties......

I do think it is something new and specific to him when a sitting president - who publicly decries the “breathtaking greed” of the top one-percenters - has no compunction about meeting and greeting them privately so he can rake in their campaign dough while eating off silver plates.

**jcole** · April-10-12, 08:08 AM

So it's better for Romney, who IS one of the 1%, to keep his backers secret?

A few weeks before the Republican primary in Florida in January, the billionaire owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins hosted a fundraiser for Mitt Romney at his oceanfront home in Palm Beach. The average voter wouldn't know about the event at the home of Stephen Ross because Romney's campaign doesn't follow the practice of other major presidential candidates who have willingly identified big-money fundraisers and the amounts they collect.A review by The Associated Press of campaign records and other documents reveals hints about the vast national network of business leaders bringing in millions to elect Romney. The same month that Ross invited friends and colleagues to his home, for example, Romney's campaign received $317,000 from nearly 150 people who share Ross's exclusive ZIP code on Florida's east coast, according to Federal Election Commission records. That mysterious surge of donations outpaced all contributions to Romney during the previous year from the wealthy Palm Beach area, when the campaign collected $270,000 over nine months. Romney got $21,000 more from residents there in February.Unlike President Barack Obama, Romney's campaign will not identify his major fundraisers, and federal law doesn't require him to. The AP identified several of Romney's "bundlers" through interviews, finance records, event invitations and other publicity about campaign events. The lack of transparency by the Romney campaign prevents voters from knowing who wields influence inside the GOP frontrunner's campaign and how their interests might benefit if he is elected. Romney is in California this week for at least five private fundraisers.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-...mass-millions/

**Scottathew** · April-10-12, 08:20 AM

Better than wasting it on the Iraq war, which was much more expensive and it killed over 100,000 innocent people.

**iheartthed** · April-10-12, 08:40 AM

I hope they serve something better than Little Caesers.

**Blueidone** · April-10-12, 09:02 AM

Until there is some change in the campaigning process, where it takes hundreds of millions of dollars to get elected, this type of fundraising will go on. There is no way around it. If you limit candidacy to those who can afford to pay for it themselves, only the richest of the rich would be able to run. It's bad enough as it is. A common man doesn't stand a chance.

**401don** · April-10-12, 09:12 AM

Carol Cain wonders in the article, with Detroit home to so many pizza companies, including Domino's, if Romney might know any Pizza company owners. You would think as a political reporter she would know that Romney's company, Bain Capital, owned Domino's.

**ghettopalmetto** · April-10-12, 10:04 AM

I've never seen such wanton abuse of the word "pizza".

**firstandten** · April-10-12, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

I do think it is something new and specific to him when a sitting president - who publicly decries the “breathtaking greed” of the top one-percenters - has no compunction about meeting and greeting them privately so he can rake in their campaign dough while eating off silver plates.

Why ? all of the one percenters that the President is meeting with are supporters of the Buffet rule.

**EastsideAl** · April-10-12, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Blueidone

Until there is some change in the campaigning process, where it takes hundreds of millions of dollars to get elected, this type of fundraising will go on. There is no way around it. If you limit candidacy to those who can afford to pay for it themselves, only the richest of the rich would be able to run. It's bad enough as it is. A common man doesn't stand a chance.

And the way the [[Republican-appointed) majority on the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case makes it all much, much worse. It really is an arms race now, since candidates can pretty much receive unlimited amounts of money from whomever is willing to give it to them.

It's a disorder common to both parties, but the cause of the disorder is the way the game has to be played these days under the rules as they exist and conditions under which our campaigns increasingly operate [[such as having campaigns last for months and years on end). Any serious candidate would be a fool not to raise as much as possible under this setup. So blaming candidates for holding endless big fund raisers these days is a lot like blaming a football team for throwing too many passes under the current NFL rules.

I don't like it any better than anyone else who's not rich, but until we're willing to actually move to change the rules, this is the system we're going to have. Of course, we could go to absolutely restricted spending like Canada, or fully equitable public funding of campaigns, as is done in many other countries, but all such options seem off the table here in the good ol' USA.

**canuck** · April-10-12, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Carol Cain wonders in the article, with Detroit home to so many pizza companies, including Domino's, if Romney might know any Pizza company owners. You would think as a political reporter she would know that Romney's company, Bain Capital, owned Domino's.

Maybe Carol Cain is somehow related to Herman Cain, ex ceo of Godfather's Pizza and ex runner in the republican leadership race? I doubt it.
I also doubt Herman Cain would oblige Obama with a pizza party.

They could always get frozen canadian pizza from McCain's, but somebody would remark how unpalatable the McCain label would appear on an Obama party table.

That's enough pizza for today already, Im stuffed.

**firstandten** · April-10-12, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

And the way the [[Republican-appointed) majority on the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case makes it all much, much worse. It really is an arms race now, since candidates can pretty much receive unlimited amounts of money from whomever is willing to give it to them.

Because of the citizens united case it is projected that the president will need to raise somewhere around $1 billion for re-election.

Senators need to raise $20,000 each and every day in order to fund their re-elections. Because of the dialing for dollars how can politicans concentrate on their jobs.

**justanotherboy** · April-10-12, 10:48 AM

What's wrong with liberal elitists eating off silver plates?

**Blueidone** · April-10-12, 10:48 AM

"Any serious candidate would be a fool not to raise as much as possible under this setup. So blaming candidates for holding endless big fund raisers these days is a lot like blaming a football team for throwing too many passes under the current NFL rules"

It's more like blaming a football team for allowing advertisement all over everything in the stadium, on the bottom of every TV screen during the game and naming the park after some corporate giant. They are all just ways of making more money.

**noise** · April-10-12, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

I do think it is something new and specific to him when a sitting president - who publicly decries the “breathtaking greed” of the top one-percenters - has no compunction about meeting and greeting them privately so he can rake in their campaign dough while eating off silver plates.

Is it a black & white world where all 1%s are included?

**Novine** · April-10-12, 11:28 AM

"I do think it is something new and specific to him when a sitting president - who publicly decries the “breathtaking greed” of the top one-percenters - has no compunction about meeting and greeting them privately so he can rake in their campaign dough while eating off silver plates."

Last time I checked, the Ilitch family didn't almost bankrupt the American economy through manipulation of the US and world financial markets. Obama didn't paint the 1% with that broad brush, you did.

**poobert** · April-10-12, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

"I do think it is something new and specific to him when a sitting president - who publicly decries the “breathtaking greed” of the top one-percenters - has no compunction about meeting and greeting them privately so he can rake in their campaign dough while eating off silver plates."

Last time I checked, the Ilitch family didn't almost bankrupt the American economy through manipulation of the US and world financial markets. Obama didn't paint the 1% with that broad brush, you did.

You gotta admit, the guy is squeaky clean so his detractors have to either make stuff up [[he's a Muslim who wasn't born here, or whatever) or try to trump up non-existent claims. "Can you believe the nerve of this guy, running for re-election and attending a fundraiser???"

And you know if he didn't go they'd name him a Revolutionary Marxist starting a class war.

Time for some quotes from Romney, man of the people!
"Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are."
"I should tell my story. I'm also unemployed."
"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there."
"[My wife] drives a couple of Cadillacs."

You guys...have fun with that...good luck...

**canuck** · April-10-12, 01:05 PM

I wonder if mrs Romney pimps her rides Mormon style?

**Wheels** · April-10-12, 01:19 PM

Let them eat cake!

**EastsideAl** · April-10-12, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

You gotta admit, the guy is squeaky clean so his detractors have to either make stuff up [[he's a Muslim who wasn't born here, or whatever) or try to trump up non-existent claims. "Can you believe the nerve of this guy, running for re-election and attending a fundraiser???"

And you know if he didn't go they'd name him a Revolutionary Marxist starting a class war.

Amazing, isn't it? I'm certainly not a fan of everything he's done, or hasn't done. But at least in criticizing him from the left I'd talk about the issues and his actual performance in office, not this sort of petty BS [[or his birth certificate, his "secret" religion, some people who used to live in his neighborhood, etc.). There's nothing I find more dispiriting in our current politics than the 'criticize everything, disagree with everything [[even things we used to agree with), lie about anything, and destroy him at all costs' anti-Obama scorched earth policies of one of our major political parties and their constituents in the American right [[I won't call them "conservative," because they're really anything but that).

**Gistok** · April-10-12, 02:43 PM

My favorite is still the "$2 billion" trip to India 2 years ago, supposedly with 34 warships in tow....
http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...n-expense.html

Because some "midlevel" Indian bureaucrat was quoted... it must be true...

Just ask Beck, Hannity, Bachmann, et al.... they were squacking about it to their constituents with all the venom they could muster... until they found out that their Indian source was clueless... then they went mum... [[no appology or retraction... just mum....).

**Patrick** · April-10-12, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

The plates are a nice touch for the 1% ers who are being asked to "pony-up" those big bucks!

Are you still having trouble coming to terms that there is a black guy in the White House?

**canuck** · April-10-12, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick

Are you still having trouble coming to terms that there is a black guy in the White House?

Not so long ago, in the days before pizza parties, a guy like Obama; a Harvard educated lawyer and all, would have been a great candidate for head butler at the White House...