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Obama to Rake in Big $ in Philly June 30

President Obama will come to Philadelphia Friday for a fundraiser, part of a string he's been holding nationally to get money in advance of the second-quarter FEC reporting deadline.

    by Thomas Fitzgerald
    Published 
You can have dinner with President Obama at Dem bigwig David L. Cohen’s Philadelphia home next Thursday, but it’s going to cost you plenty.
Obama is scheduled to swoop in for cash to be split between his re-election committee and the Democratic National Committee via the Obama Victory Fund. An individual can donate a maximum of $35,800 – couples up to $71,600 – to such joint campaign committees. The minimum ticket, according to the invitation for the event, is $10,000 per person.
Couples who donate the maximum or raise at least $100,000 from others get to be designated “Event Chair(s),” including a “VIP clutch” with the president. (Don’t clutch too hard or you might be restrained by the USSS.) Those who donate the individual maximum, or raise $50,000, will be christened “Event Host.” They will have premium dinner seating.
For $10K, you just get a plate. And some food. Oh, and a picture with Obama.
Cohen, of course, was the brilliant political operative and lawyer who was Ed Rendell's chief strategist and chief of staff when the latter was mayor of Philadelphia. After chairing a connected law firm, Cohen was hired as executive vice president of Comcast, a smart move considering his political ties. Comcast needs good relations with the government, which approved its merger with NBC-Universal, and is considering "net neutrality" regulations that would limit the company's ability to profit from metering access to the Internet.
And it turns out that if you can't afford to nosh with POTUS at David and Rhonda Cohen's, there's a reception for the hoi polloi earlier in the afternoon Thursday.
Tickets for the reception, at the Hyatt at the Bellevue on South Broad Street, range from $250 for young professionals and veterans up to $2,500 per person. And if you raise $10,000 for the cause, you'll also get a VIP clutch and preferred seating for Obama's remarks there.
The low-dollar event is at 3:30 p.m., and the Cohen dinner at 5:30 p.m.
 
    TF
    Thomas Fitzgerald