Friday, February 17, 2012

Barack Obama drops in on Chinese restaurant during campaign drive

He's a little too high-profile to just pop in for a cheeky Chinese takeaway on the way home.
But President Barack Obama managed to clear time in his busy fundraising schedule to pay a surprise visit to a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco - and got a little more than he bargained on.
After ordering shrimp, Shanghai and pork dumplings, steamed pork buns and stuffed mushrooms, Potus mingled with diners and restaurant owners before heading off his his official vehicle.
Barack Obama in San Francisco
All in hand: One of the owners of the Great Eastern Restaurant in San Francisco appears to go for a playful squeeze of the presidential rear as Barack Obama stopped by for a takeaway yesterday
Causing a stir-fry: Mr Obama hugs another restaurant goer as he waits for his takeaway to be prepared
Causing a stir-fry: Mr Obama hugs another restaurant goer as he waits for his takeaway to be prepared
And he proved a hit with the staff at the Great Eastern Restaurant, after one owner went for a very un-presidential squeeze of his backside.
The President then left the restaurant yesterday with his entourage's lunch in tow as he returned to the campaign trail.
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Mr Obama has so raised $29.1million for his campaign and the Democratic Party last month - a strong return that adds to his momentum as Republican rivals were distracted by their primary battles.
His total combined fundraising for this election cycle now stands at around $250million.
Dinner guest: The President shakes hands with restaurant goers after taking time of from his fundraising stop in San Francisco
Dinner guest: The President shakes hands with restaurant goers after taking time of from his fundraising stop in San Francisco
Take away: The President, with security detail in the background, stops off for some lunch on the campaign trail
Take away: The President, with security detail in the background, stops off for some lunch on the campaign trail
Order: The president's entourage went for dumplings, steamed pork dumplings and stuffed mushrooms
Order: The president's entourage went for dumplings, steamed pork dumplings and stuffed mushrooms
Hope he got prawn crackers: President Obama heads for his official vehicle after picking up his lunch
Hope he got prawn crackers: President Obama heads for his official vehicle after picking up his lunch
In a reversal, Mr Obama has announced that he would embrace the big-money groups he has often criticised.
The so-called super political action committees, financed with large donations from a small group of individuals, have been influential in the Republican presidential primaries and are poised to spend millions in the general election contest.
The Obama campaign said 98 per cent of the donations were $250 or less.
Last year, the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute found that small donors - those whose contributions were less than $200 - accounted for 48 per cent of Obama's campaign income.
The same institute found that small donors accounted for only nine per cent of 2011 fundraising for Mitt Romney, who is battling for front-runner status in the Republican presidential primary and is the party's top fundraiser.
Making new supporters: Mr Obama has so far raised $250million for his reelection campaign and the Democrat party ahead of the presidential elections in November
Making new supporters: Mr Obama has so far raised $250million for his reelection campaign and the Democrat party ahead of the presidential elections in November

Campaign drive: Mr Obama speaks at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco during his fundraising stop
Campaign drive: Mr Obama speaks at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco during his fundraising stop
West Coast: Mr Obama has been campaigning across the U.S. as his Republican rivals clash in primaries
West Coast: Mr Obama has been campaigning across the U.S. as his Republican rivals clash in primaries
Presidential candidates must submit January fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission today. The Obama campaign's full report was expected later in the day.
Mr Obama was concluding a three-day swing of California and Washington that included eight fundraisers, where he was expected to raise more than $8 million.
He has repeatedly told his audiences that this election will be more difficult.
'And that's not going to be easy because, first of all, I'm older and I'm grayer,' he told about 70 high-dollar contributors in San Francisco last night.
'And part of it is we've gone through three tough years and so people want to hope, but they've been worn down by a lot of hardship,' he said - a reference to the economy, which is slowly coming back from the Great Recession but promises to be the top issue in this year's election and Mr Obama's weak spot in his fight to stay in office.
Barack Obama in San Francisco
Barack Obama in San Francisco
Charisma: Mr Obama makes a point in front of an audience of around 70 high-dollar contributors last night and, right, reacts after applause
Glare: A flash bulb goes off as Mr Obama walks on to the stage at Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco
Glare: A flash bulb goes off as Mr Obama walks on to the stage at Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco
Escorted out: A protester is led away as she shouts before Mr Obama began speaking
Escorted out: A protester is led away as she shouts before Mr Obama began speaking
Trail: Mr Obama has been making campaign stops across the West Coast, including in Los Angeles where his helicopter landed yesterday
Trail: Mr Obama has been making campaign stops across the West Coast, including in Los Angeles where his helicopter landed yesterday
The Republican candidates, especially Romney, have had to focus less on the president and more on each other as the party's nominating contest stretches out longer than expected.
Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, faces an aggressive Rick Santorum, who has surged to a virtual tie in the polls after surprise wins in three states last week.
The former Pennsylvania senator yesterday attacked Romney in the city of his birth in Michigan, challenging his values, consistency and even his economic policies.
Mr Santorum positions himself as the leading conservative in the race, while Mr Romney has struggled to win over the party's conservative base and has been attacked for his shifting positions on sensitive issues like abortion and health care.
Crowd pleaser: Mr Obama greets supporters after speaking last night in San Francisco
Crowd pleaser: Mr Obama greets supporters after speaking last night in San Francisco
Attention: A Secret Service agent stands guard as people crowd a Chinatown street to catch a glimpse of the president
Attention: A Secret Service agent stands guard as people crowd a Chinatown street to catch a glimpse of the president
Mr Romney not only grew up in Michigan, he is the son of a former governor. The state hosts a presidential primary on February 28, marking the end of a lull in state-by-state contests that will be followed by a 10-state Super Tuesday vote in early March.
Though Mr Santorum and Mr Romney are close in the polls, Mr Romney is considered the Republican front-runner nationwide, with far more delegates from state-by-state voting that are necessary to claim the party's nomination. 
The multi-millionaire also has far more money and campaign organization than Mr Santorum.
The two other rivals for the Republican Party nomination - former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul - have been relatively quiet.
 

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