Like George Clooney did in May, Sarah Jessica Parker will be hosting a fundraiser for President Obama. (Wireimage) …
What do you need to do to win the presidential election a second time? Raise lots of money, tout everything you've gotten done the first time around, and get Carrie Bradshaw on your side.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is the latest celeb stumping for President Barack Obama as he prepares to seek re-election in November against the Republican party's likely candidate Mitt Romney. The "Sex and the City" star appeared in a commercial during Sunday night's MTV Movie Awards revealing that she'll not only be throwing a fundraiser dinner at her home for the president this month, but any average Joe can attend … well, sort of. As part of the event, the Obama-Biden camp will choose three winners to receive two tickets to "the dinner with President Obama," round-trip airfare, and hotel accommodations.
"OK, the guy who ended the war in Iraq, the guy who says you should be able to marry anyone you want, and the guy who created 4 million new jobs," Parker says to the camera with a smile in the 30-second spot. "That guy: President Obama and Michelle are coming to my house for dinner on June 14, and I want you to be there, too." She then directs viewers to the official Obama campaign website, JoinObama.com, ending with, "Because we need him. And he needs us."
Despite reports that entries require a $3 donation, the site clearly states that no purchase, payment, or contribution is necessary to enter or win, and contributing will not improve your chances of winning, which means the contest will surely get a lot of entries.
Using star power is nothing new to the Obama camp. The president's fundraisers often look like a Hollywood awards show, filled with famous faces like Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Barbra Streisand.
The contest idea isn't brand new either. President Obama's May fundraiser at George Clooney's home in Studio City, California, was attended by two lucky winners, Beth Topinka, a teacher from Manalapan, New Jersey, and Karen Blutcher, a public relations employee from St. Augustine, Florida. The event cost everyone else $40,000 a plate to attend, and brought in a whopping $15 million. The two were informed just 72 hours prior to the event that they'd been chosen.
While it's a cool concept, the contest idea does raise a few questions. After a winner is chosen, are there background checks on the person? Interviews? Screenings? What if the winner is actually anti-Obama and just wants to attend to stir up trouble? And another question raised in a Washington Post blog on Monday: Does the whole thing cheapen the White House?
The Republican National Committee has already released a video in response to a recent spot Vogue editor Anna Wintour starred in to promote the dinner, which she is co-hosting with Parker. As Wintour talks, the video puts up a variety of unemployment rate stats for women, Hispanics, African-Americans, young people, ending with the tag line "Obama's focused on keeping his job. But what about yours?"
A more creative tactic, however, might be if Mitt Romney can get Kim Cattrall to host his dinner …
Check out the SJP TV ad here ...
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