c******i 发帖数: 2427 | 1 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/05/marriage-money-floo
President Obama greets supporters upon arriving in Seattle on Thursday.
Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.
The Morning Line
President Obama's change of heart on same-sex marriage is helping him raise
some serious coin.
Since his announcement Wednesday, the president's re-election campaign has
experienced "a major surge in contributions," reports Dan Eggen of the
Washington Post.
From Eggen's story:
Obama campaign officials declined to say how much money has come in
since Wednesday, but one source involved in the effort called the response "
astounding." A spokesman discounted reports that $1 million was donated in
the 90 minutes after the president's announcement....
An increase in contributions from young and progressive donors could be
particularly important for Obama as he struggles to match his performance
four years ago, when a hard-fought primary contest and an idealistic wave of
supporters helped him shatter campaign finance records.
Fundraisers said many donors have chosen to max out their contributions
to the campaign and the Democratic Party over the past day as a sign of
support for the president's stance.
The president received another show of financial support Thursday night at a
Hollywood fundraiser hosted by actor George Clooney and DreamWorks head
Jeffrey Katzenberg. The night fetched in the neighborhood of $15 million,
which included a $40,000-per-plate dinner plus an online sweepstakes for two
people to join the event.
Part of Mr. Obama's remarks touched on his endorsement of same-sex marriage.
"[O]bviously yesterday we made some news," the president said to loud
applause. "But the truth is it was a logical extension of what America is
supposed to be. It grew directly out of this difference in visions. Are we a
country that includes everybody and gives everybody a shot and treats
everybody fairly and is that going to make us stronger? Are we welcoming to
immigrants? Are we welcoming to people who aren't like us? Does that make us
stronger? I believe it does."
According to the pool report, Katzenberg also seemed to allude to the
president's statements on gay marriage, reminding the crowd that Mr. Obama
had told them, "Yes, we can." He then added: "Yes, we have. Yesterday he did
the right thing yet again," drawing applause from those in attendance.
The president also had a little fun at his host's expense, commenting on
Clooney's display of the "HOPE" poster from the 2008 campaign by Shepard
Fairey. "People don't realize that the photograph of me is actually me
sitting next to George," the president said, and then adding, "This is the
first time that George Clooney has ever been photo-shopped out of a picture."
(Though the Associated Press points out, of course, that Fairey drew
inspiration from another photograph and only used the Obama-Clooney image to
avoid copyright infringement issues.)
Mitt Romney also looked to fill his campaign coffers Thursday, holding a
fundraiser in Kansas City that brought in $1.2 million.
During an interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Romney faced questions about
the president's position on same-sex marriage. Cavuto asked the former
Massachusetts governor if he agreed with Democrats who have framed the
debate as a civil rights issue.
"I don't see it in that light," Romney said. "I believe that my record as a
person who has supported civil rights is strong and powerful. At the same
time, I believe that marriage has been defined the same way for literally
thousands of years by virtually every civilization in history and that
marriage is literally by its definition a relationship between a man and
woman."
Romney added: "If two people of the same gender want to live together, want
to have a loving relationship, and even want to adopt a child -- in my state
, individuals of the same sex are able to adopt children. In my view, that's
something which people have the right to do. But to call that marriage is,
in my view, a departure from the real meaning of that word."
"I respect the right of the president to reach the conclusion he has,"
Romney said. "I presume he respects my right to the position that I've had
from the beginning of this topic being raised."
Romney has taken a light approach to the same-sex marriage debate, using
words such as "sensitive" and "tender." At the same time he has been certain
not to rile up the conservative base by suggesting that his opposition to
gay unions is anything but firm.
For the president, meanwhile, the long-term political consequences are murky
, but the short-term pay-off appears to be significant. Plus, that infusion
of cash will likely come in handy in a close race this fall.
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Judy Woodruff talked with Politico's Charlie Mahtesian and Perry Bacon of
The Grio to dissect the electoral map and where the president's marriage
position could help -- or hurt.
Bacon noted that the issue could make a difference in swing states where
there are a lot of white, working-class voters, older voters and church
attendees. But at the same time, the move may energize younger and more
liberal voters to not only donate and get excited about the campaign, but
also to volunteer their time.
Mahtesian agreed but also pointed to "singular counties that are really
going to respond to this issue":
Like, for example, if you were to look at Colorado, when Colorado had a
ballot initiative several years ago, you had a very big performance in
Colorado Springs and the surrounding county, which would have been El Paso
County. Now, that's sort of the heart of the evangelical community in
Colorado and in many ways in the United States and in the West.
It's a huge, very big city there. Focus on the Family is located there.
And that is -- when the state passed the measure 54-44, El Paso County came
through by -- in a landslide margin, 2-1. So it really outpaced the state.
Watch the segment here or below:
LBJ'S POWER
On Thursday's NewsHour, Gwen Ifill spoke with esteemed Lyndon Johnson
biographer Robert Caro about the fourth in his series about the former
president, "The Passage of Power."
Caro dished on the hatred Johnson and Bobby Kennedy shared for each other
and gave a chilling and detailed account of what happened in Johnson's
vehicle as President John F. Kennedy was shot.
Don't miss the great historic photos as you watch the segment here or below: | m******1 发帖数: 19713 | 2 昨晚OBAMA从好莱坞明星那儿可没少忽悠钱走。。好象有13000万 |
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