U.S. President Barack Obama kicked off his 2012 re-election bid with a DNC fundraiser rally at the Grand Ballroom of the Navy Pier in Chicago last night.
In a sobering statement that sets the tone of his re-election bid, Obama conceded to the well-heeled crowd, “Some of the excitement is not going to be there.”
Obama was referring to the polls that reflect a declining support of his base: the millions of kool aid drinkers — mostly disillusioned blacks — who hosted Obama on their shoulders and carried him to a historic victory as the first biracial president of the United States in 2008.
Chicago Bulls star guard Derrick Rose, 22, attended the rally. And Grammy Award-winner Colbie Caillat performed. As Rose took the stage, the crowd chanted “MVP, MVP.”
Rose, the favorite for the 2011 MVP trophy, cracked jokes, saying he was sorry to see Obama running again because “the Bulls need a starting two-guard.”
The well-to-do audience paid upwards of $100 to the legal maximum of $35,800 for their tickets. There were reports that the kickoff rally netted Obama another $2 million for his already swollen campaign coffers.
Meanwhile, in an effort to humanize Mr. Obama and soften his public image, the White House released candid photos taken by Obama’s personal photographer over the past 2 years. The photos portray Obama as a doting father and statesman at work and at play.
(Photos by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
