Skip to main content

Obamajam: Is Fundraising During a Los Angeles Rush Hour Essential?

Support Provided By
U.S. President Barack Obama made a stop on Monday and ordered for food at the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles on Pico Blvd. | Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. President Barack Obama made a stop on Monday and ordered for food at the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles on Pico Blvd. | Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Dear President Obama,

Please do not let the traffic hit you on the way out.

This week marked another of President Obama's nighttime visits to Los Angeles -- and another traffic jam.

First, let me say that the security of the leader of the free world is of the utmost importance. The President of the United States must essentially travel in a secured bubble. Airspace must be shut down. Streets must be closed. This is all perfectly reasonable and necessary.

However, given the reality of what it takes for the President to travel, why must he come to Los Angeles on a weekday during rush hour? The President rightly complains about gridlock in Washington, D.C. Well, his visits give gridlock a new meaning on the streets of Los Angeles.

President Obama was here not to govern or to meet and greet constituents, but to fundraise, and that also makes complete sense. Thanks to many misguided decisions by our Supreme Court, money is an essential (if not the essential) factor in being able to run a competitive presidential campaign. If, as the Supreme Court has said, money is the equivalent to speech, then President Obama must come to California (the ATM of the states) to raise money. He can hardly be begrudged his right to raise money in the Golden State. It would be silly not to raise some Hollywood money.

But again, must the fundraisers occur during the busiest travel time in one of the busiest cities?

A couple suggestions. First, President Obama could come on a weekend. Fewer people are on the streets, and more people can decide whether or not to stay home to avoid the traffic.

Second, hold fundraisers where Air Force One lands. If people are willing to pay up to $35,000 per plate for a few hours in the same room as President Obama, I'm going to venture a guess that they would be willing to drive to a hotel or residence near Los Angeles International Airport. If even that is not possible, then hold the fundraiser closer to where a helicopter can land. Reportedly President Obama took a helicopter from the airport to area surrounding the University of California at Los Angeles. Why not hold a fundraiser in Westwood?

Traveling in a secured environment and raising money are necessities for any President. However, query as to whether fundraising in rush hour in Los Angeles is also a must.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.