Obama: Republicans push vision of "shrunken America"
The $30,800 per plate meal will raise money for the Democratic Party
President Barack Obama hops off of Air Force One at JFK Airport for his
last visit to New York City
NEW YORK CITY : President Obama has had a busy day so far—he's released
his live birth certificate (the director's cut) and visited Chicago for the
dual purpose of appearing on Oprah and paying tribute to Richard Daley—and
now he's heading to Manhattan, to raise some money at three different
events. The traffic jams will be on the Upper East Side, Midtown East (by the
Waldorf-Astoria) and Midtown (at Town Hall), so if you ride Manhattan
buses...we feel for you.
According to MyFoxNY, "Obama's motorcade could force the closure of the FDR
Drive from Wall St. to E. 61st St. from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fifth Avenue
from East 89th to East 59th streets will be closed from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Central Park's transverse roads along with all avenues from York to Fifth could
be blocked during that period. There is also a Yankees game tonight, so
Gridlock Sam warns to avoid the FDR and the East Side at all costs this
evening."
The Upper East Side event is an exclusive affair for 60 people at the home
of Sharon Elghanayan (aka former NJ governor Jon Corzine's wife, while the
Waldorf-Astoria event is a fundraiser starting at $2,500. Finally, the Town
Hall shindig is a concert from the Roots, with tickets starting at $44 (of
course, the $1,000 ticket gives you VIP privileges, but Obama isn't even
going to be at the VIP event).
President Barack Obama was the big draw at three fundraisers in Manhattan
Wednesday night.
But throughout the day, his birth certificate was getting most of the
attention.
In a surprise move, the White House made the document public in an effort
to silence some Republicans who've tried to raise doubts about his
citizenship, suggesting that he's not eligible to be president.
"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by
sideshows and carnival barkers," President Obama said.
The president did not mention Donald Trump by name, but lately the real
estate mogul has been pushing the issue as he fuels speculation that he's
running for president.
Wednesday, Trump took credit for getting the president to act.
"He should have done it a long time ago. I am really honored to have played
such a big role in hopefully, hopefully getting rid of this issue," Trump
said.
It is an issue that has been a distraction for President Obama and
candidate Obama for several years.
Back in 2008, his campaign fended off questions about his citizenship.
Over the years, the administration produced a short form version of the
certificate, but the controversy didn't go away.
Then Wednesday, the White House handed out the long form version.
It says Obama was born to an American mother and Kenyan father in Hawaii.
All of it was fodder for laughs when the president taped an interview on
"The Oprah Winfrey Show".
"When it first came up were you thinking, I hope I was born here?" Oprah
asked.
"Can I just say? I was there, so I knew that, I knew I had been born. I
remembered it," President Obama joked.
"Of course you did," Oprah said.
A visit from _President Obama_
(/topic/politics/government/barack-obama-PEPLT007408.topic) will make getting around _Manhattan_
(/topic/us/new-york/new-york-city/manhattan-(new-york-city)-PLGEO100100804010000.topic) a
challenge on Tuesday, as he tries to continue making a case for U.S. involvement
in _Libya_ (/topic/intl/libya-PLGEO00000082.topic) and raises money for
his party. Lots of money.
Expect the FDR Drive to be closed intermittently from Midtown to 135th
Street between 1:00 P.M. and 11:00 P.M.
Also, local streets and avenues will be closed at various times Tuesday
afternoon and evening near the three locations where the president is
scheduled to appear. The area around the _Museum of Natural History_
(/topic/science-technology/museum-of-natural-history-PLCUL000196.topic) on the _Upper
West Side_
(/topic/us/new-york/new-york-city/manhattan-(new-york-city)/upper-west-side-PLGEO100100804013500.topic) bounded by Columbus Avenue, _Central
Park_
(/topic/travel/tourism-leisure/gardens-parks/central-park-PLTRA0000101.topic) West and 77th and 81st Streets will be shut down. Also, First
Avenue between 42nd and 45th Streets will be closed in East Midtown, and the
square bordered by 125th Street, 126th Street, Lenox Avenue and Fifth Avenue
in Harlem will be shut down as well.
The president will first go to the Museum of Natural History around 3:00
P.M. to do a series of one-on-one television interviews on U.S. involvement
in Libya. Later in the afternoon, the president will be at the recently
completed U.S. Mission to the _United Nations_
(/topic/crime-law-justice/international-law/united-nations-ORCUL000009.topic) on 1st Avenue across from
U.N. Headquarters. A table in the lobby of the mission covered with a white
cloth Tuesday morning appeared to be part of the ceremony that will name the
building in honor of Ron Brown, the Clinton Administration commerce
secretary who died in a plane crash while on an overseas trade junket.
At 7:00 P.M., the president will headline a big fundraiser in Harlem. Big,
that is, in money, but not attendance. The Red Rooster Restaurant will
have only 49 patrons for dinner, but those few customers are expected to raise
$1.5 million. The $30,800 per plate meal will raise money for the
Democratic Party. Thousands of supporters of -- and probably at least a few
demonstrators against -- the president are expected to line the streets outside of
the new, gourmet restaurant.
Manhattan has become the epicenter of fundraising for Barack Obama. The
top ten contributing zip codes to his 2008 presidential campaign were all in
Manhattan. That campaign set a record for fundraising to which no candidate
has come close, $745 million, according to the Federal Elections
Committee.
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