My Dinner with Barack: The Sweepstakes

A few months ago, I donated some money to Barack Obama’s campaign. It was an impulse, but a modest impulse. One result is that I get lots of Obama email updating me on the struggle and importuning me for more cash. Hey, that’s the way it works. When you give money to a political cause, you’ve identified yourself as a mark of sorts and you’re going to keep hearing from people who want to remind you of how valuable your past contributions have been — and by the way, where’s the next one?

So. Obama. Today I got an Obama email with a tantalizing offer. If I contribute something to the campaign in the next week — it doesn’t matter how much — I “could join Barack and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five.” In short, it sounds like a sweepstakes or a raffle: You’re buying a chance to meet the celebrity up close and personal. You can’t win if you don’t play.

Thoughts and questions abound: Is this legal? (It’s got to be; I mean if the Lincoln Bedroom and intimate hunting trips with high officials have been on the auction block, how can this be wrong?) What sort of joint will host the dinner? (In-n-Out Burger gets kind of noisy.) Will Barack leave the table while I’m in the middle of relating my life story to go have a smoke? (Hey, man, I thought you were quitting.) Would it be gauche to ask Barack to autograph my menu? (Remember to bring a pen that will write on grease stains.) Will the Secret Service be involved in picking the sweepstakes winners, or at least in investigating their pasts? (What’s this about disorderly conduct?) Who’s going to pick up the tab? (Should I donate enough to cover the tip?)

[Update 6/7/07: Yesterday’s invitation to break bread with Senator Obama, sent over a staffer’s name, was followed today by one signed by the candidate himself. Consider me cajoled!]

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7 Replies to “My Dinner with Barack: The Sweepstakes”

  1. You’ll want to bring a nice bottle of wine; when you find out what the menu is, let me know and I’ll set you up.

  2. Dude! You and I could be having dinner together since I got the same e-mail. What’s the halfway point between California and Illinois?

  3. According to the NY Times, the Obama folks will fly in the 4 winners for free to meet Barack. all expenses covered.
    Ay, not a bad proposal. I could use a one night dinner vacation.

  4. I think halfway is Aspen, Colorado. A great place to have dinner with the candidate. I hope the Barack people are listening.

  5. We fell for a similar deal, but we won. We’ll be having our photo taken with Al Franken next week.

  6. Dude, I’ll give you a Nintendo Wii for a spot at the table. I’ve got a bevvy of questions to ask. Namely, “Did you read the ENTIRE Iraw war proposal? Cuz only 1 of the 3 GOP Senators say they did. How did you find the time? What aspects did you agree with? Disagree with?” 🙂
    Karl

  7. A Wii? Darned tempting. But our son is bringing his home for the summer. Yes!
    Obama was not in the Senate at the time of the Iraq war vote and wasn’t privy to the classified National Intelligence Estimate that sitting members of the Senate had access to. The number thrown around, after some reporting long after the fact by the Washington Post, is that six of the 100 senators read the full document. Most of the rest read a five-page summary or just skimmed the long (92-page) version.

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