While President Obama is reaping millions of dollars from lavish fund-raising events hosted by popular celebrities, Gov. Mitt Romney is receiving only a tiny amount of support from Tinseltown.
In an article at Politico last Thursday, writer Dave Levinthal stated if there's any question that Hollywood loves the president, just look at the impressive group of celebrities who support Obama:
Billy Crystal, Meryl Streep, Sharon Stone, Scarlett Johansson and Salma Hayek.
Oh, and Robert Downey Jr., Diane Keaton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Reese Witherspoon, Christie Brinkley and two Fondas, Peter and Bridget.
“These silver screen superstars rank among actors or actresses who together in May made 330 reportable contributions to Obama’s reelection campaign for a total of $130,000, new federal campaign finance records indicate,” Levinthal stated.
If that's the case with the incumbent Democrat, how many Hollywood movers and shakers donated to the Republican presidential candidate during the same month?
Four.
They were Nick Searcy, William Shockley, Nina Onuora and Richard Huisman.
No, I didn't know who they were either.
Perhaps the best-known of those contributors was Nick Searcy, who donated $250 on May 21.
His credits include bit roles as Sheriff Rawlins in “The Fugitive” and Frank Bennett in “Fried Green Tomatoes,” Levinthal said. More recently, he starred in the FX cable series “Justified.”
The remaining three were described as “character actors.”
"However, if Romney “still longs for Hollywood’s attention, he may take heart in that 'Charles in Charge' sitcom lead Scott Baio and veteran actor Jon Voight recently attended one of his California fund-raisers and whose donations will likely appear in his next financial report, due out next month,” the author noted.
Meanwhile, one popular Obama fund-raising technique is offering average Americans a chance to win dinner with the president—and a Hollywood star—in exchange for a small-dollar donation.
Even if the tactic only raises a small amount of money, it provides the Obama campaign with valuable personal information that can be used to “rally the troops” on Election Day.
As NewsBusters previously reported, cavorting with Hollywood’s finest comes with the risk of turning off independents and energizing conservatives.
But it appears the Obama campaign is willing to take that risk: On Tuesday, the president will appear onstage in Miami at a benefit concert with singer Marc Anthony after spending Monday attending three events in the Boston area that could rake in more than $3 million.
