Workin' the little people

I just got an email from the COO of Obama For America, the Prez's online re-election campaign. You would not believe the bait those clever-boots are using to get donations!

If you throw our boy Barack a bone, your name goes in the hat to attend a party at George Clooney's house!!!

Let's just take a moment to admire the sheer genius of this little ploy. First, here's the bold copy in the email:

Think about it -- and chip in $3 or whatever you can today to be automatically entered

For a ridiculously minor campaign contribution, your are automatically entered into this brilliant drawing. (No donation is necessary, of course, I discovered by reading the fine print) But what a hook! Even us middle class, suffering-in-the-miserable-economy folks can afford $3! If your name is drawn, you get to fraternize with the glitterati, hob-nob with the rich and famous, hang with the beautiful people. How many folks in our shallow, celebrity-obsessed culture would pass on that?

This is the latest in a series of savvy plots to extract money from the Democratic rank-and-file. At first, it was dinner with the President. Now, as the election heats up in earnest, it's a party at George Clooney's house. Oh, and they spring for airfare and hotel. Ooooooo, and here's a question! Is the bash in Los Angeles, or at George's villa on Lake Como?!?

I can easily see major brass rolling in over this one. Hell, I'm certainly gonna donate. But not because of George. (now, if it were a chance to party with his aunt Rosemary, I'd be all a twitter...) But I'd love to have a drink and shoot the shit with Mr. Obama. Oooooo, wonder if Michele will be there? That would be a party!