New Video: President Obama Speaks About "Dinner with Barack" Fundraising Contest

"This campaign and this presidency is not just about me," says Mr. Obama in sixth video about his October dinner with four donors...
 UPDATE, Jan. 6, 2012: CLICK TO READ: Second "Dinner with Barack" contest turns into lunch
President Obama's willingness to raffle himself off as a dinner date to raise funds for his 2012 re-election effort is one of the top White House food stories of 2011. On Monday morning, OFA released a new video clip of the President speaking about having dinner with four campaign donors in October at The Liberty Tavern, as he fulfilled his first meal commitment for the three different "Dinner with Barack" contests. OFA previously released five video clips from the first dinner. (Above: The President in the new video, looking very gray)

Having dinner with supporters "helps motivate me," the President says in the new video.

The four people the President dined with in October are so enthusiastic about Mr. Obama that one, Casey Helbling, a tech entrepreneur from Minnesota, named one of his children "Maxwell Barack."

"They've got their own struggles, they've got their own challenges, and yet they're still out there working on the campaign, working on the issues, trying to get their Congressmen to vote...that reminds me that this campaign and this presidency is not just about me," President Obama says in the video.

First Lady Michelle Obama has been added to the current contest, "Dinner with Barack and Michelle." Entries close on Dec. 31. Three winners will each be allowed to bring one guest. They will all have to sign documents agreeing to be used in campaign materials.



"In this previously unreleased clip, President Obama talks about why dinners with supporters mean a lot to him," OFA wrote. "After you've watched, make a donation to be automatically entered for your chance to attend the next dinner...We'll cover your airfare and the meal—all you have to bring is your story and your ideas."

The assigned retail value of the prize package has jumped from $1,075 for the first dinner to $1,600 for the current dinner. It is taxable to the winners.

President Obama has yet to dine with the winners of the second dinner sweepstakes.
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