Obama Campaign: President's Supporters Are "Crazy" If They Don't Donate

Obama for America creates a countdown clock for contest deadline...
It's unclear if accusing President Obama's supporters of having a psychiatric disorder will inspire them to drop a buck or two in the re-election warchest. But that's what the Campaign's National Finance Director Rufus Gifford is doing today in an e-mail asking for a $2 donation to enter the newly launched Dinner with Barack IV sweepstakes. The e-mail has the subject line "You'd be crazy not to."

"Sitting down for a meal with the President of the United States is just not a chance many people -- including me -- will ever get," Gifford wrote. "That's why you'd be crazy not to at least give this a shot."

The President on Tuesday sent e-mails asking donors for $1, $2 and $3 to enter the contest by today, because the push is on to get as many small donors as possible to step up before midnight ET, when the first winner of the sweepstakes will supposedly be selected. The OFA site today added a countdown clock to the donation page, to let donors know just how little time they had left to pony up (above). The other three non-crazy dinner winners will be chosen on successive dates in order to inspire repeat donations from all those who weren't selected the first time: March 3, March 18, and March 31.

Obama for America says that 98% of January donations were "small," under $250.  However, the Campaign doesn't mention how many of these contributions were from repeat donors whose total aggregate donated sum would far exceed $250. A study from the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute found that 48% of donors in 2011 actually did give $200 or less.

The current dinner contest has an assigned retail value of $1,150, taxable to the winners.  It is the fourth time the President has raffled himself off as a dinner date. The President dined with winners of the first "Dinner with Barack" contest in October of 2011, at The Liberty Tavern in Arlington, VA. The second dinner contest was fulfilled with a luncheon; the President took his four guests to DC's Scion restaurant on January 6, 2012. The third dinner, "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" has eight guests, and the First Lady, and has not yet taken place.

The text of Gifford's e-mail:

XXXX--

Sitting down for a meal with the President of the United States is just not a chance many people -- including me -- will ever get.

That's why you'd be crazy not to at least give this a shot.

We're drawing the first winner tonight at midnight.

Pitch in $2 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to sit down for a meal with the President.

Consider this: A couple months ago, Scott, a firefighter and dad from Georgia, opened an email about having dinner with the President. He pitched in a few dollars to support the campaign, figuring "Why not?"

Weeks later, the President was offering him a french fry from across the table.

So if you think that could never be you, remember that Scott thought that, too.

Chip in $2 or more to be automatically entered now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/The-First-Guest

Good luck,

Rufus

Rufus Gifford
National Finance Director
Obama for America