OFA Star: "Janet From Accokeek, Maryland"

The Campaign's new symbol of citizen engagement represents key voting blocs, and she's working out to look terrific for her Presidential dinner...
The first winner of the Dinner with Barack IV sweepstakes, a 64-year-old grandmother of four identified by the campaign as "Janet, from Accokeek, Maryland," has already gotten as much play from Obama for America as the eight contest winners who have joined President Obama during previous dinner fundraisers. OFA previously kept the identities of winners secret until after they'd dined with the President, but Janet was introduced to America last week, and there are now more details about her on OFA's blog--including her photo (above). Janet's father, Milton, 86, was a Tuskegee Airman; her husband is battling cancer.

As a symbol of voters and issues crucial to the President's re-election effort, Janet is a quintuple threat: She's African American, she's a woman, she's a senior citizen, she's from a military family, and soon we'll all be hearing about how her husband has benefited from the President's efforts with health care reform.

OFA offers homey gossip about Janet: She actually screamed when she found out she'd won her seat at the President's table, so now she's working on self control for the dinner.

"I'm going to be praying that God will give me the right attitude, because I get very talkative, and I want to be quieter and enjoy the moment. I'm going to practice silence," Janet said.

Janet has also started a new fitness regime in order to prep for her date with destiny, which she won by donating $25: "Sit-ups, push-ups, 100 a day! I want to be healthy and looking good," Janet said. Perhaps she's hoping to meet First Lady Obama, the reigning queen of push ups.

Janet's family has also had a running joke about dining with the President and First Lady Obama, OFA reports. As for Janet's papa, Milton, the Tuskegee vet? The President--coincidentally?--welcomed a group of Tuskegee Airmen to the White House in February, for a special screening of the biopic "Red Tails." The President e-mailed supporters on Monday evening, asking them to enter the current dinner contest.

Janet sent an e-mail to supporters this weekend, encouraging them to enter the contest (just $3), which has a staggered selection process to inspire repeat donations. The winner for dinner Seat #2 has supposedly been selected, and seats #3 and #4 will be chosen on March 18 and March 31.

He has already dined with the eight winners of two of the previous "Dinner with Barack" contests, but has not yet dined with the six winners of the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" contest. The President ate dinner with the four 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 winners to DC's Scion restaurant on January 6, 2012. A new video about the event is here. The dinner prize packages include airfare and a one-night hotel stay, and the assigned retail value is taxable to winners, who also sign documents agreeing to be used without compensation in campaign promos.

OFA's blog post about Janet:

For Janet, a running joke in her family took on a different meaning last week when she found out she had been chosen as the first guest at the next round of Dinner with Barack.

"Every time I get together for a meal with my sister and cousins, we say 'Oh, we should have President Obama and the First Lady over.' We joke that we're going to pick them up and bring 'em over. We've been playing like that for years: 'Let me just call Barack and Michelle and see if they'll come.' And then I find out I'm going to have dinner with the President—and I don't even have to cook! I tell you what: The tables have turned."

Janet, a grandmother from Accokeek, Maryland, got the news on her way home from a car trip.

"I was in the supermarket parking lot when I found out," she explains. "I was driving down from New York and I started to get really hungry, so I pulled off and got some things to eat. Then all of a sudden my phone rang. I had to boot it out of there so I could stand in the parking lot and scream. I was floored. I felt like I was in a hot air balloon just sailing over everything.

"I was so surprised. I wanted to support the President's second term, so I gave not knowing I had entered into a contest. I just had a desire to give, and as a result I have the ability to sit down and dine with President Obama—that's a blessing. I was getting emails from people in the campaign, and I clicked on one that offered the chance to donate. I saw the block that said donate, so I clicked on it."

When asked what she plans to do in preparation for Dinner with Barack, Janet doesn't miss a beat:

"Sit-ups, push-ups, 100 a day! I want to be healthy and looking good. And I'm going to be praying that God will give me the right attitude, because I get very talkative, and I want to be quieter and enjoy the moment. I'm going to practice silence. I'm going shopping. I'm going to continue to take care of my husband, who is fighting cancer. And I'm going to relax and try to get ready."

She has this advice for anyone deciding whether to pitch in and support the campaign:

"My dad is a Tuskegee Airman. He always says 'Support your leaders and listen to their voices, and in turn, they'll listen to yours.' Turns out he was right about that."

Enter today for your chance to join Janet at Dinner with Barack.

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*Photo by Obama for America

An Evening E-Mail From Barack

Barack--that's how President Obama refers to himself when he's asking for a campaign donation--e-mailed supporters on Monday night, asking for "$3 or more" or "a gift of whatever you can afford" to enter the Dinner with Barack IV fundraiser. There was no mention of "Janet, from Accokeek, Maryland," the President's future dinner companion who is the new citizen poster girl for the contest.

"I'm not asking you to donate today just for a chance to meet me," Barack wrote.

"I'm asking you to chip in if you believe in the kind of politics that gives people like you a seat at the table -- whether it's at the dinner table with me or the table where decisions are made about what kind of country we want to be."

The e-mail had the subject line "A seat at the table."

The text:

XXXX --

I've set aside time for four supporters like you to join me for dinner.

Most campaigns fill their dinner guest lists primarily with Washington lobbyists and special interests.

We didn't get here doing that, and we're not going to start now. We're running a different kind of campaign. We rely on everyday Americans giving whatever they can afford, and I want to spend time with the folks who make this possible.

That's why if you make a donation now, you'll be automatically entered for a chance to be my guest for dinner. Please donate $3 or more today.

I always look forward to meeting supporters like you, and this will be the kind of casual meal among friends that I don't get to have as often as I'd like anymore. So I hope you'll consider joining me.

But I'm not asking you to donate today just for a chance to meet me. I'm asking you to chip in if you believe in the kind of politics that gives people like you a seat at the table -- whether it's at the dinner table with me or the table where decisions are made about what kind of country we want to be.

It starts with a gift of whatever you can afford.

Please make a donation of $3 or more today, and we'll throw your name in the hat:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Join-Me-for-Dinner

I've said before that I want people like you to shape this campaign. This is your chance to share your ideas with me face to face.

Hope to see you soon,

Barack

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*The photo at top appears with the contest donation form on the Obama for America website.

"Janet from Accokeek, Maryland" E-Mails About Dinner with Barack IV Fundraiser

President's future dinner companion is a Grandmother of four and prone to screaming when excited; OFA advises donors to answer phone calls coming from 937 area code...
Obama for America announced via e-mail on Friday that "Janet from Accokeek, Maryland" was the first person selected to dine with President Obama for Dinner with Barack IV, the current culinary fundraiser from the campaign. No personal details were given about Janet other than the amount she donated--$25--until today, when another OFA e-mail id'd the lucky Marylander as "a grandmother of four." Janet is also prone to screaming, according to a Campaign staffer; that was her excited response when she got the phone call that she'd won the contest. Today the enthusiastic and mysterious Janet herself sent an e-mail to supporters, encouraging them to enter the dinner contest. (Above: The President enjoys a cheeseburger and fries at the second Dinner with Barack event, which was actually lunch)

That's a new twist from OFA, which has previously sent dinner e-mails from the President, First Lady Obama, the President's former personal aide, Reggie Love, and staffers high-up in the OFA pecking order, such as National Finance Director Rufus Gifford, who also e-mailed about dinner today, too. The identities of the President's dinner companions for previous contests weren't revealed until after he'd dined with them.

Janet provides a few more personal details in her e-mail: Her father is named Milton, and he's 86. He challenged her to donate, she said.

"What a blessing. Two days ago I learned I'm going to have dinner with President Obama," Janet wrote. "I guess I should finally start listening to my father, Milton (he's 86 years old)..."Janet," my dad said, "You gotta start supporting President Obama. Support your politicians. Support the President, so that your voice can be heard."

Janet asked supporters for a donation of at least $3.

"I hope you'll join me at the table with President Obama," Janet wrote.

Janet and Gifford's e-mails are part of a push for donations before midnight tonight, an arbitrary deadline set by OFA to select a second winner for the Dinner with Barack IV contest. OFA is staggering selections of the four winners of the contest, in contrast to the three previous dinner contests. The new process is designed to inspire supporters to donate again and again. The other selection dates are after midnight on March 18 and March 31.

Don't screen calls from 937 area code, OFA advises...
Will Janet be screaming when she actually dines with the President? That's unclear. But OFA staffer Martha Patzer wrote in a post on the Campaign blog that Janet interrupted a lunch run in order to really scream when she got the phone call telling her she'd won dinner with the President.

"She was picking up some lunch—she asked me to please hold as she stepped outside, and then let it all out," Patzer wrote.

Patzer had words of advice for others who have donated to the dinner contests:

"Here's a tip: If you're screening your calls in the next few weeks, don't ignore any "937" area codes."

Interestingly, the 937 area code is in Ohio, not in Chicago, Illinois, where the Obama campaign headquarters are located.

Below, the full text of Janet's e-mail, and today's e-mail from Gifford. Janet's e-mail had the subject line "Join me for dinner?"--though it should have read "Join me and the President for dinner?" Gifford's had the subject line "Are you guest #2?" (Above: The OFA website includes a graphic with a live countdown clock for the dinner contest)

The President has already dined with the eight winners of two of the previous "Dinner with Barack" contests, but has not yet dined with the six winners of the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" contest. The President ate dinner with the four 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 winners to DC's Scion restaurant on January 6, 2012. A new video about the event is here. The dinner prize packages include airfare and a one-night hotel stay, and the assigned retail value is taxable to winners, who also sign documents agreeing to be used without compensation in campaign promos.

The text of Janet's e-mail:

XXXX--

What a blessing. Two days ago I learned I'm going to have dinner with President Obama.

I guess I should finally start listening to my father, Milton (he's 86 years old).

He always taught me that when you give, you receive.

"Janet," my dad said, "You gotta start supporting President Obama. Support your politicians. Support the President, so that your voice can be heard."

"I do support the President," I told him.

"Prove it."

Well, here I am.

I'm telling you this because the campaign is picking the next guest in a few hours -- and I hope my story inspires you to add your name to mine.

Join me by donating $3 or whatever you can to help the campaign and be automatically entered to win Dinner with Barack.

The truth is, I don't usually enter these kinds of things. I gave $25 last week in response to an email from the campaign, but not for one second did I think my name would be drawn.

I donated because I want a president who cares enough about his supporters to sit down for a meal, just like we do in our own families.

And because I was anxious to support the President's campaign. It was my time to give.

I hope you'll join me at the table with President Obama. As I mentioned, they're picking the next guest tonight:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Picking-at-Midnight

And mind your parents, people. It pays off.

- Janet

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The text of Gifford's e-mail:

XXX--

Today there are three seats left at the upcoming dinner with the President. By midnight tomorrow there will be only two -- we'll be picking the next guest.

Janet, a grandmother of four from Maryland, found out yesterday she'll have the first seat.

It's time to fill the second.

Pitch in $3 or whatever you can before midnight tomorrow, and you'll be automatically entered for the chance to join Janet, President Obama, and two other supporters:

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

There are only hours to go -- so if you want your name to be in there, you should act now while there are still three spots remaining.

Good luck!

-Rufus

Rufus Gifford
National Finance Director
Obama for America
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*Photo by Obama for America

"Janet from Accokeek, Maryland" Will Dine With President Obama At "Dinner with Barack IV"

3 seats left for dinner contest; drawing is March 3rd...
Winners are being selected in stages for Dinner with Barack IV, the campaign fundraiser that has President Obama raffling himself off as a dinner date for four lucky winners. The selection process, new for the the fourth dinner contest from the Campaign, is designed to inspire repeat small donations. "Janet from Accokeek, Maryland" won the first seat at the President's table after she dropped $25 into his war chest, according to an e-mail from Deputy Campaign Manager Julianna Smoot. (Above: The President's new campaign headshot, released this week)

"You probably don't know Janet from Accokeek, Maryland," wrote Smoot. "But you two could be having dinner with President Obama together sometime soon."

The second dinner winner will be selected after midnight ET on March 3rd, and Obama for America has added a live countdown clock to the donation page, which accompanies a new dinner graphic. Smoot asked for a minimum $3 donation to dine with the President and the mysterious Janet, whose age, job, and background Smoot doesn't describe.

"We're counting down the hours until we draw the next name," Smoot wrote.

The $1,150 prize package includes a one-night hotel stay and airfare to DC, which Janet won't need, since she's in driving distance. The dinner is valued at $200; the airfare is valued at $800 and the hotel stay is valued at $150. Janet will be paying IRS taxes on her prize package.

The third and fourth winners will be selected after midnight on March 18 and March 31. They required to undergo background checks, and to sign legally binding documents that allow the unpaid use of their names, images, likenesses, etc. by Obama for America "for promotional purposes without further permission or compensation," because OFA releases photos and videos of the dinners. Read "French fries With The Leader Of The Free World," a behind-the-scenes look at the most recent "Dinner with Barack" event.

The President has already dined with the eight winners of two of the previous "Dinner with Barack" contests, but has not yet dined with the eight winners of the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" contest, which includes the participation of First Lady Michelle Obama. The President ate dinner with the four 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 winners to DC's Scion restaurant on January 6, 2012.

Smoot's e-mail had the subject line "Janet from Accokeek."

The text:

Friend --

You probably don't know Janet from Accokeek, Maryland.

But you two could be having dinner with President Obama together sometime soon.

Janet was the first guest selected for the next Dinner with Barack. And we're counting down the hours until we draw the next name.

The second seat could be yours -- you'll be automatically entered when you donate $3 or whatever you can today.

Janet told us that when she donated $25 last week she was just trying to show her support for the President.

No one ever thinks they'll be picked until they are.

Take the chance. Chip in $3 or more today to be automatically entered:

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

Thanks,

Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

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