Final Push For "Dinner with Barack and Michelle"

President Obama, staff send e-mails & tweets as contest & finance quarter end at midnight...
UPDATE, Jan. 6, 2012: Second "Dinner with Barack" contest turns into lunch
The final push for 2011 Campaign donations was on Saturday, with tweets and e-mails from President Obama and OFA staff as the midnight deadline loomed for the fund raising quarter in general and the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" contest in particular.

On vacation in Hawaii, the President sent a brief e-mail to supporters: "About the deadline tonight: It matters," he wrote. $3 got auto-entry into the dinner contest, the third time the President has raffled himself off as a dinner date. Deputy Campaign Manager Julianna Smoot also sent an e-mail about the dinner for eight.

"If you're interested in potentially sitting across from the President and First Lady for a meal sometime soon, this is your very last chance to throw your name in the hat," Smoot wrote.

The Campaign introduced a way to donate directly off cell phones on Saturday, and National Finance Director Rufus Gifford also sent an e-mail, with the subject headline "I know, I know, I know," since OFA is aware they are in overkill mode.

"Trust me: Nobody here wants to be a bother. But we're counting on everyone..." he wrote.

The First Lady e-mailed supporters on Friday. Former Obama aide Reggie Love is the latest from the President's inner circle to promote the dinner.

The President dined with the four winners of the first dinner contest in October at The Liberty Tavern, but has yet to dine with the four winners of the second contest. OFA recently released a new video of the Eater in Chief talking about the first dinner, which followed five previously released videos. Entries don't require a donation, and the assigned retail value of the dinner, $1,600, which includes airfare and a one-night hotel stay, is taxable to the winners.

The President's e-mail had the subject line "Hey."

The text:

XXXX --

About the deadline tonight: It matters.

If you can, please give $3 or more today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Midnight

To 2012,

Barack
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Smoot's e-mail had the subject line "Enter by midnight tonight."

The text:

XXXX --

Today, the last day before 2012, we want to make sure you take the chance to be part of something special.

Before midnight tonight, donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered to have dinner with the President and First Lady sometime soon.

And, don't forget -- if you're one of the winners, you'll get to bring a guest along with you.

So, if you're interested in potentially sitting across from the President and First Lady for a meal sometime soon, this is your very last chance to throw your name in the hat.

Donate $3 to be automatically entered to have dinner with Barack and Michelle:

https://donate.barackobama.com/By-Midnight

Good luck, and happy new year.

-Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America
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President Obama's New E-Mail About "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" Fundraiser

"Michelle and I are hosting"...
In a new email sent today to encourage supporters to drop just $3 to enter the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" campaign fund raising contest, President Obama chafes at the constraints of being Commander in Chief, unable to leave the White House and dine out whenever he'd like.

"It's not all that often that Michelle and I get to host a casual meal with friends," laments Mr. Obama, who happens to be the modern record holder for Presidential dining excursions outside the White House.

The Obama dinners with pals tend to happen during vacations: This summer, there were three "casual dinners" with friends during the vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Last Friday, the President and Mrs. Obama dined with friends at Morimoto in Honolulu. And no one except those inside the White House know how many "casual dinners" the President and First Lady host in the private residence. But at least the First Lady can't complain about missing casual dinners: Mrs. Obama--and East Wing aides--have admitted that she sneaks out of the White House, incognito, for private dinners with friends.

Still, the upcoming campaign dinner is special, since Mrs. Obama is included, too.

"It's the first one we've ever done like this together, and we'd love to have you and whoever you choose to join us," President Obama wrote.

Three winners will be selected, and each is allowed to bring a guest, a change from the two other Dinner with Barack contests, when four winners were selected for each dinner. The contest closes on Dec. 31, and is part of the crucial year-end fundraising push for the campaign. Deputy Campaign Manager Julianna Smoot sent the same e-mail twice in the past week, including the seating chart for the dinner. Former Obama aide Reggie Love is the latest from the President's inner circle to promote the dinner.

"Dinner with Barack and Michelle" is the President's third time raffling himself off as a dinner date. He dined with the four winners of the first dinner contest in October at The Liberty Tavern, but has yet to dine with the four winners of the second contest. OFA recently released a new video of the Eater in Chief talking about the first dinner, which followed five previously released videos.

Entries don't require a donation, and the assigned retail value of the dinner, $1,600, which includes airfare and a one-night hotel stay, is taxable to the winners.

The subject heading for today's e-mail was "Michelle and I are hosting."

The text:

XXXX --

It's not all that often that Michelle and I get to host a casual meal with friends.

That's one of the reasons we're both excited about the upcoming dinner with three supporters and your guests.

It's the first one we've ever done like this together, and we'd love to have you and whoever you choose to join us.

Chip in $3 or whatever you can today -- and you'll automatically be entered to be one of our dinner guests.

I enjoy these dinners not just because they're a way to connect with supporters across the country.

They also say a lot about what kind of campaign we're running.

We don't take a dime from D.C. lobbyists or special-interest PACs -- never have and never will. Instead, we believe in the kind of politics that gives everyone a seat at the table -- so we're literally offering these seats at dinner to folks who are willing to step forward and be a part of it.

There are just a few days left to add your name for a chance to be one of our guests at the next dinner, and help build this campaign before 2012 finally arrives.

Make a donation of $3 or whatever you can today -- and automatically enter to be there:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Me-and-Michelle

Thanks,

Barack

Supporters also got a second e-mail from the President, with the dinner mentioned in a PS:

XXXX --

Here's a question as we head into the new year: Will 2012 be the last year we get?

The answer depends on more than just me -- it depends on you.

How big this campaign grows in 2012 -- and how strong our position is to create lasting change in a second term -- will be determined by the resources we have to work with on January 1st.

We've done some big things together. But there's so much more we need to do.

So if you're in, I'm asking to you step up right now and show it.

Donate $3 or more for 2012 today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/End-of-Year

Thanks,

Barack

P.S. -- Michelle and I are looking forward to the upcoming dinner with three supporters like you and your guests. Any donation you make today automatically enters you to win two seats at the table.

Obama Christmas Cards, Sent & Received

President Obama and First Lady Obama sent out White House Christmas cards featuring an image of First Dog Bo in the library, dozing by the fire place. The text on the inside of the card reads “From our family to yours, may your holidays shine with the light of the season.” It includes a gold Presidential seal and signatures.

Today OFA Deputy Campaign Manager Julianna Smoot sent an e-mail to Obama supporters, asking them to sign a Christmas card for the First Family.

The image features the new First Family portrait, taken on Dec. 11.

"I think we should show Barack and Michelle how many people are standing with them," Smoot wrote. "It may feel like a small gesture, but it's one that becomes very large, very quickly, when hundreds of thousands of people add their names. I just know it's going to mean the world to them."

Smoot's e-mail had the subject heading "For the Obamas."

The full text:

XXXX--

I've known the President and the First Lady for a long time.

I've seen them face some big years before. But the year ahead will be the biggest.

And as we head into 2012, I think we should show Barack and Michelle how many folks are standing with them.

A couple of us on the campaign are putting together a card for everyone to sign with our names and notes, wishing the President and the First Lady well for the year ahead. It may feel like a small gesture, but it's one that becomes very large, very quickly, when hundreds of thousands of people add their names. I just know it's going to mean the world to them.

This is Barack Obama's last campaign. Let's show him and Michelle that we'll be behind them every step of the way next year:

http://my.barackobama.com/Wish-Them-Well

Thank you, and best wishes for a happy new year.

-Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Seating Chart: "Dinner with Barack and Michelle"

Former Social Secretary Julianna Smoot: "my job is done"...
UPDATE, Dec. 26: Smoot sent the exact e-mail again, including the seating chart
President Obama's second White House Social Secretary, Julianna Smoot, left 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue House in March of this year to become his Deputy Campaign Manager. She sent heady news via e-mail to re-election supporters today, as she unveiled the seating chart, above, for OFA's fundraiser "Dinner with Barack and Michelle."

Three lucky winners and their guests will dine with the President and First Lady Obama at an unspecified date and place, and Smoot dubbed the seating arrangement her easiest assignment ever.

"I've put a lot of dinners together for the President and Mrs. Obama," Smoot wrote. "Sometimes they've been for foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Sometimes they've included governors, artists, and musicians. The seating can get pretty complicated, but I have to say, this one was easy."

"So really, my job's done," she added.

Smoot asks for a minimum $3 donation. Her e-mail followed one earlier in the day from Reggie Love, President Obama's longtime personal aide. Love urged donors to "Get on that here," which translated into English, means make a donation to enter the contest.

"Dinner with Barack and Michelle" is the President's third time raffling himself off as a dinner date. He dined with the four winners of the first dinner contest in October at The Liberty Tavern, but has yet to dine with the four winners of the second contest. OFA this week released a new video of the Eater in Chief talking about the first dinner, which followed five previously released videos. The current contest closes on December 31.

Smoot's subject heading for her e-mail was "Where do you want to sit?"

The text:

XXXX --

I just saw the seating chart for Dinner with Barack and Michelle, and I thought you should see it, too.

The President and First Lady are right here. Where do you want to sit?

Take a look, then donate $3 or whatever you can to be automatically entered for a chance to win.

I've put a lot of dinners together for the President and Mrs. Obama.

Sometimes they've been for foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Sometimes they've included governors, artists, and musicians. The seating can get pretty complicated, but I have to say, this one was easy.

One table, six guests, and the President and First Lady.

So really, my job's done. The only thing that's missing is who the guests will be.

Click here to give $3 or whatever you can and be automatically entered for a chance for you and a guest to have dinner with the President and First Lady:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Barack-and-Michelle

I'd love for you to be there.

Thanks,

Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America
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Smoot Touts "Dinner with Barack and Michelle"

Enter to win "a once-in-a-lifetime experience"...
The newest e-mail from OFA for the "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" campaign fundraiser was sent today by Julianna Smoot, former White House Social Secretary and now Deputy Campaign Manager. The contest closes Dec. 31; three winners will be selected, and each can bring a guest. The President will be bringing his wife, who has been added to the contest to inspire donations.

"Tell us who you would bring if you won -- and why," Smoot wrote. "I hope you'll put your name in the running to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with someone you care about."

OFA most recently sent an e-mail to potential donors from Wendi Smith, one of the winners of the first dinner sweepstakes, who called her meal with the Eater in Chief "one of the most significant experiences of my life." Smith dined with the President in October at The Liberty Tavern in Virginia, fulfilling the first dinner contest obligation. The President has nt yet dined with winners of the second sweepstakes.

The subject heading for Smoot's e-mail was "Your guest for Dinner with President Obama" (sic).

The text:

XXXXX --

Have you been thinking about who you'd bring to the next Dinner with Barack?

President Obama will be bringing Michelle to the dinner he's having with grassroots supporters like you. The best part? If you join them, you have a chance to bring a loved one along, too.

Tell us who you would bring if you won -- and why.

Maybe it's your spouse, your aunt who volunteers a few times every month, or your niece who's about to vote for the first time in 2012.

Whoever you choose, this dinner isn't just a chance for you both to meet the President and the First Lady, it's a chance to share a special meal -- to ask the questions you've been dying to ask, and tell the stories you think they need to hear.

I hope you'll put your name in the running to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with someone you care about.

Let us know who you'd bring and why you want them to meet the President and the First Lady:

http://my.barackobama.com/Your-Guest

Thanks,

Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Another e-mail from Smoot on Dec. 19:

XXXX --

Beyond the titles, it's easy to forget sometimes that our President and First Lady are, when it comes down to it, regular people like us.

So I'd encourage you right now to enter our contest to do what few people will ever get to do -- not just have dinner with the President and First Lady of the United States, but have dinner with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Here's the link to throw your name in the hat for dinner with Barack and Michelle:

https://doante.barackobama.com/Barack-and-Michlle

This dinner isn't just some sweepstakes -- it's also a way to help build this campaign just days before our Republican opponents start competing in primaries and caucuses, and inevitably step up their attacks on the President and our campaign.

So make sure to enter before the deadline, and to spread the word to a friend or two -- if someone you tell about this opportunity ends up winning, I'd guess you'd be at the top of their guest list.

Thanks,

Julianna

Julianna Smoot
Deputy Campaign Manager
Obama for America

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