Orlando (Maitland) fundraiser brings in almost half a million for Obama tonight.

[ruby slippers]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/orl-obama2208may22,0,6225973.story

[parasim]

1. When they expected only half of that.

Nice.

[FrenchieCat]

2. Thanks!

Good Article.

[SwampG8r]

21. hi frenchie

you read this?
we making you proud down here in the sunshine state?

[Aloha Spirit]

3. Didn't you get a ticket? How was it?

[ruby slippers]

5. see here....you must have missed it.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6071209&mesg_id=6071209

[Aloha Spirit]

8. holy cow! very nicely done.

[ruby slippers]

9. will have the photos from my cell phone posted by tomorrow night

so check back. DU was the first to get the scoop and photos. You guys are awesome and were the reason that I went in the end.

Tomorrow...Surise, FL perhaps? If so, more photos.

[ruby slippers]

4. the best part is that this wasn't big dollar to attend either...I got

in for 250.00, which was the minimum (the other amounts which included personal photos with him were 1000.00 and 2300.00. But, most of the people I talked to only paid the 250.00 and were just common regular working class people. And, I got to shake hands, give him a personal item (the mustard seed pin) and got my book signed. Obama gets it. Small donors and regular people and not the stuffy formal house parties where they expect favors in return.....

[SwampG8r]

20. the mustard seed is a great bunch

i try to support them whenever i can

[ErinBerin84]

6. you were a part of history! So awesome.

[ruby slippers]

7. I will post the video of the guy announcing it on Youtube tomorrow

when I figure out how to download the video. The crowd went wild.....

[ruby slippers]

10. I guess I got a bargain for 250.00 Look here.....

"...Some paid up to $10,000 just to attend the event..."

http://www.cfnews13.com/Politics/FloridaDecides/2008/5/21/obama_stumps_in_central_florida_clinton_heads_to_south_florida.html

[msallied]

11. Color me jealous!!

I love reading stories like this, though. It makes him seem so much more real and accessible. Like maybe I'll get the chance to meet him one day. Next time he comes to Washington, I'm gonna be ready!!

[ruby slippers]

12. you know, that was exactly what I was thinking. Making us common

folk feel just as important as the wealthy....

Smart man, smart campaign...

Don't give up hope. I posted about three weeks ago how jealous I was that he was everywhere but Florida. All the DU'ers kept telling me he would come here and I would get my chance. Boy, were they right. I sure owe God some special thank you's tonight....and this board for encouraging me to go when I almost didn't.

I still can't believe he has my pin in his pocket.....and my personal handwritten note on why I am voting for him....that was worth more than any 10,000 ever could get me....

And, the best part was that the lady to my left, an older woman in a wheelchair, wept openly when he came to work the line. The lady to my right was from Puerto Rico and they told him that Puerto Rico would support him, if not now but in the GE. She said the PR government was behind him, too. There were several African American people there and a few kids and busload of young college Democrats that had their way paid by donors who thought it was more important for them to come than themselves. He mentioned that we were all there showing what the real America is made up of, and boy is he correct....

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. I found this reallly astonishing.....

<snip>

In Maitland, meanwhile, donors were turned away from Wednesday night's fundraiser, said host committee member Roger Chapin, the Mears Transportation Group vice president of public affairs. Chapin said about 600 donors were expected, but many more wanted to come.

The event had been expected to raise about $250,000, but organizers said the final tally was nearly twice that.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen," Chapin said. "They're going to have to start holding these events in convention centers."

I think that speaks volumes about Obama's ability to attract people to him.

[msallied]

14. Oh but he's "unelectable" remember?

How can people even think of saying that? I've never seen a politician in this day and age who is able to bring these kinds of crowds and this kind of money. To think that this is some kind of a novelty, that the shine will wear off. Nonsense.

[ruby slippers]

16. and the money for most of us tonight was only 250.00.....

a real bargain. Best part, mine came from Dubya....(rebate check)

[msallied]

18. See now THAT is a sweet irony.

And I consider it a great future investment in our nation's economy. lol

[ruby slippers]

22. ha, me, too. And, I used 100.00 to buy "forever stamps" from the

Post Office the day before they raised the rate a penny. Already made 1 percent interest. I figure if I wait until they are 50 cents, then that is 8 percent and no bank is going to give me that rate of return.

None to China...just 250.00 to Obama from Bush, 100.00 to my grandkids in books of stamps, and the rest in my bank account.......

Sweet!

[mamalone]

31. LOL...

Ruby girl... I think you need to be my new best friend:)

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. I am so sick of the "unelectable" argument. Can we have a nominee

already, so we can whoop John McSame's ass in the fall? I don't mind letting the remaining states have their say, but Hillary needs to bring her rhetoric, and that of her surrogates under control. Geraldine Ferraro's senile ass needs to be banned from the party and the teevee.

[ruby slippers]

15. and, the best part was that there were probably only 300 - 400 there

and it still produced volumes of money...

The room was quite small and that is why they turned them away. It was personal but raucous.....but the food was good. Just hor d'erves and a pay-bar, but we were treated like royalty.

It will be interesting to see how many turn out in Boca tomorrow. That event does not require tickets, so anyone who wants in will get in....

[Beregond2]

17. "...but we were treated like royalty."

I can't tell you the number of political functions where I was treated like dirt. But the Obama people know what they are doing.

[ruby slippers]

23. yeah, I wasn't expecting any food and they had two buffets

with hor d'erves, smoked salmon, assorted fruits, cookies and all. We had chairs and a band. They had valet parking for extra, but my handicapped sticker worked just fine for me. Everyone was really nice, from the hotel staff to the hired guards to the Secret Service. Like I said, when I tried to give the SS the pin, they just smiled and said, "Give it to him yourself."....

BTW, they never even checked my driver's license when I checked in, although we were fed through a metal detector and also wanded but that is expected. It was as though we were family.

Yes, this campaign has it right...working folks who were treated like the big cat Republican donors...all without the lobbying.

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. Sounds like a very intimate setting. I'm so jealous. I truly believe this

is history we're making. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[windbreeze]

32. But, but...I didn't hear you say that a local rock band

performed first...you mean those people actually came, and paid up to $10,000 just to see Obama...omg, how could you make up such a story????...:sarcasm:wb

[ruby slippers]

35. NOT! The band wasn't even advertised....some people just like him, I guess

:rofl:

[SwampG8r]

19. so you picked the maitland rally huh?

was i right?did you get closer at the maitland rally than you would at tampa?
wish i could have gone

[ruby slippers]

24. oh my gosh, yes. Thank you if you were one who encouraged me...

did you see the photos I posted on another thread? I was front and center, gave him a personal note, shook his hand, and got the book signed.

More photos tomorrow....after I learn how to download them from the cell phone. These were from my other camera.....

Yes, Maitland, and maybe now Sunrise tomorrow. That one doesn't need tickets.

[SwampG8r]

25. booyah yep it was me and i am so glad i was right

small rallies almost always devolve into crowd working so you can get close up
i am so glad you had fun
i read the other post since i posted this and saw the pics
you are so f ing luckiy
well done

[ruby slippers]

26. no, just fk blessed to have had people like you make up my mind...I

almost didn't go, remember?

Now, if he only wears the mustard seed pin.....we all can call it true success. If not, it was still the best night of my life next to my wedding, birth of my kids, birth of my grandkids...etc.

Thanks again.

[SwampG8r]

33. i would call the fact you brought the mustard seed

to the attention of the next POTUS pretty successful
they are truly good people doing good work
if you are one of them then from the bottom of my heart
thank you so much for what you have done here in florida

[DerekJ]

27. ruby slippers.. no offense but..those slippers are driving me crazy.

I can't read your post without starring at those slippers for half an hour first. :grr:

[ruby slippers]

28. forgive me for self-kicking for the am crowd....but, this is too good not

to know about....

[Ichingcarpenter]

34. Great news and I saw both of your threads on this event and nominated

both of them. You participated and witnessed history close up you lucky girl!

[ruby slippers]

36. I have the video uploaded to my computer but don't know how to

get it up with good quality as it only plays in Real Player. This whole event was closed to the press so this is exclusive video if I can get it up and running. The crowd was wild in it...not like all those quite crowds you see on TV. In that respect, it was kinda different, I thought. And, I also got video of the guy making the announcement that it was the largest fundraiser in the campaign. Anyone with pointers on where to go to upload the vids?