Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog -- Crowds greeted President Obama as he arrived by motorcade in Studio City for a star-studded fundraiser at actor George Clooney's house May 10, 2012
President Barack Obama boarded Air Force One at LAX this morning, headed for Reno, Nevada. Obama’s visit to the Southland was brief, but lucrative. Last night, the president was the main attraction at a posh dinner party at the Studio City home of actor George Clooney, which reportedly raised $15 million for his re-election bid — the most ever for a campaign fundraiser.
Local freelance photographer Terje “Terry” Canavarro got pictures of the presidential motorcade arriving in Studio City around 7 p.m. last night. Terry shot his photos from the balcony of a restaurant near Ventura and Laurel Canyon Boulevards. Here are more of his photos.
Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog --A crowd gathered at Ventura and Laurel Canyon Boulevards in hopes of seeing the president's motorcade go by in Studio City May 10, 2012
Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog --President Obama's motorcade in Studio City May 10, 2012
Photo: Terje "Terry" Canavarro/Freelance Photog -- Crowd cheered and waved at President Obama as his motorcade traveled Studio City streets May 10, 201
The most detailed and interesting report about the Studio City fundraiser, including observations from the White House press pool, is over on Deadline.com. President Obama reportedly spoke for about 20 minutes before going around to chat with the guests at each of the 14 tables (among them Hollywood stars and major players like Robert Downey Jr. and Barbra Streisand). First, however, he gave some shout-outs to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Fernando Valley Congressman Howard Berman, DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg, and of course the host, George Clooney.
President Obama:
“… let’s face it, we raised a lot of money because everybody loves George. (Laughter.) They like me; they love him. (Laughter.) And rightfully so. Not only is he an unbelievable actor, but he is one of those rare individuals who is at ease with everybody, seems to just occupy a constant state of grace, and uses his extraordinary talents on behalf of stuff that’s really important. And he takes time to actually figure out the facts and the issues. (Applause.) And so we couldn’t be prouder of George. Thank you. (Applause.) And I couldn’t be prouder of him as a friend.”
Also, the president gave some props to the American people and their steadfastness during the past three years or so of tough economic times.
“And one of the great privileges of being President is you travel around the country and every day there’s an affirmation of how decent and how strong and how caring the American people are. They’re not always paying attention to the babble in Washington. They don’t have the time to read big briefing books on the latest ideas for Medicare reform. But they have good instincts about what’s right and what’s true. And it’s those instincts and it’s that resilience that really has enabled this country to weather an extraordinary storm.”
