Obama Makes Urgent Plea To Supporters In Latest Bay Area Visit
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) - President Barack Obama told Bay Area supporters on Monday that with one month to go, it is time for them to get "almost obsessive."
Speaking to donors at a $20,000-per-ticket dinner in San Francisco, Mr. Obama said, "I very much intend to win this election."
But he said it will require supporters to mobilize every resource they can think of to help him. He encourages those who given him cash to do more by sending emails, making phone calls, and reaching out to cousins, uncles or friends in the battleground states that will decide the election.
"You've got to make sure that we bring this home," Obama said.
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The president spoke Monday night at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium before a separate fundraising concert capping a lucrative campaign trip to California.
Obama arrived in the Bay Area Monday afternoon. Air Force One touched down at San Francisco International Airport at 1:50 p.m.
A short time later, the president stepped out of the plane wearing a charcoal gray suit and a dark blue tie. He smiled and waved before walking down the stairs to the tarmac, where he was greeted by a small group of people.
KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:
Obama shook their hands and posed for a photo, then made his way to where dozens of invited spectators were waiting to meet him. He greeted them, shook hands and gave a high-five to 4-year-old Max Frank, of Livermore, before getting into a waiting limo. He was whisked away by his motorcade at 2:06 p.m.
He left smiles in his wake, including on the face of Brian Crump, 52, of Richmond, who was wearing a "Together We Can" shirt in support of Obama.
Crump said meeting the president was even better than he expected.
"I told him, 'God bless you,' and he said 'thank you,'" Crump said.
He said he was impressed that Obama took the time to shake spectators' hands and chat with them briefly.
"He made me very proud of him," Crump said.
The president appeared at a fundraiser at the InterContinental Hotel on Howard Street Monday afternoon before heading to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for a dinner, rally and concert.
The dinner, was prepared by celebrity chefs Alice Waters and Tyler Florence. Dinner began at 5 p.m. with the concert to follow.
Monday night's fundraiser featured musical performances by John Legend and Michael Franti, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith was also expected to attend. Ticket prices for the concert ranged from $100 to $7,500.
Anti-war protesters are rallied in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza ahead of Monday's fundraising event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
The several-dozen protesters critical of the continued U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and other military operations in the Middle East were from the groups World Can't Wait, Code Pink and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The protesters carried signs with messages such as "Obama bombs funerals," "Obama murders women and children" and "Shut down the war machine." One poster featured the iconic image of Uncle Sam with the message, "I want you to kill and die for your American empire."
"A vote for Obama or Romney is voting for more trauma in Afghanistan," said Jason Matherne, a U.S. Navy veteran from Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Matherne urged people not to vote at all, saying that in terms of the war in Afghanistan, voting for either candidate would not affect policy.
Stephanie Tang of World Can't Wait said that continuing the war in Afghanistan and drone strikes in countries like Yemen were criminal.
"Until we have a massive anti-war movement, these crimes will continue," she said.
The protest also attracted some who disagreed with the cause, including one who stopped while riding by on a bicycle to yell at the protesters, "This is just one side of the story."
It is the president's fourth trip to the Bay Area since May.
His most recent trip in July included a rally at the Fox Theater in Oakland. During that visit, hundreds of anti-war protesters marched through the streets surrounding the theater, tore down pro-Obama posters and burned an American flag.
Obama headed to the Bay Area Monday from Southern California after appearing at several Los Angeles fundraisers then visiting the Tehachapi foothills in the Bakersfield area Monday morning. He will leave the Bay Area for Ohio on Tuesday morning.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
