Just as many congressional Democrats are wondering what President Obama can do for them as he pushes a trade agenda many of them disagree with, Obama traveled to Miami Wednesday evening to rake in cash for his party.
Obama is attending two fundraisers at homes in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami. The first is a roundtable that 30 supporters each paid $33,400 in order to discuss the issues of the day with the president at the home of mortgage broker Joe Falk. About 60 people who paid up to $33,400 will sip cocktails and rub elbows with Obama later in the evening at the home of real estate developer Stephen Bittel.
Both hosts raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Obama’s re-election campaign.
Obama has picked up his fundraising pace in May. He has been the main attraction at 11 events since the November elections, but today’s marked the fifth and sixth of the month.
The White House dismissed the notion that Obama is on a dash for dollars.
“The president is also head of the Democratic Party,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters as Air Force One headed for Miami. “He takes that responsibility seriously to make sure that candidates and campaigns have the resources they need to wage effective campaigns.”
But Democrats are also wondering how much Obama will be around to help them sell his trade agenda, which is unpopular among Democrats.
Additionally, labor is fighting Obama’s trade agenda and could pour big money into primary contests against incumbents who support trade promotion authority and possible deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Perhaps because of those concerns, the White House has stepped up Obama’s rainmaking. But Schultz said despite the fundraising-heavy month, the president’s pace is consistent with previous years.
Schultz didn’t say what topics are on tap for Wednesday’s roundtable, but with the Senate’s passage of trade promotion authority last week and the House expected to consider the legislation as soon as next week, trade is clearly on Obama’s mind.
Earlier in the month, Obama attended a fundraiser in Portland, then visited Nike’s Oregon headquarters, where he delivered a speech on trade.
