Because Democratic Majorities Don't Come Cheap

[Clio the Leo]

or "Why is the President doing so many fund-raisers?"

MIAMI BEACH — It has been nearly a year since President Obama logged so many miles on the road, traveling from city to city and coast to coast. This time, he is not chasing votes. He is working the fund-raising circuit for Democratic candidates.

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Yes, Mr. Obama is embroiled in a health care debate. He is also moving closer to saying whether he intends to send more troops to Afghanistan. But despite those tasks, other challenges weigh on the White House: protecting Democrats in Congress and fighting the curse of history, where the party in power traditionally loses seats in the midterm elections.

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For politicians, raising money is as commonplace as shaking hands and delivering speeches. But Mr. Obama has spent far less time on the fund-raising tour than many others — and not just because he is fairly new to the national stage.

In his own presidential race, particularly during the primary fight, money began flowing in through his campaign Web site, sharply reducing the number of audiences he had to appear before to ask for money. Yet in his new role as the leader of the Democratic Party, Mr. Obama’s advisers have come to the conclusion that the benefits of raising money — and keeping his Congressional majorities — outweigh any negative optics of attending so many fund-raisers.

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Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, defended the robust fund-raising schedule. He noted that even though George W. Bush had appeared at only six fund-raising events at this point in his presidency, the campaign finance rules have changed, and donors can no longer write unlimited checks to political parties. Now, donations are capped at $30,400, with individual candidates able to accept $2,400 per election cycle.

Even with the president’s help, the Democratic National Committee is nearly at parity with its Republican counterpart this year. But party officials say Democrats hold an edge in a majority of the competitive Congressional races. Still, only twice in the last 75 years has the president’s party gained seats in both the House and Senate in a midterm election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/us/politics/27obama.html?ref=politics

Not to mention the fact it's amazing how much work you can get done on an airplane....