ATHERTON, Calif. – President Obama spent his evening Wednesday trolling for campaign funds amid the cultural and high-tech glitterati of Northern California, arguing that his accomplishments had been “extraordinary” but warning that it may take even beyond a second term to complete them.
Following a fund-raiser in Denver, Mr. Obama flew here for a pair of receptions tapping perhaps the most resource-rich environment for Democrats, his second fundraising trip to California in the past few weeks. If his last visit focused on Hollywood with an event at the house of George Clooney, this one targeted the state’s other elite, the entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley.
His first event of the evening was at the house of Douglas Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and founder of Certain Software, which develops event management software. Among those who joined him in the cathedral tent outside the house, known as Green Shutters, were Jan Brandt, vice chairwoman emeritus of AOL; Dennis Troper and Susan Wojcicki, top Google executives; and Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora Media. Tickets went for $35,800 each.
This being California, a few other celebrities came as well, including the actor Don Cheadle and the musicians Graham Nash and David Crosby, who planned to perform. Mr. Obama teased Mr. Cheadle about a basketball game that evidently went badly for the actor. As for two of the members of Crosby, Stills and Nash, he said, “It’s not every day you get Rock and Roll Hall of Famers strumming their guitars for you.”
Mr. Obama boasted of his record, saying he had turned around the economy, ended the Iraq war, set a path toward ending the Afghan war, tackled fuel efficiency standards and improved America’s image around the world.
“The strides that we’ve made over the last three and a half years have been extraordinary,” he said. “But we’ve still got a long way to go.” He added: “We may not even finish it in five years. But I certainly need another five years to lock in what we’re trying to accomplish.”
He then headed to another event at the Fox Theater in Redwood City, where Ben Harper was scheduled to perform. About 1,100 supporters were expected for tickets starting at $250.
