President Barack Obama is expected to pull in $15 million at a fundraising dinner at George Clooney's Studio City home on Thursday, a day after the President announced he was in support of legalizing gay marriage.
The timing of the announcement couldn't be better, as Obama will meet many members of his liberal base at the dinner.
Although 150 or so guests will shell out $40,000 each for the dinner, nearly two-thirds of the $15 million came from small $3 donations.
The Obama campaign advertised on their website the opportunity to be chosen to attend the dinner by donating a small amount for the ticket. The final two winners will be announced today after extensive background checks.
The dinner, organized by DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and Andy Spahn, his political advisor, is the largest single fundraiser ever for the Obama campaign.
It is sure to be a relaxed affair for the President, especially after he pleased his liberal base by making the announcement Wednesday that he supports gay marriage.
"At a certain point I've just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," Obama said in the interview, which aired in full Thursday morning on ABC.
The announcement came a day after a new Gallup poll showed 50 percent of Americans support legalizing same-sex marriage, down slightly from 53 percent last year but only the second time in Gallup history that 50 percent or more are in support. That number is much higher among Democrats, 65 percent of whom support the stance.
"Obama's core constituency of Democrats strongly supports the issue, as do the majority of the important election group of independents," the Gallup press release said.
It is this core group Obama will encounter tonight at the Clooney dinner, already being dubbed "Starmageddon" by local media. Among the celebrities in attendance will be Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Barbra Streisand and J.J. Abrams.
After Los Angeles, the President will travel to Reno, Nevada, where he will discuss mortgage refinancing measures facing Congress.
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