Rich people are mean. And greedy. And dumb. The fabulously wealthy don't pay their fair share in taxes, they control the political system, and they only got rich by abusing and exploiting the common man. Stupid bankers and investors, and stuff.
The exception to this enlightened rule, however, is of course the rich and the famous. Celebrities, actors, models, designers, etcetera -- they are down-to-earth, they understand real life in America, and most importantly, they are the one percent! Or something. We hate the rich, but we love celebrities. We even love to memorize everything about their (often sordid) lives through magazines and gossip websites. They're the right kind of rich people, and we want to hang out with them!
Or, thus seems to run the sentiment of the Obama-worshippers, anyway. (Sigh -- populism is a fickle friend, isn't it?) The Obama campaign is capitalizing on its cache of celebrity friends and donors to tout just how cool and hip President Obama really is. In New York City last night, his campaign premiered the "Runway to Win" line of Obama-merchandise, a fundraising initiative designed by such fashion visionaries as Tory Burch, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenburg, and Alexander Wang. The guest list was chock-full of awesome celebrities, who got to talk about how awesome their president is and otherwise just sit around and soak up each others' awesomeness.
A creation of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, one of the top Obama fundraisers in the country, it brings together 27 designers who've made relatively low-cost items such as canvas tote bags and T-shirts with Obama images and logos, now being sold online, with profits going to the campaign. ...
[Scarlett] Johansson, chatting with reporters, said it was important for the campaign to "reintroduce that kind of cool factor to the re-election." ...
Wintour, wearing a Thakoon silk scarf ($95), said she thought fashion designers "can be very helpful" this election year - "As you see here tonight. These designers are going way beyond the call of duty. They should be working on their shows." ...
The Obama campaign says the merchandise has been created in full compliance with campaign finance laws.
Johansson had her own comeback to reported Republican concerns that the Runway to Win project might violate campaign finance rules if the items cost a lot more than they're selling for, saying of the GOP: "They're so unfashionable!"
As for her own candidate, she said, he and his wife "have a casual cool about them. They're a very stylish couple."
Fundraising for Obama, when they should be working on their shows? These people really know about sacrifice! And that Scarlett Johansson sure sounds like an astute gal, too -- sounds like she really understands the issues, am I right?
When Mitt Romney praises free enterprise, the financial class, or prosperity, he's somehow accused of an empathy gap, but President Obama gets to both disparage rich people and move in and out of ritzy circles while still maintaining the image that he isn't out-of-touch? What the what? The RNC was quick to target this one:
I would like to add, that I have zero issues with wealthy people using their time and money how they like and fundraising for whom they choose -- I merely point out the ideological hypocrisy and inconsistent logic of the liberal mindset.
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