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   From: bidenstein@bribe.me   
      
   NEW YORK -- Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and some big names from the   
   entertainment world teamed up Thursday night to deliver a rousing New York   
   embrace of President Joe Biden that hauled in a record-setting $26   
   million-plus for his reelection campaign.   
      
   The mood at Radio City Music Hall was electric as Obama praised Biden's   
   willingness to look for common ground and said, “That's the kind of   
   president I want.” Clinton said simply of the choices facing voters in   
   2024: “Stay with what works."   
      
   Biden himself went straight at Donald Trump, saying his expected GOP   
   rival's ideas were “a little old and out of shape.”   
      
   Moderator Stephen Colbert, in an armchair conversation with the trio,   
   called them “champion talkers” and joked that the three presidents had   
   come to town “and not one of them is here to appear in court,” a dig at   
   Trump’s many legal troubles.   
      
   The eye-popping fundraising haul was a major show of Democratic support   
   for Biden at a time of persistently low poll numbers. The president will   
   test the power of his campaign cash as he faces off with Trump, who proved   
   with his 2016 win over Democrat Hillary Clinton that he didn’t need to   
   raise the most money to seize the presidency.   
      
   During the nearly hourlong conversation, Obama and Clinton explained just   
   how hard Biden's job is. They spoke of loneliness and frustration over   
   policies that work but aren’t immediately felt by the public. They gave an   
   insider's view of the office as they sought to explain why Biden was best   
   for the job.   
      
   “It is a lonely seat,” said Obama, who had hitched a ride to New York on   
   Air Force One with Biden.   
      
   The talk was by turns humorous and serious, ending with all three donning   
   sunglasses in the mostly dark music hall, a nod to the trademark Ray-Ban   
   sunglasses that Biden often wears.   
      
   The sold-out Radio City Music Hall event was a gilded exclamation mark on   
   a recent burst of campaign travel by Biden, who has visited several   
   political battlegrounds in the three weeks since his State of the Union   
   address served as a rallying cry for his reelection bid. Thursday's event   
   also brought together more than three decades of Democratic leadership.   
      
   The music hall's marquee advertised the big-dollar night as “An Evening   
   with Joe Biden Barack Obama Bill Clinton.” NYPD officers lined surrounding   
   streets as part of a heavy security presence.   
      
   Protesters angry at Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and strong support   
   of Israel briefly disrupted the show, drawing a pledge from Biden to keep   
   working to stop civilian deaths, particularly of children. But he added,   
   “Israel’s existence is at stake.” Hundreds more protested outside in the   
   drizzling rain, many demanding a cease-fire and waving Palestinian flags.   
      
   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was up first to warm up the   
   crowd of about 5,000 supporters. Entertainers, too, lined up to make the   
   case for Biden. Lizzo belted out her hit “About Damn Time” and emcee Mindy   
   Kaling joked that it was nice to be in a room with “so many rich people,”   
   adding that she loved that they were supporting a president who openly   
   promises to “raise your taxes.”   
      
   Obama laid out the choice for the audience, saying that "at the end of the   
   day, you do have to make a choice about who sees you and cares about you.   
   I’m pretty confident the other guy doesn’t.”   
      
   At one point, Colbert said he suspected some Americans had forgotten some   
   of the more concerning aspects of Trump's presidency, including Jan. 6,   
   2021, when a mob of Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in   
   a failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.   
      
   Biden said concerns over the riot reverberated outside the U.S., with   
   foreign leaders questioning the stability of the U.S. democracy. That   
   democracy is still fragile, he said.   
      
   The fundraiser had different tiers of access depending on a donor's   
   generosity. Other participating celebrities included Queen Latifah, Ben   
   Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele. Tickets sold for as low as $225.   
      
   More money got donors more intimate time with the presidents. A photo with   
   all three was $100,000. A donation of $250,000 earned donors access to one   
   reception, and $500,000 got them into an even more exclusive gathering.   
   First lady Jill Biden and DJ D-Nice hosted an afterparty at the music hall   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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