Barack Obama Watch: David Geffen and Hollywood Heavyweights Backing Obama

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Chicago Sun-Times: Hollywood heavyweights set to rake in cash

Here’s the scoop. One of the first major fund-raisers for the budding Barack Obama presidential campaign will be hosted by entertainment moguls David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg — that’s the Hollywood buzz.

The event will take place in the Los Angeles area after Obama’s official campaign kickoff Feb. 10.

So, where is Hillary?

Wasn’t David Geffen a FOB (Friend of Bill)?

After Obama visited Saddleback Church in Orange County last month, Time magazine reported Obama did a “meet and greet” at Ari Emanuel’s home with “Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Normal Lear, Christine Lahti and her husband, ‘Studio 60’ producer Thomas Schlamme.”

But, wasn’t brother Rahm Emanuel a REAL FOB?

Where is Hillary?

An explanation can be found……

Los Angeles Times: Politics: Personal but not private

Once upon a time, David Geffen was an FOB (Friend of Bill). Now he’s assumed to be a Friend of Barack.

Take the speculation that began to swirl around entertainment industry mogul David Geffen this week when Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to look into a presidential run.

Geffen’s name surfaced immediately as one of Hollywood’s early major supporters of the young senator, a significant snub to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) possible presidential bid. Although Geffen â€” once a powerful Clinton ally â€” has not yet spoken publicly on the matter, his longtime friend Arianna Huffington believes the message is clear: “David Geffen has already declared for Obama, and many other Hollywood power brokers, who are not ready to go public yet, are making it known in private that they are in the ABH (Anyone But Hillary) camp,” Huffington wrote recently in a Los Angeles Times column.

And Geffen has been quoted:

“She can’t win, and she’s an incredibly polarizing figure,” “And ambition is just not a good enough reason.”

Although Hollywood politicos now list Geffen in the Obama camp, that doesn’t mean everyone will follow.

“You’ll see the majority of the people in Hollywood giving to multiple candidates,” said political consultant Noah Mamet.

Perhaps signaling a maturation in Hollywood political giving, entertainment industry donors are following New York’s model by giving to a number of candidates, Mamet said. They’re hedging their bets so they still have access no matter what the outcome. “People realize you don’t have to attach yourself to just one candidate,” he said.

Norman Lear said he believes supporting a number of candidates is important for the future. “I think my kids will benefit from the rub-off of a good, vigorous discussion. I would back Obama and Sen. Clinton and [former Iowa Gov. Tom] Vilsack and Edwards. And we would all benefit.”

In other words, the Hollywood crowd doesn’t know who will win?

Are they hedging?

You betcha…….

This is NOT a good sign for the Hillary Clinton campaign but good for the Friends of Barack.

Stay tuned and watch where the money flows.