Obama Heckled As ‘Antichrist’ At LA Fundraiser – With Video
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A host of Hollywood stars turned out to support President Barack Obama on Monday night at a fundraiser in Los Angeles — after the president was interrupted at an earlier event by a heckler yelling “Barack Obama is the antichrist.”
Obama finished the night at the Fig & Olive restaurant in West Hollywood, where he spoke to about 120 guests who had paid $17,900 apiece to get in.
The group included DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who introduced the president, along with actor Jack Black, actress Eva Longoria, actor Danny DeVito, actress Rhea Perlman, producer Jon Landau, director Judd Apatow, music producer Quincy Jones and Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, according to a press pool report by The Washington Post’s David Nakamura.
Katzenberg said, “I have a dependency on President Obama. He inherited a crashing economy and two wars … yet he kept us moving forward.”
“He was dealt adversity on all fronts, but he maintained his stature,” he added. “We must keep fighting for him so he can keep fighting for us.”
Obama used much of his speech to push for Congress to pass his $447 billion American Jobs Act, which he has said would be paid for with an estimated $467 billion in tax hikes for oil and gas companies, hedge fund managers and American families earning more than $250,000 a year.
“We’re going through an unprecedented time in our history,” Obama said. “We’ve not seen anything like this in our lifetimes. This financial crisis is as bad as any since the Great Depression.
“My job was to make sure not we did not tip into depression … to save a financial system teetering on the brink of meltdown.”
Obama asked the crowd to reenergize themselves ahead of 2012, saying, “Don’t get tired on me now.”
“This is when we’re tested. We’re in Hollywood now so think about movies, the arc of the story. If things are just smooth the whole way through, not only is it a pretty dull movie, but it doesn’t reflect our experience, it doesn’t reflect life.”
Obama is on the West Coast as part of a three-day, five-city swing designed to boost his 2012 election account.
Earlier Monday night, a bearded man jumped to his feet just as Obama was about to begin his campaign appeal at the House of Blues theater in West Hollywood and shouted, “[The] Christian God is the one and only true living God, the creator of Heaven and the Universe. I love Jesus. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is the son of God.”
Obama halted his remarks and a crowd started to boo the man as he was hauled out of the auditorium by police and Secret Service agents, yelling, “Jesus Christ is God. Barack Obama is the antichrist!” AFP reported.
The man’s rants were drowned out by the president’s supporters, who booed and chanted “Four more years! Four more years!” ABC News reported.
Obama jokingly responded saying, “First of all, I agree that Jesus Christ is the lord. I believe in that.”
The president also experienced a minor interruption later in the event when a man yelled, “Don’t forget medical marijuana!” as Obama spoke of health care reform.
“Thank you for that,” the president responded with a smile.
Earlier Monday, Obama spoke at an hour-long town hall event hosted by LinkedIn Corp. where he fielded questions on Social Security, health care, taxes and jobs. Most of those posing the questions expressed worries about the country’s economic future.
He received some praise from LinkedIn Chief Executive Jeff Weiner, who said Obama was leading the way with his jobs plan, The Wall Street Journal reported.
One light-hearted moment came when Doug Edwards, a former Google Inc. executive asked, “Would you please raise my taxes?”
The president, of course, has been seeking to raise taxes on the wealthy to help pay for his jobs plan. Republicans, and some Democrats, have balked at the idea, saying raising taxes during a recovery will hurt the economy.
“I appreciate the fact that you recognize we’re in this thing together,” the president said. “We’re not on our own. And those of us who have been successful, we’ve always got to remember that.”
Heckler Interrupts Obama Fundraiser: MyFoxLA.com
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