Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to grace a fundraising gig on September 29 in Los Angeles, as revealed by an invitation from the Harris Victory Fund. The event flashes an obscene price for attendance, ranging from $500 to a staggering $1 million, once again highlighting the detachment of the current administration from everyday Americans.
As if the price of admission wasn’t enough, donors who pull out at least $100,000 from their wallets are given the supposed honor of snapping a photo with Harris. However, to partake in the ‘liberty luncheon,’ one would have to cough up an even more astronomical sum, specifically $250,000 or beyond. This luncheon, ironically named ‘liberty’, succeeds in making the vice-presidency seem like a privilege only the richest can enjoy.
It’s intriguing that this scheduled gathering is the first LA-based fundraiser since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race some eight weeks ago. It brings into question whether Harris can carry the mantle and attract the same level of attention without the formal figurehead, even though the astronomical ticket price range tends to indicate a certain level of indifference towards a more inclusive audience.
The previous high-scale LA fundraiser happened on June 15 at the ostentatious Peacock Theater, amassing close to $30 million for Biden’s campaign. It’s questionable whether Harris will be able to replicate those figures singlehandedly, particularly given the lack of transparency and unrestricted approach towards spending in her campaign.
Harris herself racked up $361 million in August, far outpacing the former President Donald Trump’s $130 million within similar timelines. The stark contrast displays a reckless approach to spending on campaign efforts, potentially an allocation of funds that could have been better used elsewhere for tangible public good.
Interestingly, the Harris campaign announced that it amassed $47 million within 24 hours following a Tuesday’s debate. The staggering amount raised in just one day raises questions about the current administration’s priorities when it could be focusing on more critical issues.
Harris and her allied Political Action Committee supposedly reserved a towering sum of over $300 million in just the last two months for advertisement time, a spend that’s double the TV ad expenditure of Trump and his PAC. Yet, it is to be seen whether this disproportionate spending would actually accomplish its goal.
Furthermore, the agenda includes more Harris-Walz fundraising events scattered across LA on October 5, disappointingly though, without the presence of Harris herself. One might speculate whether attending such an event would hold the same perceived value for guests without the main attraction.
Prior to the LA event, Harris hastily showed up at a fundraiser at the Washington Hilton on a Saturday, where celebrities like Common and California Sen. Laphonza Butler were the attention grabbers according to some reports. However, was it Harris’s intention of leveraging their star power to justify the funds raised?
Despite the harsh criticism surrounding her, Harris is expected to take her campaign trips to Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin this week, whether these states have the stomach for her message or not.
Some of her upcoming events consist of a ‘Unite for America’ livestream, where she will share the stage with Oprah Winfrey. This ‘Unite for America’ event, however, represents an ineffective endeavor for unity as it aims to unite only those who are able to afford such appearances.
The fundraiser happening on September 29 was initially reported by Deadline. A disclosure that prompts a conversation on the intersections of politics and media. One can’t help but wonder the authenticity of this reporting as critics claim that media is skewing perspectives in favor of the current administration.
The upcoming fundraising visit to LA by Kamala Harris shapes an image of disparity, an unintended comedy of extravagance and an overlooking of the larger issues that haunt Americans – an event that demands attention not for its cause but for its chagrin.
The arguably blind spending and relentless financial outreach, puzzlingly, do not translate into convincing leadership or respect from the American people. It begs the question of if Kamala Harris’s fundraising wins equals success for the public.
In conclusion, the upcoming fundraising trip into the heart of Los Angeles points to a broader, discomforting trend within the current administration – a clear obsession with funds over public concerns. It mirrors the disturbing tranquility in the face of pressing national issues that need attention and considerable resources.
Yet, despite adverse opinions and observable divergence from public interests, the current administration, led by Biden and Harris, continues to function and move forward, seemingly unphased by the troubling wealth disparity and prevalent social unrest they continue to oversee.