SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Don: Not voting for Obama because of Seattle visits
Jul 24, 2012, 2:25 PM | Updated: Jul 25, 2012, 10:47 am
![]() President Obama waves to supporters at Boeing Field on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) |
Air Force One has lifted off from Boeing Field, taking
President Barack Obama to New Orleans after a fundraising
stop in Seattle. He’s leaving with
millions of dollars, and leaving plenty of bad feelings
behind.
Obama’s arrival Tuesday night at the peak of the afternoon
commute snarled traffic across the Seattle area. Local
freeways were closed as the president’s motorcade traveled
from Boeing Field to the fundraising events at the Hunts
Point home of former Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. And plenty
of people are angry, including Don O’Neill of the Ron and Don Show
“He’s coming here for the fourth time to do another money
grab and snarl traffic.”
The president made no public appearances during the
campaign swing, speaking only briefly to about 500 people
who paid $5,000 or more to attend. That followed a round
table with about two dozen business leaders who paid over
$35,000 each.
“He’s not coming here to hang out with us and speak to the
people and go to KeyArena,” Don said. “No public
appearance, he’s flying over to the Eastside, do a money
grab, and then he’s flying out of Boeing first thing in
the morning to go get some money from somewhere else.”
Obama’s Seattle visit was expected to raise around $2
million for his re-election campaign.
Don is so outraged that the president is touring the West
Coast to fill his “war chest,” that he won’t vote for him
in this election.
Rather than spend time raising campaign funds, Don would
prefer the president sit down and address an issue he
believes all Americans are concerned about following the
shooting in Colorado on Friday: gun control.
However, Don is convinced Obama and Mitt Romney will avoid
the topic so as not to ruffle the feathers of the National
Rifle Association.
“They know that it’s death to a politician to go after the
NRA. You just can’t do it,” Don said.
As far as winning votes, Don believes a more effective
method for the sitting president is to park Air Force One
and let his record do the talking.
“I’d really respect a guy who said, ‘You know what, I’m
going to do my four years. If you want to vote for me
again, great, but I’m going to sit here and not do the
money grab game.'”
Obama will swing through New Orleans Wednesday where he
will address the National Urban League.
