Team Obama flies to the UK in pursuit of crucial votes

[cal04]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/team-obama-flies-to-the-uk-in-pursuit-of-crucial-votes-941460.html

Barack Obama is mounting an unprecedented push for the votes of tens of thousands of UK-based Americans, who his campaign believes could have a decisive impact on the US presidential election.

The Democratic Party has been quietly deploying the full machinery of electioneering here, ranging from telephone canvassing to on-the-street campaigning by volunteers around the UK.

Dozens of wealthy expat Americans are paying $10,000 (£5,500) a head to attend an Obama fundraising lunch in Whitehall today. Among those breaking bread will be actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson, the former US presidential candidate Al Gore, the River Cafe chef Ruth Rogers and Joshua Berger, president of Warner Brothers UK. Rogers will hold a more intimate dinner at her home later tonight, where diners have been asked for "suggested contributions" of $2,500 (£1,350).

An estimated 250,000 to 300,000 US citizens are resident in the UK, representing a sizeable chunk of the six million Americans living overseas. They are entitled to vote by post in their home states.

[Cha]

1. Radical! I love all those

Patriots attending and giving Obama's campaign cash to fight the political stunts of one john mccain.

[JeffR]

2. That is great.

We expats are treated like an afterthought far too often. And the Independent underestimates the number of Americans abroad. It's widely estimated to be higher than six million...