- Girl Scouts: The Silent Killers
- Ray Lewis Named New Pope
- John Edwards Admits Fathering Clay Aiken's Baby
Backlash As Helen Thomas Tells Stray To "Go Home"
WHITE HOUSE
First White House Bake Sale A Resounding Success
WASHINGTON (CAP) - The last of the brownie squares are gone and the final piece of Michele Obama's coffee ring sold for twice its listed price of 75 cents as the White House wrapped up its first ever bake sale on the West Lawn this week. By most accounts, the economic fundraiser was a smashing success and will likely become a regular occurance in the Obama administration.
"You know, we did this back in Chicago and actually helped pay for a new swingset for a local park," President Obama told the crowd as they bought up the last of the Rice Krispy treats. "The fact is, bake sales work. We'll fix this economy by hook or by crook - one dollar at a time.
"Oh, and don't forget a popcorn ball for the kids," Obama added.
Many are applauding Obama's efforts at coming up with unique ideas and ways to try to fix the economy. But critics charge that his famous grassroots mentality is misplaced in Washington, DC and that he needs to focus on the American people as a whole and not spend too much effort on a small subset.
"Like these apple pie muffins with raisins on top, or those coconut bars covered in pecans," said economist Joseph Stiglitz, referring to two bake sale items that didn't sell as well as others. "Raisins and pecans may work in Chicago, but they're much too eclectic to be successful at the national level.
"It's okay to think outside the box," added Stiglitz, "but he needs to think inside the recipe."
Stiglitz said Obama's appointment of Vice President Joe Biden's wife Jill as Bake Sale Administrator was "questionable at best," given her well-publicized lack of experience with bake sales. He said someone with more experience would have known the sticky buns would sell fast and would have had more on hand, therefore increasing overall revenue.
"Hey, that's still $1,278.64 the American people didn't have before this sale," Obama said when asked about the lack of sticky buns.
However, CAP News fundraising expert Terri Nunn believes Obama's logic is flawed and only feeds into the myth of the bake sale as a sound approach to raising money. Nunn said studies have shown that over 80% of the money earned in a bake sale comes from the people who donated the items for the bake sale.
"So we have Americans spending their money at the bake sale, the proceeds of which go to - Americans," said Nunn. "I love scones as much as the next person, but all we're doing is recyling our own money.
"Instead, let's have the bake sale over in India where they're taking our jobs," Nunn added. "That way we can get some of our money back."
White House officials say Obama is contemplating a bottle drive for next month and is expected to make an announcement about it soon.
- Banner Stands» Browse banner stands by Post-Up Stand. Trade Show Displays, Retractable Banner Displays, and more. High quality, 48 hour turnaround time!
- Advertise Here» Do you have a product or service of interest to CAP News fans? Contact us now for rates and availability!
