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WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) -- In a sort of power lunch for the not-so-powerful, President Barack Obama broke bread Friday with four winners of a contest for people who give to his campaign in small amounts.
The suggested donation to enter the drawing: $3.
The winners, including a teacher and an Afghanistan war veteran, gathered at a restaurant in Washington. The Obama re-election campaign has offered the meals with the president, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to boost online contributions.
Obama's campaign said the lunch bunch was Kathie Toigo, an early-childhood special needs teacher from Yerington, Nev.; Bill Blackwelder, an Afghanistan war veteran from Fayetteville, N.C.; Val Grossman, a postal worker from Westminister, Colo.; and Scott Zoebisch, a firefighter from Atlanta.
Giving was not required, but the campaign requested donations of $3 or more from anyone willing to contribute.
But, one wonders, based on the occupations of the four winners, just how "random" the selection process actually was. The Blaze's Mike Opelka broke down how the winning contestants for a "Dinner with Barack and Michelle" are chosen. And the method just might shock you.
Below are the rules for the Dinner With Obama contest:
Fifty (50) potential winners will be selected by a random drawing from all eligible entries to be held at Obama for America Headquarters on January 20, 2012. Sponsor may, at its option, conduct a background check on each potential winner. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any potential winner from receiving any prize based on such background check if Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion that awarding any prize to such potential winner could result in a safety or security risk to any person or persons or could result in the disruption of any event associated with the Promotion. Sponsor will, in its sole discretion, then select three (3) winners from the list of eligible potential winners on the basis of criteria determined and applied by Sponsor to provide for an appropriate range of views, backgrounds, and interests among the winners selected. Winners will be notified by phone or e-mail by January 31, 2012. To claim the prize, each winner should follow the instructions and comply with the conditions contained in his/her notification. Winners must then identify potential guests to Sponsor, and Sponsor may, at its option, conduct the same background check and process applicable to potential winners. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any potential guest in its sole discretion
Randomly selected? Seems not.
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