See the Pictures From Inside the Racy 'GoGo for Obama' Event at a NYC Gay Bar (Content Warning: Including USA Flag Thong!)

A number of Obama supporters gathered in New York City over the weekend to fundraise for Obama in a rather unconventional fashion.

Congregating in what the Washington Post described as a "grungy gay bar" in Manhattan's East Village, patrons paid a $100 cover charge before entering into a world of scantily clad dancers and Obama paraphernalia.

According to the New York Post, the bar is co-owned by Anderson Cooper's boyfriend, but the CNN host did not make an appearance.

Here is the cover photo on the website for "Eastern Bloc" bar:

The Washington Post describes the event:

The fundraiser, hosted by a gaggle of models, fashion editors and socialites, is just one of hundreds of such small, grass-roots events organized by individual donors and held throughout campaign season in private homes or during backyard barbecues.  Saturday’s soiree proved that with broad support from new interest groups comes a new breed of campaign fundraiser — a kind that might make some buttoned-up campaign types wince.

The crowd of about 150 Obama supporters was cordial and relaxed, a mix of friends and fashion types, partying alongside male dancers wearing Obama ’08 boxer briefs (or, as one did, an American flag-themed thong) stuffed with the requisite $1 bills.  (Only door proceeds went to the reelection fund; dancers kept their tips.)  [Emphasis added]

We can't know for sure, but the boxers could have looked something like this:

Mickey Boardman, editorial director for New York’s independent Paper Magazine, helped organize the event, and has been tweeting about it for days:

It's unclear which dancer was wearing the American flag thong, but this is one of the more disturbing photos from the event that was published (TheBlaze has chosen to blur the image, but warning that the photo located at the link has not been altered):

Dancers were apparently able to see massive photos of the president and first lady while dancing:

Despite some of the shocking pictures, the event's organizers say they tried to refrain from advertising the night as too graphic in order to prevent Republicans from "[jumping] on it...as some sex party."

The Washington Post has more on the fundraiser's inception, and how the planning committee worked with Democratic officials to navigate confusing finance laws:

“We do these parties for gay porn stars at Eastern Bloc whenever [they’re] in town from L.A.,” said Boardman. “It’s always a room of Village gays, socialites, porn stars, fashion people. . . . We thought, ‘Why don’t we do a go-go thing at Eastern Bloc for [Obama]?’ ”

[...]

And Wikle said the host committee was diligent in its two months of planning, working with Democratic officials to navigate campaign finance law, something that the organizers knew little about. Wikle said officials told the host committee it couldn’t have liquor sponsors or an open bar.  [Emphasis added]

Guests were reported to include former New York Ranger Sean Avery and Karen Elson, the ex-wife of the White Stripes' Jack White.

The Obama campaign has not released a statement on the event and, according to the Washington Post, will only investigate it if it receives a disproportionate wave of complaints.

“We’re not Anna Wintour,” Marjorie Gubelmann, an organizer of the Eastern Bloc event, explained.  “We just wanted to throw a small party where our friends could have fun.”

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