President Barack Obama turned his 50th birthday into a 2012 campaign fundraising bonanza on Wednesday, buoyed by a hometown crowd after what he called a frustrating period locked in a debt battle with Republicans.
Obama made clear in remarks to a big audience at a music auditorium and in a videoconference with supporters scattered across the country that he will now focus on trying to spur job growth now that the debt debate is behind him.
The dual fundraiser-birthday party, held at Aragon Ballroom on the North Side of Chicago, included performances by Jennifer Hudson, Herbie Hancock and OK Go, reported NBC Chicago. Around 1,000 tickets, at a minimum $50 donor fee, were made available to members of the public while 100 high dollar donors dished out up to $35,800 for a private dinner taking place after the concert.
The hefty price drew cries of protest from Chicago conservatives, NBC Chicago said. At the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Broadway Street in Chicago, a number of immigrant families planed to protest Obama's "record deportations" at the same time the president's event was taking place.
Obama's actual birthday is Thursday. It is unknown how the president plans to spend the day.
As the president took the stage, Hudson led the other acts and the crowd in serenading the president with "Happy Birthday."
The president delivered a speech at the event defending his record and performance, a day after he signed the controversial debt ceiling bill into law.
"When I said, 'Change you can believe in,' I didn't mean, change you can believe in tomorrow, or next week," he said.
"We're not even halfway there yet," Obama said. "We knew this was going to take time, because we've got this big, messy tough democracy."
Obama's former chief of staff, current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, introduced the president at the fundraiser. Obama said he "couldn't be more proud" of his former staff member.
"I've been watching from Washington, but it seems he's doing a pretty good job," Obama said, according to NBC Chicago.
The celebratory crowd, wearing paper birthday hats with "50" and the Obama campaign logo on them, gave the president a loud reception as he took the stage. Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn were among those in attendance in the packed ballroom.
As part of Obama's birthday events, Democratic officials and campaign aides were fanning out across the country to raise money for Obama. The events included New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York City, Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod in Los Angeles, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Washington, former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and deputy campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon in Boston, and White House adviser David Plouffe in Tampa, Fla. Other events with Democratic surrogates were being held in Austin, Texas and Oakland, Calif.
Via videoconference, Obama addressed supporters in cities across the country.
"We're in for a long battle," he said.