The smear campaigns. The satirical candidates. The protests. It's officially 2012, and election season is in full swing.
On Thursday evening, Barack Obama himself will pay a visit to San Francisco. And while he's been here before, this time he's serious.
The President's first stop: a small, private fundraiser at the home of author Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner, including a dinner by Quince's own Chef Michael Tusk.
"We are so excited for the opportunity to showcase our favorite Northern California farmers and purveyors through this dinner for President Obama," said Tusk to The Huffington Post. "The Obamas' support of healthy, sustainable food is reflected in the evening's menu and we're honored to be a part of it."
On the menu: tortelloni filled with Barinaga Ranch basseri cheese and wild nettle; roast chicken with black salsify, savory cabbage, chanterelle mushrooms, sweet dumping squash puree and marble potatoes; and a chocolate cemeux with Straus Family Creamery milk jam and chocolate caramel dentelle.
A ticket includes the aforementioned meal and a seat next to the President. And, according to Willie Brown, the Reverend Al Green will also be in attendance, sparking rumors of a duet.
The price tag? A cool $38,500 a plate supporting the Obama Victory Fund. (Holy Occupy, Barack!) That makes Mitt Romney's protested $2,500 per person dinner look like happy hour at El Rio. But while such a price tag may raise eyebrows, the dinner is booked solid. And last time we checked, running a campaign isn't cheap.
After dinner, Obama will greet the 99 percent at the Nob Hill Masonic Center for a speech and a reception featuring a performance by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, which sounds about 99 times cooler than any recent Republican fundraiser we've heard about yet. (Though even we will admit that the "A Day on the Road with Mitt" contest sounds a little tempting.)
Get pumped for the festivities with our all-time favorite Obama video below:
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported that Tobias Wolff, Michael Chabon, Anne Lamott, Tamim Ansary and Isabel Allende would perform readings at the private dinner. Those listed will not be in attendance at the event.