Obama Event At University Of Iowa Cost $55,000: Iowa City Patch

President Barack Obama, left, and Vice President Joe Biden wave on stage during the grassroots event at University of Iowa on Friday, Sept. 7, 2012., in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Some called President Barack Obama's visit to the University of Iowa on Sept. 7 "historic," but making history also apparently comes at a cost.

The event, in which Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his spouse Dr. Jill Biden spoke on the Pentacrest lawn in Iowa City, cost $55,000, according to records released by the university today in response to a public records request.

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Comments

[BuddyMaine]

09:55 AM on 09/18/2012

I can't even comment on some of these asinine comments you people make! I just have to laugh!!!

[HRLS]

01:36 AM on 09/18/2012

Candidates should be required to pay the extra expenses in the places that they're campaigning in.

I'd pay to keep them out of my state.

[fcmean]

10:04 PM on 09/17/2012

they'll stick the city with the bill, as usual.

[rockymtnleather]

11:28 PM on 09/17/2012

And who pays for mittens to visit?

[nfreeone]

12:36 PM on 09/18/2012

he does look it up

[Edward Class]

09:27 PM on 09/17/2012

No one would say Obama doesn't know how to spend money.

[atgexec]

09:11 PM on 09/17/2012

What's another $55 grand after spening as much as he has to date. His wife probably spent that on a dress

[Johnoneone1999]

08:19 PM on 09/17/2012

Bet Mitt spends that much courting pac donors...

[jhrooney]

08:02 PM on 09/17/2012

Obama skipped out of Tucson AZ without paying either. $55,000 is a lot of money to me 360 Dunk, I guess you have lots of money. Why don't you pay Obama's bills? He doesn't, we do.

[360Dunk]

07:07 PM on 09/17/2012

$55,000 is nothing - wait till both candidates campaign in Las Vegas and spend a few 100k on blackjack, roulette, and hookers.

[circle of fifths]

07:02 PM on 09/17/2012

Obama will welch on his bill like he did in California. Deadbeat President with his deadbeat parasite army of scat lovers.

[rockymtnleather]

11:29 PM on 09/17/2012

Scat lovers? Most Obama supporters don't even LIKE republicans!

[Anonygrazer]

06:55 PM on 09/17/2012

The total event cost was $55,000.00 (lower than average no doubt) and, according to The Patch, the university will have to absorb $25,000 of expenses that it will not be reimbursed by anyone.

There have been 137 Presidential campaign stops since May 31, 2012. If every one ONLY cost $55,000.00 each and each stop location LOSES $25,000.00 then local cities and schools will eat the remainder of $3,425,000.00 that local taxpayers will shoulder. So taxpayers absort $3.5MILLION for campaigning.

In addition to those costs are the expenses for Airforce One and Campaign Bus One which include fuel, duplicate decoy plane with duplicate personel, etc. as well as transport, lodging, food, etc. for secret service, campaign people, logistics people, etc.

I do not understand why, with upwards of an aggregate billion dollars in campaign funds at his disposal, a sitting President doesn't have to cover their own costs in full. The little people certainly do.

Campaign laws need to be reformed as badly as tax laws to close this nifty little loop hole that politicians on both sides take advantage of when a party has a sitting President campaigning.

[WatcherfrmLeft]

06:59 PM on 09/17/2012

It's because the Carl Rove Campaign Fund one of three doesn't require disclosures. It's called perks for The President, and a SCOTUS Ruling that opened you political system to be governed by campaign contributions from whereever incluiding overseas. Just relax...

[atgexec]

09:13 PM on 09/17/2012

What a treat to have the Dictator visit their Campus, hope they didn't take any photos with Michelle she charges that much for pictures

[Belpugs1]

06:53 PM on 09/17/2012

wow....... GOP friends romney's ship is quickly sinking. You might want to consider moving to Mexico and becoming a Mormon,

[johnkcmo]

06:53 PM on 09/17/2012

Funny how Republicans think that every previous Presidents campaigns were cost free. Bush not only racked up tax payer costs during his second run but he traveled extensively campaigning for other Republicans during his second term all paid on your dime. So stop complaining like this is something new.

[SPIRIT 1776]

06:32 PM on 09/17/2012

Strange! Everythig Obama does cost's a bundle of money, with no return on investment. Ohhhh, that's right, it's all comming out of my pocket.

[Jane T]

06:41 PM on 09/17/2012

Thank you so much for your generous donation to the reelection campaign!

[Oni]

11:41 PM on 09/17/2012

lol

[Cayce58]

06:52 PM on 09/17/2012

Isn't supporting your commander in chief the spirit of 1776

[robogeek1972]

08:07 PM on 09/17/2012

Not when that president insuts the spirit of 1776 by refering to the constitution as a document of negative rights. The founders framed a limited government for a reason, and that reason is the runaway overspending and intrusion into everyday life that the current government is all too comfortable with inflicting on us, our children and grandchildren.

[larryjensen554]

08:14 PM on 09/17/2012

Not when he is a waste of space...

[JohnCM]

06:31 PM on 09/17/2012

Any big event costs a lot. It cost more for the event Busch held at my local university. Snipers aimed at the people attending and helicopter gunships circling the crowd with their chain guns aimed at the crowd. This was in one of the reddest states there is !

[george martini]

10:55 PM on 09/18/2012

That sounds more like Tiananmen Square without the shooting.

[keithj77441]

06:31 PM on 09/17/2012

he sure k nows how to spend!