Jay-Z & Beyonce Rock the Vote for Barack Obama at Special Fundraising Event

Say what you will about Barack Obama’s presidency, but he is clearly the undisputed king of courting the youth vote. This has never been so apparent then at recent fundraiser hosted by none other than Jay-Z and Beyoncé in support of his campaign. On a day when his opponent was bogged down by the 47% video debacle, Mr. Obama spent the night at the elite 40/40 Club in Manhattan with one of America’s most beloved couples. After a brief introduction from Beyonce (who famously sang at his inauguration), the president addressed a crowd of about 100 high-end donors who were reportedly “seated on sofas.” He told the crowd, in no uncertain terms, “We’re on the brink of an election, but more importantly, we’re on the brink of moving America in a direction where we’re going to be more just, more fair [...] The economy’s going to grow in a way that includes everybody, an America that’s respected around the world beause we’re putting forward our best values and our best ideals.”

But Obama didn’t stick only to politics. He reportedly also joked around with the glitzy couple, saying that Michelle, Sasha and Malia were “annoyed that they were unable to attend” and commiserating with Jay-Z by saying, “We both have daughters and our wives are more popular than we are.”

In his four year presidency (and not to mention his 2008 campaign), Obama has courted many celebrities including George Clooney who has hosted events for the president at his home in Los Angeles, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey, just to name a few. According to a report by the New York Times, Bey and Jay added their own flair to the event which included a tower of 350 Champagne bottles by Armand de Brignac and tickets costing a whopping $40,000 per person. While some say that these glamorous Hollywood events help the president both financially and publicly, others are not so sure. Some may remember the infamous attack ad put out by the McCain campaign back in 2008 touting Obama as nothing more than a “celebrity candidate” and seeking to cast him in a light that made him seem immature, inexperienced, and frivolous.

What do you think? Do these celebrity events help or hurt Obama’s image? Let us know in the comments below!