CAN'T YA JUST GIVE THE COMMON FOLK AT LEAST SOME OF YOUR TIME???

Obviously, especially in the early period of a campaign, one has to be especially concerned with raising funds so that the tremendous costs involved in running for office can be met; just ask former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack. But in setting up a schedule to visit an area, some consideration should be given to having at least one event where the general public can see and hear a candidate in person without writing a big check.

I say this because in looking at U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's schedule for his visit to the West Palm Beach area on March 25, I notice that if you want to see and hear the man live, you'd better have a hefty bank account. Beth Reinhard of the Miami Herald details the schedule in the newspaper's political blog Naked Politics:

--- 11:30 a.m. brunch at the Palm Beach home of James H. "Jim" Clark, founder of Netscape. $1,000 per guest.

--- 1 p.m. rally at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. $100 per person.

--- 2:30 p.m. fundraiser at the Hallandale Beach home of Jeremy and Rachel Alters. Jeremy is a founding partner of the Miami-based law firm Ratzan & Alters $1,000 per person.

--- 6:45pm fundraiser at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. $250 per guest.

--- 8:00pm fundraiser at the Coral Gables home of Roy and Lea Black residence. Roy is a senior partner in the Miami-based criminal defense law firm of Black, Srebrinck, Kornspan, & Stumpf. $2,300 per guest.

Of course, Senator Obama is by no means the only one to point fingers at. When Hillary Rodham Clinton swung through Florida last week, the only public event was one in Miami's Liberty City area...she even escaped out the back door to avoid talking to a reporter.