EAST HAMPTON, N.Y., Aug. 21 - Talk about soaking the rich.
The Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry, breezed through the Hamptons this weekend to attend private fund-raisers and siphon a couple of million dollars from the wealthy, left-leaning East End of Long Island. But the real story here was the rain.
A driving downpour on Saturday night put Mr. Kerry's arrival and appearances behind schedule. Campaign workers held umbrellas for donors getting out of their cars. Hair frizzled and mascara ran. Montauk Highway became a pond.
At a tent party for 800 guests (minimum entry fee: $1,000) at the home of the venture capitalist Alan Patricof, women lost their high heels to the mud while a trumpet player resembling Ernest Borgnine led the band in "When You're Smiling." Dozens of people with dirty feet left early.
"I had $200 designer shoes that stayed in the car," said Grace Williams, a New Jersey resident who spent the weekend in Montauk. "I'm not ruining them."
A spokeswoman for Mr. Kerry's campaign said he raised at least $2.5 million in the campaign's daylong, four-party tour of the Hamptons.
Other Democratic politicians have staged lavish, celebrity-rich fund-raisers here, and this weekend's guest lists were no exception. They included the model Christie Brinkley; the actress Candice Bergen; James Lipton, host of "Inside the Actor's Studio"; and the hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons.
What set Mr. Kerry's visit apart, said Robert Zimmerman, a national Democratic committeeman, was the support.
"There has never been a Democratic candidate who produced the level of excitement that John Kerry did," Mr. Zimmerman said. "It was the strongest I have ever seen."
After flying into Westhampton on Saturday, Mr. Kerry attended the tent party, where he delivered a campaign speech and played guitar as Jimmy Buffett sang "Brown-Eyed Girl." Then he was off to a $25,000-per-person dinner at the home of Darren Star, creator of "Sex and the City."
At a restaurant down the road, Mr. Kerry's daughter Vanessa and stepson Chris Heinz spoke at a $2,500-per-person fund-raiser.
Yesterday morning, the skies had cleared, and Mr. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, was the host of a 35-person lunch at the East Hampton home of the fashion designer Donna Karan.
After the festivities, Mr. Kerry and his entourage drove to Gabreski Airport in Westhampton for the flight to Boston. One East End farmer, anticipating Mr. Kerry's route, propped a sign on an old pickup truck bidding farewell. It read, "Kerry Go Home."
Tell that to clintbilly.
Okay.....so was this guy dressed in a light blue bunny suit?
So while the rich Democrats are attending the fundraiser worrying about the "little people", the real "little people" want nothing more tha for Kerry to go home! I love it.