Michelle Obama Cancels Weekend Visit to Bay Area

Some of the Bay Area’s Democratic heavy hitters are getting a sour taste of the government shutdown.

This weekend, First Lady Michelle Obama was scheduled to spend time raising money for the Democratic party, but the trip was canceled due to the government shutdown.

A lot of folks were excited about the first lady’s visit, but one political science professor says canceling was the right thing to do.

Mrs. Obama was supposed to arrive in San Francisco Saturday. She was the main attraction at a reception Saturday evening at the North Bay home of a Belvedere attorney.

On Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was scheduled to host the first lady at a brunch at the Fairmont in San Francisco, bringing in $500 to $32,000 a ticket.

These kind of privately funded events don’t cost any government resources; still, Menlo College political science professor Melissa Michaelson says it’s about perception.

“I think right now with everyone worried about the shutdown, not knowing how long it’s going to last, to look like we’re acting like everything’s normal, we’re going to keep fundraising, we’re just going to think about the next election, it looks like the party is not focused enough,” Michaelson said.

Bay Area Democrats are not the only ones disappointed. The first lady also canceled an LA fundraiser that would’ve brought in $32,000 a person.

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