# How are $28,500 per plate fundraisers legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019 "2008-09-17T19:47:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/1 "2008-09-17T19:47:01Z")
Obama raised about $9 million yesterday in two fundraisers. > [@](#): > > At one reception, where donors contributed $2,500 a piece to Obama’s campaign coffers, singer-actress Barbra Streisand gave a rare singing performance. > > At an earlier dinner of around 300 people at the Tudor-style Greystone mansion in Beverly Hills, donors paid $28,500 a plate to the Democratic Party and dined on beef filet, asparagus and salad with goat cheese. The $2,500 one I can understand; expenses could easily have shaved off the $200 per person necessary to bring it down to the $2,300 maximum allowable personal contribution, but how is the $28,500 per plate dinner legal? I’ve no doubt it _is_ of course- if it weren’t the Pubs would have been over it like goat cheese on asparagus- but what’s the loophole? And why haven’t I received my damned bumper sticker for _my_ contribution to his web site yet? That was two weeks ago and I’m still waiting! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/2 "2008-09-17T19:50:30Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The $2,500 one I can understand; expenses could easily have shaved off the $200 per person necessary to bring it down to the $2,300 maximum allowable personal contribution, but how is the $28,500 per plate dinner legal? The extra $26,000 is so you don’t have to hear Barbara Streisand sing. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/3 "2008-09-17T19:54:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > The extra $26,000 is so you don’t have to hear Barbara Streisand sing. Ah… That’s fair. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/4 "2008-09-17T19:59:28Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Obama raised about $9 million yesterday in two fundraisers. > > The $2,500 one I can understand; expenses could easily have shaved off the $200 per person necessary to bring it down to the $2,300 maximum allowable personal contribution, but how is the $28,500 per plate dinner legal? The $28,500 goes to a non-profit affiliated with Obama’s cause, not the campaign itself. See [527 Groups](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/527_group). ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/5 "2008-09-17T20:00:32Z")
An individual may give $28,500 to a party each year, as opposed to giving $2,300 to a candidate per election. > **[Help for candidates and committees - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/)** > > FEC help for federal candidates, PACs, party committees and separate segregated funds (i.e., corporate/labor/trade PACs), including help with accepting contributions, making disbursements and filing financial reports ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/6 "2008-09-17T20:51:58Z")
Can the Democratic Party give any of that money to HRC for her debts? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/7 "2008-09-17T20:57:25Z")
Hey, they’re just trying to be careful. You never know. Dom DeLuise and Kirstie Alley might show up unexpectedly and you’d be lucky just to break even. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-28-500-per-plate-fundraisers-legal/464019/8 "2008-09-17T21:20:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Can the Democratic Party give any of that money to HRC for her debts? $5 grand. Since contributions limits to parties are generous, the law doesn’t allow parties to give generously to candidates, otherwise money would just be funneled to candidates that way.