Obama, speaking at L.A. fundraiser, points to positive changes

LOS ANGELES (MCT) — While acknowledging that “change is hard,” President Barack Obama touted the nation’s economic progress on his watch during a celebrity-studded fundraising stopover Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Addressing a crowd of about 1,000 at an outdoor reception, Obama needled Angelenos about the weather — “You’re all cold. This is balmy, people” — then talked about the change he promised in the 2008 campaign, and the depth of the nation’s economic troubles when he took office.

“We did not fully comprehend at that point how deep this crisis would be,” he said, then mentioned the increase in jobs in recent months. “Don’t underestimate the changes we made.”

He said the U.S. auto industry was saved, and asserted that “2.6 million young people have health coverage who wouldn’t otherwise have it” had it not been for the health care law that he championed.

Obama was expected to raise a total of more than $3 million during two events at the expansive Holmby Hills estate of “The Bold and the Beautiful” producer Bradley Bell and his wife, Colleen. The outdoor event, with tickets priced at $250 and $500, featured a performance by the Foo Fighters and appearances by comedian Jack Black and actress Rashida Jones.

Obama spoke later to a more intimate gathering inside the Bells’ Spanish-style home, which about 80 supporters each paid $35,800 to attend. Among those present were George Clooney, Jim Belushi and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who on Wednesday was named chairman of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Obama offered a version of his standard campaign speech, touting the end of the Iraq war, job creation and the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, but acknowledged some supporters’ frustration with work left undone. “I understand that; I feel the same way sometimes,” he said, citing the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the continued detention of suspected “enemy combatants” at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

The president’s foray into Los Angeles came amid tension between him and some of his Hollywood supporters over anti-piracy legislation. The entertainment industry strongly backed the bills, but they were killed under pressure from Google and other Silicon Valley interests on Internet free-speech grounds. The White House angered some in Hollywood by publicly criticizing key aspects of the bills.