But it was later, at the Vineyard Golf Course in Edgartown, where the president’s recalcitrance was most evident. Approaching the eighth tee in a golf cart with friend and frequent golfing buddy Eric Whitaker, the president noticed three TV cameras and a Globe photographer across the street. Rather than stop and be photographed teeing off, the president skipped the hole.
Nor did the president show up at “Voices for Obama,’’ a fund-raiser for his reelection campaign held the night before. The commander in chief was, in fact, just arriving at his deluxe Chilmark digs as 300 supporters - each of whom paid $100 - were filing into Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs. The event, organized by Northampton attorney Tom Lesser with an assist from Art Buchwald’s daughter-in-law Tamara, included talks by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, and former White House counsel Greg Craig, among others.
Brooks, a longtime islander, acknowledged that she’s been disappointed with the president at times, but nonetheless supports him. She recalled knocking on doors for Obama in subzero temperatures - on her wedding anniversary, no less - before the New Hampshire primary in 2008. On at least one occasion, Brooks said, a Granite State resident answered the door and she could see an assault rifle lying on the couch.
Craig tried to strike a conciliatory tone, saying he didn’t wish to be “mean-spirited’’ by pointing out what a Republican administration would do in the White House, but he pointed out what a Republican administration would do in the White House.
Afterward, it was off to the Oak Bluffs abode of Ron and Judy Davenport, founders of Pittsburgh-based Sheridan Broadcasting, where 170 guests, each of whom contributed between $500 and $2,500, wined and dined. While Democrats like to call themselves the big-tent party, they could have used a larger awning on this night. “We were sold out,’’ Lesser said afterward. “There was a huge buzz and rush for tickets.’’
