Obama in Chicago for re-election bid; homecoming not so sweet for some

But even in this Obama-friendly town, where the president launched his political career as a community organizer, not all are enthusiastic about his visit, with some expressing frustration about unfulfilled promises about the economy, as well as issues like the war and immigration.

Obama, a former Illinois senator, arrived late in the afternoon from Washington D.C., where he had a full day of meetings with the Emir of Qatar and his bipartisan group of advisers on budget deficit reduction.

As soon as the presidential aircraft Air Force One landed in Chicago, the commander-in-chief turned into fundraiser-in-chief attending two high-priced dinner events, and a large reception aimed at younger and small-amount donors.

At the MK Restaurant in Chicago's Gold Coast area, Obama dined with contributors who paid 35,800 U.S. dollars a plate. At N9NE Steakhouse in the West Loop, diners paid 5,000 dollars to 15,000 dollars to meet the president. Obama is only allowed to accept a maximum contribution of 5,000dollars per person. The rest of the contributions will go to the Democratic National Committee.

The Obama re-election campaign is being run from Chicago, with headquarters at the Prudential Plaza overlooking Millennium Park. It expects to raise as much as 1.0 billion dollars.

Outside Navy Pier, a group of activists against the war mounted a protest action criticizing the president.

"We're not surprised at all that President Obama, who many people (are) hoping would bring about changes, has brought the exact opposite. He's escalated the war, he's expanded the wars," John Beacham, Chicago coordinator of the anti-war group ANSWER, said in an earlier interview with Xinhua.

"We are protesting the war, because the money that's been spent in the war should be spent on things people actually need," Beacham said, adding that both Obama and the opposition Republican Party "ultimately work" in the interest of Wall Street and wealthy corporations; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

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