Is Tonight's 'Dark Knight' Political Fundraiser Really the Best Idea?

Warner Bros.
Alexander Abad-Santos 1,379 Views Jul 23, 2012

Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti might have just taken home our Monday morning honors for having the tackiest political event in light of the Aurora massacre, with his $30 per-person Dark Knight fundraiser in Florida tonight.  "Enjoy a night out to see the hottest movie of the summer The Dark Knight Rises while supporting Sheriff Lamberti," reads the Facebook invite to Lamberti's event in Deerfield Beach Florida, with nary a mention of the Aurora, Colorado shooting in sight. Ugh. We'll give whoever is running the social media campaign for Lamberti the benefit of the doubt, and perhaps the event was just set and forgot about (it's a bit easier and less rage-inducing than thinking that someone is purposefully ignoring Friday's tragedy). What's a little harder to understand is why Lamberti, a Republican, and his campaign came to the decision over the weekend that even though some 70 people were shot and 12 people died watching the movie just three days ago, Lamberti will still run tonight's showing and use the film to raise money toward his re-election hopes for the November 6 election. To put this in perspective, President Obama and Mitt Romney both halted their campaigning in respect for the victims and families affected over the weekend. And yet, Lamberti will go on. "Lamberti expressed his condolences and said that 'to create some good out of what is a tragic situation,' he’d donate an unspecified portion of the proceeds from his movie night to support the affected families," wrote The Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man Friday afternoon. Lamberti and Co. are charging $25 per person in advance, and will charge $30 per person at the door for the film, food and music. 

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