Mickey Kaus asks and answers a question many political observers are mulling over:

Can the $9 million raised tonight by Obama at that Beverly Hills Barbra Streisand celebrity fundraiser possibly win him as many votes as the bad publicity from the fundraiser is losing him? I don’t think so.

And certainly the McCain team is having fun with the “reviews” of “Obama Goes To Hollywood”–a grab bag of embarrassing stories of the “rich and famous” celebrating on the deck of the Titanic. . . er. . . at Greystone Mansion while the economy sputters and the Obama team tries to convince voters he’s on their side. As the Los Angeles Times notes:

It was clear why Barack Obama’s campaign barred television crews from a Beverly Hills mansion at twilight Tuesday as the Democratic presidential nominee mingled with movie stars on a giant terrace overlooking Los Angeles.

But what’s not clear is why the Obama camp does such things. They must know it only cements the image that they are out-of-touch elitists, right? A few explanations are in order.

First, this night of excess was obviously planned well before the economic turbulence of this week so it seems a lot worse than it might have otherwise been. (Hmmm, but McCain cancelled a night of the Convention for Hurricane Gustav — should Obama have done the same here?)

Second, having reneged on his public financing pledge, Obama simply needs the money. And–to gloss Willie Sutton on banks– Hollywood is  where the money is.

Finally, the Obama team and their Hollywood enablers really do not get how ridiculous they all appear. The rest of America is dimwitted and starstruck in their eyes. They imagine that their overindulgence won’t register. It is from that same sense of cultural isolation and cluelessness that you get the mean-spirited attacks on Sarah Palin, Bittergate, and the dozens of other slights and petty insults about small-town America which are regularly doled out by Democrats.

Does it all matter? Unclear. It is revealing? Absolutely.