Obama Launches Presidential Bid, to Hold Virtual Forum

President Obama will be returning to the Bay Area this month to hold a virtual town hall at Facebook and kick off his fundraising campaign for the 2012 election.

The April 20 trip will begin with a live town hall broadcast from Facebook's headquarters to "discuss the tough choices we must all make in order to put our economy on a more fiscal path, while still investing in areas like innovation that will help our economy grow and make America more competitive," the event page said.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg will participate in the event, which begins at 1:45 p.m. and will be streamed on the social networking site.

Facebook is selecting questions submitted to the event page or to www.WhiteHouse.gov/facebooktownhall for the town hall. The "Obama Victory Fund 2012 Kick-Off" will then be held at 5 p.m. at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco.

Tickets are currently on sale at barackobama.com and cost $250 for general admission; $1,000 for premium seating; $2,500 for VIP seating; and $10,000 for a photo reception.

Obama is also attending a fundraiser that night at the home of Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment, and the Obama for America campaign did not return calls seeking information about the event, whose organizers are reportedly charging $35,800 per person.

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