President Obama plans to make a cash withdrawal from his base of wealthy Democratic donors in the Seattle area Sunday, popping in for two fundraisers as part of a West Coast campaign swing.

No public events have been announced for the president's visit, but donors who pony up thousands of dollars can get up close and personal.

First up is an exclusive brunch at the Medina home of former Microsoft executive Jon Shirley.

The event costs $35,800 per couple and 100 people are expected to attend, according to a Democratic Party official.

Then Obama will head to a larger fundraiser at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, with tickets starting at $100 for balcony seats and up to $7,500 for VIP seating and a receiving-line photo with the president, according to event invitations. Up to 400 people are expected at that event, which will include a lunch catered by chef Tom Douglas and a performance by the Robert Cray Band.

While Obama's approval ratings have sagged nationally, he remains more popular in Washington state, and his fundraising machine can count on a core of loyal supporters.

Obama's Medina hosts, Shirley and his wife, Mary, are major Democratic Party benefactors, having donated more than $285,300 to party committees and candidates since 2007, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

In an interview Thursday, Shirley said he's not entirely happy with Obama, but called the Republican presidential field "embarrassing."

"I'll be honest; I don't think the president has fulfilled all of the campaign promises and perhaps met the hopes that some of us had, but his term is far from over and he has a lot left to do. I think he's heading in the right direction," Shirley said.

In particular, Shirley said he wished the administration had pursued stronger Wall Street reforms to prevent another economic collapse in the future.

Shirley ripped the Republicans for their refusal to consider tax increases on millionaires as part of the solution to the federal budget crisis. In fact, Shirley seemed surprised Obama hadn't already pushed through an income-tax increase on the wealthy, noting that would merely return those rates to the levels they were in the prosperous 1990s.

"I don't think raising my taxes is going to have a big negative effect on the economy, or that cutting taxes on the wealthy is going to create more jobs," Shirley said.

At the Medina fundraiser, donors like Shirley will get a coveted chance to air such concerns directly with Obama, as the event is expected to include a Q & A session with the president.

Shirley said he hopes to ask Obama about some of the administration's economic policies he believes haven't gone far enough — in particular making sure that banks never again get "too big to fail."

A former Tandy executive, Shirley served as Microsoft president and chief operating officer from 1983 to 1990, helping set the stage for the company's spectacular 1990s growth. He remained on the Microsoft board until retiring in 2008. Shirley is a major donor to the Seattle Art Museum and serves as vice president of the SAM board.

Obama's visit to the Paramount will be greeted by a variety of demonstrators hoping to get their messages across. They'll include labor groups demanding the president stand firm on Social Security and Medicare, supporters of a UW graduate imprisoned in Nicaragua on drug charges, and a 25-foot salmon sculpture perched on an environmental group's trailer.

Money raised during Obama's visit will be split between his campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

This will be Obama's third trip to the state since being elected president.

Last year, he traveled to Seattle in August and October to raise money and campaign for the re-election of Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. His October visit included a big rally at the University of Washington and a "backyard chat" at the home of a North Seattle family.

With no such public events scheduled this time, Obama is expected to depart Seattle after the Paramount appearance and head for more fundraisers in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday and Los Angeles on Monday.

Information from The Seattle Times archives is included.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com