It reads a bit like the society page, but Philadelphia Inquirer has a look inside yesterday’s Philadelphia-area fundraiser (registration required), hosted, oddly enough, by a Democrat.

He started under a white tent in the yard, and addressed all the contributors before the more private luncheon. Those who attended the affair said Bush stood at a podium with the presidential seal and spoke for an hour about his philosophy on leadership, while guests snacked on turkey baguettes, vegetables and cocktails.

“He said, ‘You’re going to get many campaign speeches. I will talk about the office,’ ” said John Templeton, a Bryn Mawr surgeon, recounting the speech.

Bush never mentioned Kerry’s name. Along with some words about Iraq and the economy, he talked about how the presidency demands a decision-maker, not a micromanager, guests said. Bush even revealed one of his first presidential decisions: picking out the rug for the Oval Office.

Michael Meehan, general counsel of the Philadelphia Republican Party, said Bush appeared relaxed as he spoke off-the-cuff.

“I wish he could take his message like that to the people all the time,” Meehan said. “These guys are so cautious, but the contact with voters is so important.”

Bush leads Kerry in Pennsylvania fundraising, though it is unclear in the story if the totals are from the same time-frame.

Pennsylvanians have donated more than $3.89 million to Bush’s campaign since May 2003, the 12th-largest amount in the country, according to Dwight L. Morris & Associates, a nonpartisan campaign-finance service. Since declaring his candidacy, Kerry has raised $3.1 million from Pennsylvania, records show.

Bush raised up to $1.5 million for the GOP’s Victory 2004, a get-out-the-vote initiative for battleground states.