Shared Sacrifice, Part 96
Remember Obama’s advice for families with tight budgets?
If you’re a family trying to cut back, you might skip going out to dinner, you might put off a vacation.
(Reports that Obama said this through a mouthful of Waygu steak could not be verified.)
So. Total cost of Obama’s Christmas vacation to Hawaii: over $4 million. The Hawaii Reporter has the breakdown.
Hey, you don’t want it to be a schlock affair. And I demand nothing but the best accommodations for the President’s staff:
The President’s staff and White House Press Corps stay at one of Hawaii’s oldest and most elegant hotels, the Moana Surfrider. Hawaii Reporter confirmed they are again staying there this year. Besides its stunningly beautiful view of Waikiki, and its traditional architecture, it is one of the most pricey hotels in the state.
Michelle doesn’t want to wait for Barack to fix the nation’s budget problems, so she is going early. Extra cost, about $100,000:
The President and his family are traveling separately to Hawaii because he wants resolve the payroll tax cut issue before leaving Washington – and his wife does not want to wait. . . . Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii costs about $63,000 (White House Dossier), but add security and personnel for a total of about $100,000.
Not included in their breakdown: the cost of keeping everyone’s lodgings warm enough to grow orchids.
With an unprecedented fiscal crisis, and a president telling normal families to forego vacations, some might argue that it is the height of arrogance to charge the taxpayers extra money to travel separately, or to have the staff stay in the very fanciest hotels.
Carpers. These people just don’t understand Obama’s “flinty Chicago toughness.”
Thanks to Dana.
Having been in this business for a while, I know for a fact that people will come along and say that presidents need to spend a lot on vacations, so did Bush, yada yada yada.
To those people I say: please read the post. Please respond to the actual points in the post. The unnecessary separate trips. The fancy hotels. The hypocrisy of telling others to forego their vacations.
If you can’t read the post and respond to what’s in the post then your contribution has little value.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/18/2011 @ 12:52 pmI do not begrudge the president an Asian vacation. Presidentin is hard.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/18/2011 @ 12:58 pmThere’s a saying that the less important an expenditure is, the more attention is paid to it
All this isn’t a rounding error’s rounding error.
A First Lady can’t fly commercial for security reasons, and the policy for all presidents has been that we don’t impose costs and inconveniences on them for security reasons.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:06 pmthe tiny bubbles
Colonel Haiku (caa4c2) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:09 pmmake him happy, feelin’ fine
blow it out his ass
See comment #1. And see the post.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:13 pmI could use that $100,000.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:13 pmA First Lady can’t fly commercial for security reasons, and the policy for all presidents has been that we don’t impose costs and inconveniences on them for security reasons.
No one is asking the First Lady to fly coach, but when she flys out several hours early to Martha Vineyard or a day early to Hawaii at a huge cost every time, its a trend. And that is after the solo vacation to Spain that cost millions.
She does it so much its a trend, a very costly trend, a hypocritical trend after asking Americans to tighten their belts in tough times and (of course it goes without saying) a trend that would be on the front page of the NY Times had it been a Republican First Lady.
Kaisersoze (298188) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:16 pmI could use that $100,000.
So could every poor kid without health insurance that was trotted out by the Obama Administration during the Healthcare Debate.
Kaisersoze (298188) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:17 pmThey could have departed on schedule, together, and have the legislation flown by AF jet to HI for his signature.
Especially considering the sentiment on The Hill that he was particularly detached from the work that was going on there – and that was from a Dem.
The question must be asked, again:
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:29 pmWhy does he hate the People of America so much?
Why doesn’t this barnacle head practice what he preaches.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:37 pmI don’t know. a president has a right to go home for xmas. and for him hawaii is home. sure with all the secret service stuff its expensive, but I think i will let it go.
Aaron Worthing (73a7ea) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:45 pmWhats wrong with Camp David?
EricPWJohnson (719277) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:50 pmfor M’chelle and the kids home is not Hawaii
but this isn’t about them really… the point is you can golf in Hawaii this time of year
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:55 pmA president does indeed deserve to take a vacation with his family. The job is an unrelenting 24/7 demand and expectation. No one is arguing that. However, the hypocrisy leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth. Not only the extraordinary costs to the taxpayer, but the ease with which they spend others’ money.
There is another important Christmas vacation contrast to point out that evidences the generosity of another previous president: the thoughtfulness extended toward Secret Service members and their families,
Although President Reagan would have rather spent Christmas with his family at his beloved Rancho del Cielo in California, he stayed at the White House in Washington, D.C. He did this so that Secret Service agents and other aides could spend Christmas at home with their families. President Reagan was a very thoughtful and kind person.
Dana (4eca6e) — 12/18/2011 @ 1:58 pmAW, if his “home” is HI, why doesn’t he own a house there?
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:08 pmSo…people reading this who are all negative about any Republican candidate, and are thinking about sitting out the election “because it doesn’t matter.”
Read the post, again. And read Dana’s comment.
This is an important election, and this post helps explain way.
Simon Jester (65d8f3) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:09 pmAW, if his “home” is HI, why doesn’t he own a house there?
Because Tony Rezko only had enough coin for houses in Hyde Park?
Kaisersoze (298188) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:21 pm_______________________________________________
but when she flys out several hours early to Martha Vineyard
So it’s not like the trip to Hawaii is the first time the latte liberals in the White House have forced their whims upon the budget of the government.
Talk on the grapevine is that perhaps the First Couple is facing a rough spot in their relationship, so maybe the nature of the wife isn’t so much a sign of “let them eat cake!” as much as it’s a sign of marital discord, or a case of “the less time we spend together, the better!”
President Reagan was a very thoughtful and kind person.
And comparing that with the limousine liberalism of the Obama administration makes me think of comments from lowly White House staffers in the 1990s at the sloppy and inconsiderate nature of people in the Clinton administration compared with the way their predecessors treated the West Wing when George Bush Sr was president.
Or sort of in line with surveys that indicate a larger percentage of conservatives compared with liberals is generous in donating time, money and blood. Or perhaps also symbolized by the Mall in Washington DC being as clean following the rally of the Tea Party crowd compared with the mess left behind following the counter demonstration sponsored by the Jon-Stewart crowd, or the celebration on the Mall for Obama in January 2009. Or, of course, the various locations where the Occupy Wall Street crowd gathered and camped out.
Mark (411533) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:22 pm15- addendum…
At least Richard Nixon, to escape the snows of the Mid-Atlantic states, had the good sense to buy a home in San Clemente to escape to.
Most of our Presidents who were members of the “1%” were able to acquire, and use, properties in sunny, pleasant climes.
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:22 pmBut, it seems the only property this President “owns” (one acquired under very shady circumstances) is a large house in an area of Chicago that presents numerous “security” issues (anyone know when was the last time that any member of the First Family stayed in that Hyde Park home?) that have precluded its use as a home away from the WH.
He goes to The Vineyard, and to Honolulu, paying tremendous amounts for “rentals”, while the wife and kids go globe-trotting in 5-star hotels/resorts.
This is giving Nouveau Riche a bad name!
where the economy never grows
and no oil pipelines flow
do the Obamas know it’s Christmastime
at all
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:23 pmThe Secret Service was also not particularly fond of Jimmy Carter, at least according to the members of his detail I would corral when he would periodically visit his son after leaving office.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:40 pmObama should be driving Chevy Volt limousines to support our investment in Government Motors and green technology. I’m guessing the Secret Service nixed the idea as an unacceptable fire risk.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:41 pmIf Gun Control were the law of the land in America there would still be gun wielding sociopaths.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:45 pmDana
Class act Reagan
EricPWJohnson (719277) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:51 pmWhy not rename it the Chevy Dolt.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:52 pm“Remember Obama’s advice…”
Not really. I don’t take advice from lefty dirtbags.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:52 pmWhat makes Obama think that people aren’t already doing that? I guess he hasn’t seen all the restaurants that have gone out of business, or all the vacation spots that are hurting for dollars.
Chuck Bartowski (69b74e) — 12/18/2011 @ 2:57 pmWhats wrong with Camp David?
Comment by EricPWJohnson — 12/18/2011 @ 1:50 pm
— Perhaps he wants to
Icy (94b22d) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:00 pmdrive overvisit his grandmother’s ashes.Why not rename it the Chevy Dolt.
Cause then nobody would buy it, silly
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:02 pmComment by AD-RtR/OS! — 12/18/2011 @ 2:08 pm
AW, if his “home” is HI, why doesn’t he own a house there?
In the past of course he did not have the ability to. And he doesn’t want to admit that his real home state is Hawaii.
Charisma and a Search for Self in Obama’s Hawaii Childhood by Jennifer Steinhauer published: March 17, 2007 datelined HONOLULU, March 12
All of this helps explain why Kiki Fordham, the director of alumni relations, stood on the veranda of the alumni house saying she had dreamed that Mr. Obama would announce his intentions to run for president there, not in Springfield, Ill.
He went to Chicago, Illinois for political reasons.
Maybe he could have gotten elected to statewide office in Hawaii, but it would have been harder to get elected at a lower level – he took the easy course there – and Hawaii is a small state far away from all the others, not a major state like Illinois.
From the same article:
“There was always a joke between my mom and Barack that he would be the first black president,” his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said in an interview over tea. “So there were intimations of all this early on. He has always been restless. There was always somewhere else he needed to go.”
He left Hawaii when he went to college (at first in California) but he used to come back every year at this time to see his grandmother and his sister before he was president.
More from the same New York Times article:
While Mr. Obama has several half siblings from his father’s other marriages, Ms. Soetoro-Ng, 39, is the only one he spent significant time with as a child. He spoke at her wedding, and he sees her each Christmas when he comes to Hawaii.
Or this: One Place Where Obama Goes Elbow to Elbow by Jodi Kantor June 1, 2007.
Last Christmas, Senator Barack Obama flew to Hawaii to contemplate a presidential bid in the peace of his childhood home.
Then it goes on to say he was in a rough basketball game. It was his annual three on three showdown.
“Every time he tried to score, I fouled him,” Martin Nesbitt recalled. “I grabbed him, I’d hit his arm, I’d hold him.” Michael Ramos, another participant, explained, “No blood, no foul.”
Mr. Obama, like everyone else on the court, was laughing. And with a head fake, a bit of contact and a jumper that seemed out of his range, Mr. Obama sank the shot that won the game….take note: Barack Obama is a wily player of pickup basketball, the version of the game with unspoken rules, no referee and lots of elbows.
Now nobody from his family still lives there – his grandmother died, and his half-sister moved – but he still goes there. George H.W Bush owned a home in Maine, but Obama not too likely to do so.
[note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:07 pmIf you oppose abortion for convenience than why would it make sense to complain about anti-abortion activists?
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:08 pmCause then nobody would buy it,silly
Except for the typical white tree huggers.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:09 pmNobody reasons away the unreasonable like our Sammy!
Icy (94b22d) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:12 pmFlinty Chicago toughness … hmmm. It was 45ºF here in Eagan, MN a few hours ago.
(Posting seems to work for me in this thread. Computers.)
htom (412a17) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:24 pmYeah, apparently it’s impossible to post in the Sandusky thread. htom couldn’t, and then I tried to post his comment, and I couldn’t.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:27 pmI don’t begrudge the President a vacation. And the office creates needs of security, staff and such mean that the President isn’t going to stay in Motel 6.
But this clown and the First Female Clown seem to have a Marie Antoinette view of their privilege. Chris Muis has run a series of cartoons of the Obama’s as the Sun King and Marie Antoinette that have hit dead center.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:33 pmCause then nobody would buy it, silly
It doesn’t look like anyone is buying it anyway…
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:36 pmall of the sales figures are for sales by GM to dealers, I’ll bet a donut to a Dollar that 75% of those cars are sitting on dealer’s lots as we speak (while the dealers attempt to get GM to take them back).
Of course, I should have realized that he’s the fourth best President we’ve had.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:39 pmGays can be pedophiles although most gays are not.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:43 pmThe new name for the Chevrolet Volt is the Chevrolet Obama.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:45 pm…the Chevrolet Obama…
Does that mean when Michelle slaps him up against the side of the head, he’ll burst into flames?
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:47 pmProbably.
Not only that I once saw Moochelle wandering a Los Angeles street corner mumbling about how she is proud for america for the first time in her adult life.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:49 pmI cant buy GM cars cause the whole enterprise is very shady I think
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 3:55 pmWhat I would like to know is, how many Hawaii vacations were taken with the family before Obama was president.
no one you know (3e92e3) — 12/18/2011 @ 4:48 pmnoyk, that is a VERY interesting question.
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 4:58 pmPerhaps some hot-shot, investigative reporter, will delve into it (but I doubt it).
How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?
Thank you for getting us out of Iraq Mr President.
Enjoy your vacation, you deserve it.
B.Obama (e0fdd2) — 12/18/2011 @ 5:03 pmIf that was an over-riding concern of Mr. Obama, he would have withdrawn all of the troops from Iraq on 20 Jan 09!
Which would have been a mistake.
AD-RtR/OS! (e5abf1) — 12/18/2011 @ 5:14 pm.
“Rules for THEE, but not for ME”
.
IGotBupkis, Official Reciter of the Liberal Motto (aacc3d) — 12/18/2011 @ 5:52 pmObama’s just doing what his sugardaddy Mr. Soros tells him to do I think
Good little whore.
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 5:53 pmThe left will try to bring up the contras and Reagan to distract from this.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 5:56 pmBe Obamabot hearts hisself some Saddam in-charge
Icy (94b22d) — 12/18/2011 @ 6:08 pmA brave soldier died from an IED in November. He did a great service to his country, the ultimate service.
His family is without a son that once sat on Santa’s lap, grew up and decided to serve. He sacrificed everything, his family more.
But all he is to the left is scoring a worthless political point.
That is what the left does, that is what it is.
Ag80 (ec45d6) — 12/18/2011 @ 6:43 pm“B.Obama” is a parody of a parody of a troll.
JD (318f81) — 12/18/2011 @ 6:58 pmI want him to have a permanent vacation beginning on 1/21/2013.
Who’s with me?
IGotBupkis, Official Reciter of the Liberal Motto (aacc3d) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:00 pmTrue, but face it, when push comes to shove, that was all Bush’s fault anyway…
IGotBupkis, Official Reciter of the Liberal Motto (aacc3d) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:03 pmJohnson?? The guy who really, really got us into Vietnam? The one whose actions at the 1964 Dem Convention, by disenfranchising properly elected black representatives from The South, led directly to the racial tensions of the later 60s and 70s?
Yeah, that IS the kind of PotUS The Great Big 0 should be in company with.
IGotBupkis, Official Reciter of the Liberal Motto (aacc3d) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:11 pmsorry, in case it wasn’t obvious, the second line is from the link on the first, spoken by President Downgrade, not a quote of anyone here.
IGotBupkis, Official Reciter of the Liberal Motto (aacc3d) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:12 pmBush wanted a payroll tax cut but he was evil
Obama wants the exact same thing and he is a good guy.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:15 pmWhy does OWS oppose Arizona’s immigration law?
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:16 pmThanks Bush for putting the mechanism in place for us to get out of Iraq.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:17 pmI doubt he vacationed there previously,because I doubt the IL Senate would pay for it, and he wasn’t a US Senator long enough to warrant any consideration.
I don’t think Reagan was the only President who stayed in or near DC for the holidays.
JD (318f81) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:26 pmB-but Obama wants to go on a road trip to the national museum of masturbation.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:33 pmCompletely off topic, but Kim Jong Il is dead.
go to the link on my name for a post on it, celebrating the death of evil schmuck.
Aaron Worthing (73a7ea) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:39 pmAW – Barky is responsible for that.
JD (318f81) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:40 pmhe lived way way way too long
happyfeet (a55ba0) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:40 pmThanks Aaron. I have a new thread up here, which credits you.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:47 pm“AW – Barky is responsible for that.”
JD – #gutsy call
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/18/2011 @ 7:53 pmAll those who had to serve in Korea that harsh post, cold, muddy, hilly, hostile Koreans everywhere – thankyou.
Lets hope the westernized son wants to sell the north to the south for some cash and end all of this
EricPWJohnson (719277) — 12/18/2011 @ 8:09 pmThe left talk about shared sacrfice and the rich paying more but yet when push comes to shove lefty ultra-wealthy cocksuckers like Michael goebbels the obese are defended and deified by these OWS tax and spenders.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 8:28 pmWeeeel, at least we know why the WH press whores stick with Barry. I’ve been to the Surfrider. Very Nice. Whe Bush came to my town his security stayed at what was then the Hilton and walked over to In n Out for burgers. By turns.
glenn (877ee1) — 12/18/2011 @ 8:30 pmWith the death of Kim Jong Il, everyone else on the list of delusional, megalomaniacal, smarmy, entitled autocrats moves up a notch….which includes, of course, Mrs. Obama. And yikes, what a tone-deaf and pampered thing she has turned out to be. On our dime.
Kevin Stafford (abdb87) — 12/18/2011 @ 8:34 pmComment by B.Obama — 12/18/2011 @ 5:03 pm
Another troll too stupid to realize how much Obama has screwed up Iraq.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/18/2011 @ 8:41 pm“A billion here and a billion there and pretty soon we’re talking real money”? Saving $4M would do nothing for the deficit or the debt, but it’s an unconscionable amount of other people’s money to spend on one family’s vacation.
and nobody’s suggesting that she should do so, but why can’t she wait for the president? Why should we pay extra just so she can get in an extra day or two of sunbathing?
Well when the bill comes to such a ridiculous amount then it’s high time we changed that policy. A president has a responsibility not to be a burden the taxpayer.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 12/18/2011 @ 10:26 pmHuh? He hasn’t lived in Hawaii for decades. His home is in Chicago. Why doesn’t he go there for the holidays?
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 12/18/2011 @ 10:36 pmTrue, but he has many rich friends who would be delighted to lend him their easily-guarded compounds, mansions, or ranches. There’s no reason for him to spend our money on hotels.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 12/18/2011 @ 10:40 pm“Of course, I should have realized that he’s the fourth best President we’ve had.”
Well, he’s the fourth best since Reagan.
No disrespect to Slick Willie, who was also an abysmally bad president.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 12/18/2011 @ 11:03 pmRachel Madcow-The middle class does better when Michael Moore pays lower taxes so do the rich.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/18/2011 @ 11:08 pmTo coin a phrase, “Nouveau Richelieu” 😀
Smock Puppet, SF/Sci-Fi Critic (2fb1c2) — 12/19/2011 @ 5:05 amAs usual, The Obamas practice their patented form of shared sacrifice–we all have to sacrifice and they share our pain in between pricey meals and luxurious hotel suites.
rochf (f3fbb0) — 12/19/2011 @ 7:03 amHawaii isn’t Michelle and the girls’ home. It is where they like to vacation.
Are we absolutely sure a first lady can’t fly commercial? I’m pretty sure every other nation’s head of state flies commercial.
MayBee (081489) — 12/19/2011 @ 7:41 amFrom the linked article:
I think the American people should stop accepting the refusal to answer about costs of presidential and presidential family travel.
MayBee (081489) — 12/19/2011 @ 7:54 amThey say they can’t even tell us how much it costs due to security concerns, but I think they just don’t feel like telling us because it is shocking. It is our money.
ROFL
What’s the likely estimate for the value of a future President Gingrich’s revolving account at Tiffanys? $5M?, $10M?
You guys crack me up.
B.Obama (e0fdd2) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:31 amThis one is a caricature of a parody of a leftist troll.
JD (9351a4) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:37 amOne-term Barcky is showing us how he spends our money this Holiday season…
Colonel Haiku (caa4c2) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:46 amA President Gingrich would pay that bill out of his personal checking account, not one drawn on the Treasury…
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:46 amand you’re still a Fool and Moron!
Really?
Care to speculate on the monies sure to be poured into the personal checking account of the Supreme Grifter should he get his hands on the Office of the Presidency?
B.Obama (e0fdd2) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:54 amThe family has been coming to Hawaii for Christmas for many years — several years before he became President. They came to visit his grandmother and sister, who did live here prior to him becoming President. They did it to escape the cold of Chicago for a couple weeks.
And, the Hawaii Reporter article is mostly true – and I know the author/publisher — the one thing that is wrong is that the WH is paying the Gov’t rate at the Surfrider — $177 a night. It would be the same price anywhere else in Honolulu.
One problem with the accommodations, however, is that there is no hotel anywhere near where the Obamas stay that could house the number of staff that travel with the Pres. So, the only option is to house the staff about 20 miles away on the other side of the island — about a 45 minute drive any way you cut it. Extremely inefficient.
shipwreckedcrew (c0b011) — 12/19/2011 @ 9:13 amFess up. This is performance art. What a clown.
JD (9351a4) — 12/19/2011 @ 9:13 amThe left love to talk about the revolution rising up and killing the rich but when it comes down to it they are spineless pieces of feces.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/19/2011 @ 9:15 amComment by shipwreckedcrew — 12/19/2011 @ 9:13 am
20 miles away?
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 9:32 amWhen Nixon would stay at The Western White House in San Clemente, staff would be at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach, and at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach – not exactly next door – and both would have to navigate the traffic on PCH as it is the only road that connects the three points (and basically still is).
the one thing that is wrong is that the WH is paying the Gov’t rate at the Surfrider — $177 a night. It would be the same price anywhere else in Honolulu.
So the hotel loses revenue.
Shipwreckedcrew- how is The Reporter wrong about the rate?
Sure, the family has been going there for many years, but they went when it was on their own dime and when their presence didn’t inconvenience others.
MayBee (081489) — 12/19/2011 @ 9:54 amShould the POTUS and his family consider the expense and inconvenience to others when he travels? It’s only a four year stint. Camp David and the White House and its 37 trees and cooking staff won’t be available when the presidency is over, but Hawaii still will be.
*yawn* The ad hom troll is literally putting me to sleep.
Icy (b15d2e) — 12/19/2011 @ 10:27 amWhatever it costs to get him away its worth it. The best thing that could happen to the USA if he stays on vacation till after we inaugurate the next President.If we never see or hear of him again its a bargain.
john morrissey (1c7976) — 12/19/2011 @ 11:19 amjohn, just imagine the agony of that scenario:
He and the family remain in HI until after the inaugaration, and then have to return commercial…
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 11:48 amOh, the Humanity!
#91 — The HR’s story suggests that the WH is paying something higher than the Gov’t rate. I don’t think that is true. The Surfrider is actually a Starwood Corp (Sheraton) property, and the Gov’t rate applies — not the rack rates quoted in the piece.
As for their presence inconveniencing others, there is no doubt about that. I was at a Christmas party this past weekend and spoke with some friends that live in the neighborhood where the Obamas stay. Its a huge pain in the ass when they are there.
But, unless you are going to tell this President — or any other — that his only options are the WH or Camp David, its going to be a huge pain in the ass whereever he goes. Ask the people of West Los Angeles what it is like when the Pres. flies into LAX for a fundraising event in Hollywood or Beverly Hills. Hundreds of thousands of people are tied up as traffic grounds to a halt.
shipwreckedcrew (4ae072) — 12/19/2011 @ 1:01 pmI don’t see why he can’t be told to minimise his footprint on other people’s time and convenience and patience. That’s far more important than the environment, isn’t it? So yes, presidents should, as much as possible, stay out of NYC, LA, and other major cities where their presence is bound to create chaos; and when it is necessary for them to visit such places the planning should take this into account and do whatever possible to ameliorate it. E.g. by packing several events into one visit instead of making separate trips for each; by timing arrival and departure for the least bad hours (since there are no good ones); by helicoptering to a convenient rooftop wherever possible instead of motorcading; etc.
Milhouse (d7842d) — 12/19/2011 @ 1:36 pmship…make that millions are affected as the freeway system in L.A. is a highly interconnected maze where a major blockage seeps out onto the surrounding elements and creates a frustrating gridlock.
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 1:36 pmshipwreckedcrew, it has been my belief for some time – unrelated to the exact occupant of the White House – that the Secret Service has gone overboard in security. The immense traffic shutdowns are not necessary. The convoy is about 20 vehicles longer than it has any need to be, etc.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/19/2011 @ 2:50 pmI’m with you, SPQR. That’s why I think Secret Service needs to stop hiding behind “security” when they won’t disclose how much things cost or why they’ve created such a huge security apparatus. I know America is very special, but we do way more for our POTUS than other countries do for theirs.
Shipwreckcrew-
The paper specifically did calculations base on the government rate:
A conservative estimate with rooms at the government rate of $177 per day (excluding a 9.25 percent Transient Accommodation Tax and a 4.712 percent General Excise Tax on each bill, meals, internet charges and other charges) means the taxpayers are covering more than $72,216 in hotel bills for an estimated 24 staff.
And I live in LA, which is one reason I think Presidents should have some consideration for the people when he decides to take completely optional trips.
Closing down whole beaches and highways so the President can romp seems very un-American.
MayBee (081489) — 12/19/2011 @ 3:03 pmEvery SecSrvc agent is deathly afraid that the President might get so much as a hangnail on their watch. If they had their way, they’d put the incoming Prez into a cacoon on the Wed following the election, and not let him out until the day after his successor goes into his.
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 3:03 pmIt is clear that SCOAMF has blown way more on vacations than those that came before him. Otherwise, the MFM would be yowling about how others spent more.
JD (9351a4) — 12/19/2011 @ 3:27 pmWell, JD, it’s only “our” money, and just think about how many jobs its creating and saving.
AD-RtR/OS! (dadeb3) — 12/19/2011 @ 3:29 pmSo if the repubs accept the tax cuts evil.
But if the repubs reject the payroll tax cuts because it is funded for a short time we-re evil.
We cannot win with the leftys.
Even when insulting Kim Jong Il’s son the left can’t help but take gratuitous insults at Bush.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/19/2011 @ 8:43 pmA few comments on his Hawaii visits since I live less than 5 miles from where he stays.
1. The “motorcade” is much less than you would imagine. Maybe 4-5 HPD marked cars in the front, followed by 3-4 dark vans/SUVs, followed by POTUS (not always the Limo), followed by a couple more dark vans/SUVS, followed by a couple more HPD guys, with an ambulance bringing up the rear. A few HPD motorcycles are ahead of the motorcade and block the sidestreets about 1-2 minutes before the motorcade gets there. Start to finish, you might lose 5-7 minutes.
And they do not close down the whole beach. They set up “no-pass” barriers a couple hundred yards from the residence where POTUS is staying on both sides — this year only on one side because the house he is staying in (different from past years) is at the end of the point in the same stretch out houses, and has water on its north side. There is a no-entry zone in the water that goes out about 200 hundred yards, but that particular stretch of water isn’t heavily used except for when the surf swell comes in in a particular fashion, in which case some surfers will go out there. So the “bubble” stretches out about 1/4 mile by sand and water, and by about a mile by land.
So, the people that live in the neighborhood are inconvenienced, but its not too bad for people who live on the windward side but not in that neighborhood. I encounter the motorcade when he is going to or coming back from playing golf.
shipwreckedcrew (c0b011) — 12/19/2011 @ 10:02 pmOh, so it only inconveniences the people who live there. That’s nice that the President gets the Christmas he wants, though.
MayBee (081489) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:54 am“Care to speculate on the monies sure to be poured into the personal checking account of the Supreme Grifter should he get his hands on the Office of the Presidency?”
No, I’m more concerned with what the government is stealing now, then what they MIGHT steal tomorrow.
If multi-millionaires like the Obambis want to take million dollar vacations, they ought to pay for it themselves, instead of sticking the taxpayers with the bill.
And, it should have ALWAYS been that way.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 12/20/2011 @ 1:31 pmI’m guessing JD is right.
Just going back to the ranch in Crawford would probably cost a bit less than traversing the world. Sink some costs, and then just keep heading back to the same place.
I bet Michelle alone in four years has cost as much or more than the entire Bush family in eight, but I’m pretty biased.
Regardless, we’re in a deep recession now, and Obama is asking people to do without, while making a damn show of how he is living it up. It is insulting.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 1:39 pmDemocraps are corrupt even ABC admits it.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/20/2011 @ 2:11 pmIt’s Christmas and I’m trying to think of good things to say about Democrats, so here’s one: Barack Obama makes Bill Clinton seem like a great President.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 12/20/2011 @ 4:51 pmDRJ, your Mother would be proud of you.
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 4:53 pmBill O’Reilly just asked Slick Willie Clinton if he “respected Newt Gingrich as a man”.
Can’t make this stuff up.
Colonel Haiku (8699c3) — 12/20/2011 @ 5:18 pmI swear when Christianity is a crime the lefty atheists will be happy.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/20/2011 @ 5:43 pmThe “cost” of a presidential trip, probably isn’t really the marginal cost (between taking the trip and not making the trip)
They are factoring in the wages and benefits of all the people on the trip.
That’s where you get a “security” reason. If you knew enough you calculate how many people were assigned to his security and if you could calculate the number – I suppose you’d figure out it’s not all that many, and then maybe — it’s ridiculous.
The whole protection in part is based on the premise that there could be some super-trained and super-knowledgeable conspirators with rare but not impossible weapons etc. More than would be realistic. Some of what the Secret Service does only makes sense in terms of extreme contingencies. In the meantime there are some other possibilities they let go.
The truth is the real protection is that there are only an extremely limited number of people who both would wish to do harm to a protectee and have enough capability and time to plan something. If it was more common, the protection would be shown up as flawed. And if super-capability was more common, the whole bubble would be useless. It doesn’t work so well in Afghanistan.
Because there are really so few people who pose a threat – that’s why one means of protection is not announcing or publicizing the schedule too much in advance and not having too many people know exactly where he is going. Even if someone who found out wanted to do harm, there wouldn’t be enough time to make preparations that would overcome much more limited security.
Now for the “cost”
Wages and salaries ad benefits would be there anyway, except for some overtime. Pilots need to fly a certain number of hours anyway. Planes need to be flown a certain number of hours anyway. I’m not sure there’s much marginal cost as all once a system for traveling and protection is set up on a permanent basis.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:34 pmI’m not sure there’s much marginal cost as all once a system for traveling and protection is set up on a permanent basis.
I’m not sure you are not a drooling imbecile.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:47 pmBarack Obama did not claim he’s the 4th greatest president – he claimed he had the 4th greatest list of accomplishments – that’s why LBJ is on the list.
I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln — just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in modern history.
I think Nixon had a long list of accomplishments he liked to cite, whether you really liked what he said or not. But he had a long list. Ending the draft, and before that replacing the draft with a draft lottery, the EPA, taking the U.S. off the gold standard, the opening to Red China – Mao’s China – which for these purposes at least he somehow didn’t notice was extremely evil – detente, arms control treaties, the end of the Vietnam War, the budget control act. Whatever he could claim, he claimed. He might have included wage and price controls if that was not regarded as a big mistake. Nixon actually didn’t want that authority. I think Congress overrode his veto in March, 1971.
Monica Crowley where are you??
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:49 pmDespite your hyper-parsing, you failed to note that he only gave the 3 ahead of him the respect of being possible exceptions, thus leaving the possibility open that Barcky is even better than them.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:51 pmCome on, dude.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:51 pmThat was my reaction too. Almost word for word!
He didn’t even say he was fourth. He said maybe there are three who could compete.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:53 pmNo, planes do not “need” to be flown; it is pilots and crew that are required to log a minimum number of flight-hours to maintain proficiency.
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:56 pmJD
If you are going to have an Air Force One, the marginal cost of having it and using it and having it and not using it, is mainly fuel.
So essentially you begrudge the fact that Obama spends more money on fuel than Bush did, because HI is further away than the faux TX ranch Bush spent most of his days in office.
Petty, in a word.
Glad I could help.
B.Obama (857644) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:59 pmComment by JD — 12/20/2011 @ 6:47 pm
I’m not sure there’s much marginal cost as all once a system for traveling and protection is set up on a permanent basis.
Where would the cost come from? Jet fuel maybe?
No, if the plane flies more now it flies less later. There are a lot of training and practice flights that have to take place..
Maybe there’s a bit more fuel used because the planes are carrying more weight. It’s hard to think of any other costs. Some overtime maybe.
I’m not sure you are not a drooling imbecile.
There’s one thing you can be reasonably sure I’m not. An accountant. An accountant will assign costs to something that actually really aren’t there. In the sense that avoiding the trip won’t save much money. The government employees, military and civilian, are working anyway. The plane is flying anyway. The pilot is flying anyway. Renting rooms may be an extra cost.
It’s accountants who come up with these huge dollar figures. But it is all not real.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 6:59 pmBzzzzzt. Wrong. Nice try. Clown. There is lots more to it than the cost of fuel. But I also understand that you are a little twatwaffle, and honesty is a foreign concept to you.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:01 pmYou sure do have all od your leftist canards at the ready though. Brava.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:01 pmThere actually isn’t an Air Force One, but there are several planes that could be Air Force One.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:01 pmBush was working out of Crawford. He spent a lot of time there as Governor too.
And no, the marginal cost is not just fuel. That is ridiculous.
For one, Bush owned that ranch. they didn’t need to rent a bunch of properties and secure them at the last minute.
Some of these trips have been pretty ridiculous. I don’t begrudge the president the trappings of office, but President Wagyu has made a point of being ostentatious about it.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:02 pmComment by AD-RtR/OS! — 12/20/2011 @ 6:56 pm
No, planes do not “need” to be flown; it is pilots and crew that are required to log a minimum number of flight-hours to maintain proficiency.
I think the planes also need to be flown a little bit to make sure they are in god working order, but it doesn’t make difference – the pilots and flight crew have to fly that model of plane.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:03 pmBTW that is a tasty cut of beef. But it’s also decadent. Reminds me a bit of that porky new dictator in North Korea, who already has heart disease and diabetes.
When you’re telling Americans to avoid buying the boat they have been dreaming of, or to skip that vacation with the kids they were waiting on, you shouldn’t then act like you are actual royalty.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:04 pmSo, just to check that the plane is in good working order, let’s load up the president and his staff and fly across the Pacific. You know, shake out the cobwebs. Make sure it doesn’t burst into flames or anything.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:05 pmQuite right Sammy, it’s a callsign not an aircraft. So in truth, any aircraft could be Air Force One.
B.Obama (857644) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:06 pmAnd if they fly a plane out to Hawaii, then they don’t have to fly a similar plane some other time.
Now the difference is the weight load on the plane. Not the distance the plane flies, because it, or some other plane, will fly a similar number of hours pretty soon anyway. The military knows how to adjust.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:06 pmAny fixed-wing aircraft!
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:07 pmSince it doesn’t cost anymore to go to Hawaii than to stay at home, I hope you all will excuse me, but I am going to take my entire extended family, on both sides, to Hawaii.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:08 pmIsn’t it precious being schooled about AF proceedures by a couple who have never seen the inside of an induction center?
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:08 pmAD – their ignorance is only surpassed by their overundrestimation of their own intelligence.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:09 pmThat my wife insists we drive to the in-laws instead of flying to France is, in a word, petty. Hang on while I inform her.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:10 pmAF procedures?
I thought we were talking about numbers the beancounters dream up to confuse the rubes watching Fox.
B.Obama (857644) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:12 pmI love it when people argue flight economics with a former Airforce Officer
Be gentle JD
EricPWJohnson (e83e82) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:12 pmSF: I think the planes also need to be flown a little bit to make sure they are in god working order,
Comment by Dustin — 12/20/2011 @ 7:05 pm
So, just to check that the plane is in good working order, let’s load up the president and his staff and fly across the Pacific. You know, shake out the cobwebs. Make sure it doesn’t burst into flames or anything.
No, but once you have flown the president and his entourage across the Pacific, you don’t need to fly the plane so much anyway.
I think it’s maybe this: They don’t want to fly a plane too many hours. It only flies so many hours before undergoing a thorough maintenance check. So if they flew it to Hawaii, they fly it less later. I guess you could say if there’s no trip they would fly it even less, but there may be some minimum as well as maximum number of hours they want the plane to fly, and besides the pilots need hours. Hours flying the president are hours that don’t need to be used on practice flights.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:13 pmThe only one confused is you, Rube!
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:13 pmJust teasing, Sammy. I disagree, but it’s not a big deal. The fact is that Obama could practice what he preaches. That would be leadership. He instead proclaims and presides in a pretty annoying fashion.
I think if he had another twenty years of experience as a politician, he would be able to figure this out. I mean, hey, if they made me president I would probably be tempted to party all the time too. But I wouldn’t be reelected any more than Obama will be.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:16 pmSF, all aircraft require a certain number of hours of maintanance per hour of flight time; non-fixed wing craft have a very intense maintanance schedule, much more intense than fixed-wing craft.
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:17 pmThen, there are scheduled maintanance intervals usually at 1000-hr intervals or portions thereof.
I would think that the AF goes heavy on maintanance of all Executive Transport Aircraft at Andrews.
AD
Itwas true but then the socialist in chief reccomended new less lucrative mil pensions last month…
EricPWJohnson (e83e82) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:27 pmEven it the Crawford ranch was the same as Hawaii on paper (And I doubt that very much), the message Obama is sending is loud and clear. We need to do without, and he’s going on vacation in Hawaii, which is the kind of vacation many Americans will never enjoy.
Bush going to Crawford during a time of economic boom is not similar in any respect.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:29 pmEPWJ – I was enlisted.
JD (318f81) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:35 pmI swear when Christianity is a crime the lefty atheists will be happy.
Comment by Dohbiden — 12/20/2011 @ 5:43 pm
— This is why they embraced the “Arab Spring”.
Icy (7a23ed) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:41 pmJD
Sorry bout that
EricPWJohnson (e83e82) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:42 pmGod
GladIcouldneed help!Comment by B.Obama — 12/20/2011 @ 6:59 pm
— FTFY
Icy (7a23ed) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:46 pmFlight economics?
If you want to make a small fortune in aviation, start with a big one!
B.Obama (857644) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:46 pmQuite right Sammy, it’s a callsign not an aircraft. So in truth, any aircraft could be Air Force One.
Comment by B.Obama — 12/20/2011 @ 7:06 pm
— When your propellor beanie takes off be sure to throw it a salute and shout “God speed, Mr President!”
Icy (7a23ed) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:51 pmSammy F. is sort of a roving apologist for what common sense tells us is the questionable position to hold on particular issues.
Icy (7a23ed) — 12/20/2011 @ 7:59 pmCorrection: There actually are only two Boeing 747-200B planes that are set up to be Air Force One, although sometimes a president can use another plane, as Bill Clinton did in January 1998, when he was landing in a Boeing 757 at a small airport in Illinois near the University of Illinois – Willard Airport – and planning a second stop at an even smaller airport in Wisconsin – and it got stuck in the mud when the pilot ran off the edge of a taxiway and a Boeing 707 was dispatched to pick him up. They could have gotten the plane out of the mud, but as usual, they don’t take chances with a president so they got another plane.
Also, for instance, a VC-137 was used to fly President George W. Bush to Crawford Texas, on the morning of January 20, 2009, which when it took off, was Air Force One. After dropping him off it continued to the Reagan Museum in California, where it remained. So I’m reading. http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/military/read.main/125863
A cargo plane also flies whenever the president flies, as well as, often, a press plane partly paid for by the press. On foreign overseas trips, both planes fly to the country (so the president has a U.S. Air Force plane to fly back on if anything goes wrong) although the backup plane often lands at a different airport.
The hourly cost of fuel per flying hour is around $70,000. The yearly operating costs of having the plane available is about $250 million (assigning salaries and overhead and the cost of the plane etc I presume)
http://www.taxpayertreasurehunt.com/index.php/Air_Force_One
I have to pass along this thought from that airliners.net page:
The vast majority of the world is _not_ swarming with political assassins just waiting for an opportunity to attack a head of state who makes a forced landing at a local airport, and there is no such place in North America that I can think of. The result of AF1 landing at some random airport just about anywhere on earth would be (1) local law enforcement responding to provide security (2) local citizens responding in hopes of getting a picture with the President.
On the extreme side were AF1 to somehow need to make a forced landing at a drug lord’s airstrip along the US-Mexico border the most probable result would be said drug lord deploying his tough guys in a defensive perimeter and offering the services of his own airplane mechanics to fix the problem. In reality I happened to be living in Champaign (CMI) when Bill Clinton’s AF1 got stuck in the mud next to a taxiway and he had to wait for the backup to fly in; the joke around town was that Clinton took the opportunity to run up to the university and recruit some interns but he actually wandered around the airport politicking and shaking people’s hands.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 8:25 pmSF, you need to give that search engine a rest.
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 8:27 pmI’m wondering, by the way, now, since Barack Obama said he was going to stay in Washington until the payroll tax cut extension became law, and it looks like it’s not about to become law, unless the vast majority of the Senate can be coaxed back to Washington – is he going to stay there or not? If he leaves will he leave before or after Boehner leaves?
They had actually almost agreed to an increase in the tax cut. 3.1% on both the employer’s andemployee’s share instead of 4.1% for the employee and 6.2% forthe employer.
Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/20/2011 @ 8:31 pmIt’s not in the rate where the disagreement lies, it is in the duration.
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 8:35 pmAnd, unless Harry blinks, there will be no agreement, and no bill for Teh Won to sign, which means (if he’s good to his word – I know, a very large assumption) that he won’t be going to see the girls and wife (Yeah, as if that would ever happen).
It’s not the rate or the duration but the fact that the tax cut would be going to the wrong people, in the opinion of the teabagger Jihadi in the House.
B.Obama (857644) — 12/20/2011 @ 8:53 pmB.Obama, Obama’s own economic advisor’s work shows that a payroll tax cut is the least effective stimulative tax policy. And Social Security is already in deficit and pulling money from the general fund.
Go troll somewhere else.
SPQR (26be8b) — 12/20/2011 @ 9:10 pmWhen did B.Obama stop diddling little boys, and goats?
AD-RtR/OS! (1e1a0b) — 12/20/2011 @ 10:32 pmThe distinction between FICA and the general fund has always been a pernicious charade, so the fact that it is now “pulling from” instead of “paying in” is meaningless. It’s certainly not a valid reason to oppose a cut in any part of the total income tax. SocSec is and always has been a welfare program, which is a charge on the general fund however named. That some of the revenue to the general fund was nominally segregated and given a new name is just shell games.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 12/20/2011 @ 11:30 pmRush Limbaugh on the upcoming Obama vacation decision.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/12/21/obama_grapples_with_vacation_decision
RUSH: Obama’s vacation. TheHill.com, I swear when I went to the website and read the story and I swear my computer screen started crying. The story is a tear-soaked article out this morning about what they say is one of the toughest decisions Obama has ever faced in his presidency. I’m not making that up. That is how they characterized this. One of the toughest decisions he’s ever faced in his presidency, and the decision is — dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut dadelut — whether to go to Hawaii for his Christmas vacation or not. You see, Moochelle (My Belle) and the kids are already occupying Hawaii while Obama remains in Washington to occupy the White House.
The sad thing is that The Hill in their tear-soaked piece might actually be right here, this could be one of Obama’s toughest calls ever. But in the end, Obama, like Clinton, like everybody else, is gonna do what the focus groups and the polls say will be the best optics. His re-election comes first even before vacationing in Hawaii. But I mean, folks, look, I mean passing up spending 17 days alone on a tropical island with Michelle Obama, what could he be thinking? Who could pass that up? Ahem. But you have to wonder, at least I do, as a married guy, I have to wonder here why Michelle and the girls couldn’t have simply waited a few days. Why? I mean it’s just today, it’s December the 21st, and she’s been gone four days. She split the scene on the 17th.
The kids are still in school. A lot of people’s kids are still in school. Why couldn’t they have all just gone to Camp David? It’s a Christmasy destination. But think of how this indecision is inconveniencing his Secret Service detail. You may not know this. George W. Bush spent Christmas in the White House. You know why? He got out of there after Christmas, went down to Crawford, but he spent Christmas in the White House so his Secret Service detail could stay at home in Washington and spend some time with their families. Now, he mighta hightailed it for Crawford on the 26th, but he spent Christmas in the White House. Obama, of course that’s not a concern, and he probably might be saying, “Secret Service, why, hell, family or Hawaii, who cares when, I’ll opt for Hawaii.” Who knows.
But Michelle (My Belle) and the kids couldn’t wait, just like they couldn’t wait four hours to accompany Obama to Martha’s Vineyard back in August. They left four hours early. And we had the story out of Oahu about how much this is costing. What is it, $4 million this whole thing is gonna cost, a hundred thousand dollars minimum a day, and that did not factor Michelle (My Belle) and the kids going early on their own plane before Obama takes his two 747s out there.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: They are really saying that one of the toughest decisions poor Barack will have to make is whether or not to stay in town or to go on his vacation. I’m looking for it. It’s in the Stack somewhere. Now, my question about this, I’ll make the point while I’m looking for it, why would Obama’s decision whether to go to Hawaii or not be difficult?
Harry Reid has shut down the Senate, folks, and he’s not going to reopen it. Nancy Pelosi has said that she wouldn’t send any Democrats to a conference committee to work out a compromise on this. The Democrats have iced any activity in the House. There’s nothing more that will be done on it unless the Republicans cave. So if this is such a slam-dunk winner for Obama, and if you’ve got the Wall Street Journal and the establishment Republicans wetting their pants over this, why even think about not going to Hawaii? As some news reports have it, he could leave early. If this is such a slam-dunk win, why doesn’t he get on that plane and go?
Here’s the story, and when I read this my computer monitor started tearing up. That’s what a tearjerker of a story it is, and it’s by a chick, Amie Parnes. “President Obama faces a most difficult decision with the payroll tax extension up in the air, and it isn’t whether to compromise with Republicans. The toughest call for the president this holiday season could be whether to join his family for Christmas in Hawaii or stay in lonely Washington. The White House won’t say whether the president is heading west for the holidays — or even if he’s making an abbreviated appearance.” This is what it actually says.
“Even if there’s no ideal time for a presidential vacation, this one comes at a particularly inopportune moment. For weeks, Obama has insisted that lawmakers stay in town.” I’ll tell you, I burst out crying when I read this. I kid you not. That’s exactly what it says. Toughest decision of the year. But again, Harry Reid shut down the Senate, said he’s not gonna reopen it. Pelosi has said she’s not gonna send any Democrats to a conference committee to work out a compromise. So the Democrats have iced any activity in the House. There’s nothing more to be done in this unless the Republicans cave. So why not fly off? It’s over except, again, if this is such a slam-dunk winner, what’s so hard about the decision? It’s over with, the Democrats have iced all activity, go, go to Hawaii, claim victory. Claim victory. Our side says it is one. What’s Obama doing taking the dog shopping? He could be on the plane to Hawaii right now.
END TRANSCRIPT
Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/21/2011 @ 4:44 pm