In a time of economic doldrums, millions losing homes, trillions in debt, the First Lady goes on a skiing vacation. Isn't that wonderful? We guess that she does not think of herself as part of the 99%! Have you taken your Aspen ski trip this year? We sure have not!
This is just more of the tin ear the Obama Administration shows the country. It is wrong
and very much Marie Antoinette-ish. We have no problem with the President and his
family taking a vacation or two, but this is ridiculous. Last month a week in Hawaii and
now a trip to Colorado!
Hopefully, we can send the Obamas on a permanent vacation when he is booted out of
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! Are you with us?
Conservative Tom
Michelle Obama Decides to Ski Aspen
Michelle Obama has embarked on a skiing vacation with her daughters in Aspen, Colorado, according to the Aspen Daily News.
The first lady, who just returned last month from 17 days of relaxation in Hawaii, is skiing in Colorado on Presidents’ Day Weekend for the second year in a row. Last year she went to Vail.
Michelle’s decision to ski out West again instead of hitting slopes closer to Washington would seem an inopportune choice for a first lady who is helping her husband campaign on issues of “fairness.”
The Obama campaign has set itself up as the defender of the poor and the middle class against the “One Percent,” a theme which clashes with the image a first lady who is taking frequent and exclusive vacations.
Just last August, she sojourned on Martha’s Vineyard, and the month before she travelled to southern Africa for a trip that mixed official business with tourist outings like an African safari. In July 2010, she took an exorbitant excursion to the southern coast of Spain, flying out with friends and family on a large jet that often serves as Air Force 2 and then staying at a ritzy hotel.
What’s more, as the government struggles to cut the deficit, the symbolism of a first lady jetting out to Aspen with a security entourage at taxpayers’ expense to ski would seem to send the wrong message about cutting back on spending.
For her last two Hawaii vacations, Michelle left separately from her husband atextra cost to taxpayers in order to ensure she got the full vacation while the president was forced to remain in Washington a few extra days to finish work with Congress.
President Obama last summer called for “an attitude of shared sacrifice” to solve the nation’s deficit woes.
Michelle this weekend is reportedly staying at the Aspen home of a wealthy Obama backer from Chicago. She held a fundraiser at the same residence last July.
Fact-checking...
ReplyDelete"So far, President Obama has taken 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch.
Among recent presidents, Bill Clinton took the least time off -- 28 days.
To be fair, a presidential vacation away from the White House is not the same as a vacation for the average person. The president is still in contact with his advisers and on call for any emergency."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/17/eveningnews/main20093801.shtml
----------
How about just a bit more coverage of the Republican primaries? The screw-up in Maine is really helping Romney.
I would like to hear your opinions about Michigan. Romney is running more than $1 million in ads against Santorum in Michigan. Is it working? How much will Michigan affect Super Tuesday? What will Gingrich do with the new $10 million donation he just got from his billionaire? He should save it for the southern primaries. The last thing he should do is advertise just enough in Michigan to split the conservative vote again and allow Romney to win it.
So, this is a request more more primary coverage. You will have from now to November to run your Obama stuff. I don't mind it, except that it is taking priority over the most entertaining Republican primary in decades!
--David
David, I was not commenting on the President, I was talking about the First Lady. I have never seen such an over the top abuse of the American public. All of these extravagant trips to Spain with 40 friends, all at taxpayer expense, is just one example.
ReplyDeleteShe does not even go with her husband! He is too busy playing golf!!
"He is too busy playing golf!!"
ReplyDeleteThat was why I mentioned the facts about how many vacation days Obama has taken compared to recent presidents.
I did a little preliminary fact-check on the story about going to Spain with 40 friends. Is this something you got from Mr. Krauthammer? According to several reports, the story is false. It sounds crazy, because it is. Of course, I imagine you will simply dismiss all contrary reporting as not credible...
http://mediamatters.org/research/201008090041
-----
Anyway, I really would like to hear your on-the-scene views of the Republican primary in Michigan. I am a lot more interested in that than Michelle Obama's travel schedule.
--David
Media matters is probably the least credible source of information as it meets with the White House weekly to discuss how to address current topics.
ReplyDeleteI will be writing more about Michigan this next week.
Lynn Sweet (Chicago Sun-Times) did the most detailed investigation I could find. She wrote...
ReplyDelete"But the reason Mrs. Obama made the trip -- and other facts, not rumors about the travel -- are important in knowing the whole story and understanding why she made the call to go.
First, some numbers. Mrs. Obama did not travel with 40 friends, a number used by some news outlets.
She vacationed with two women, one of them a longtime Chicago pal, Anita Blanchard, who is the obstetrician who delivered Sasha and Malia. Blanchard is married to Marty Nesbitt -- President Obama's buddy and the treasurer of Obama's presidential campaign fund.
There was one other woman. Total: four daughters among the three women. They paid for their hotel rooms and other personal and travel expenses.
The trip involved six White House advance staffers and two East Wing staffers, deputy Chief of Staff Melissa Winter and Mrs. Obama's personal assistant, Kristen Jarvis, according to Mrs. Obama's spokeswoman Catherine McCormick Lelyveld.
Mrs. Obama does travel with significant security -- and in a trip like this, three shifts of uniformed and plain-clothes agents and military personnel flew with her on a big Air Force 757. No matter where she goes -- domestic or international -- any first lady gets protection and she does not decide how many agents are needed.
So why did Mrs. Obama go to Spain at this time? She's not tone-deaf politically. What was behind the "mother-daughter" vacation?
A White House source told me that Blanchard's father passed away and Mrs. Obama was not able to make the funeral at the beginning of July. Blanchard had promised her daughter she would take her to Spain for her birthday. She asked Mrs. Obama and Sasha to come with. (Malia is at overnight camp.)
"She felt it was important as a dear friend to do this," I was told."
---------
All presidential wives travel at times without the president on military planes with security agents. I found 2 or 3 other major media reports of the same facts as Sweet's.
I am looking forward to your report on the Michigan primary. I was watching the Sunday morning shows today, and all the pundits agree that Romney will be a big trouble if he loses Michigan. I bet he is really regretting the day he wrote that 2008 article "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." This may be payback time for you Michiganders!
They did more caucuses today in Maine, and Ron Paul still lost to Romney by a grand total of 154 votes.
--David
I think the Obama family has lost touch with the American people. Sure it's fun seeing the glitz and glitter of the Obama clan but when is the last time the average working class family vacationed in Hawaii for 17 days followed by a weekend jaunt to Aspen. The unemployment rate is still higher than when Bush left office and gas prices are above $3.50 a gallon. So, how does all this help the laess fortunate again?
ReplyDelete