Althouse: "I do think that just like a lot of American people, the President is taking a little time with his family to recharge his batteries."

August 19, 2010

"I do think that just like a lot of American people, the President is taking a little time with his family to recharge his batteries."

Said Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

Recharge his batteries? Hmmmm.

44 comments:

AllenS said...: Can't he spend some time with the family in the White House? Maybe he could pull some weeds in that fucking garden.; 8/19/10, 7:54 AM
Joe said...: He should try "Funemployment" then, or the "Recession With Benefits" like ~10% of his Fellow Working-Age Americans are....; 8/19/10, 7:55 AM
Scott M said...: Good lord. Again? What does this guy run on? 80's tech rechargeables? if that's the case, he's going to wear out way before the end of this term.

"Like a lot of American people" my ass. How many weekend getaways a year can the average family afford/have time for/get vacation approved for? One or two at best. One for most of us.

This is a really crude attempt at forced identification and yet another in a long string of pure amateurism on the part of this administration. Yet another unforced error.; 8/19/10, 7:56 AM
Moose said...: He could spend a lot more time with them if he was unemployed - just like "a lot of the American people"...; 8/19/10, 7:59 AM
KCFleming said...: So is this like his 46th vacation since taking office?

Man, he must be tired as hell. Come 2012, this thankless job will be behind him and he can finally realx and eat his waffles. Whew!

I'm guessing that if Obama ran a marathon, it would take like 6 weeks because of all the breaks he took.; 8/19/10, 8:01 AM
HKatz said...: Favorite excerpt:
The White House is taking steps to make sure Obama keeps plugged in, even while he's on one of the island's members-only golf courses.; 8/19/10, 8:05 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Obama just wants a ramadan cease fire on his poll numbers.; 8/19/10, 8:05 AM
The Drill SGT said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/19/10, 8:06 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Now now Allen,

I for one, am happy when the Won is out of town f'ing off at the beach. He can do less damage on vacation than he can when he pretends to work.

We'll see if he ends his vacation when the Isaeli's strike the Iranian reactor. Talk has it that if they are going to do it, it will be this week.; 8/19/10, 8:07 AM
The Drill SGT said...: We've been seeing a lot of Burton as the spokesman.

Gibbs on his way out this fall?; 8/19/10, 8:09 AM
HKatz said...: Aha! The article does get to why he needs so many vacations. He's been interrupted before:

Last summer, Sen. Ted Kennedy passed away while the Obamas were on the Vineyard, and Obama went to Boston to speak at his funeral.

During their Christmas holidays in Hawaii, the underwear bomber tried to blow up a plane bound for Detroit, leaving people asking at the time who was in charge when the terrorist nearly struck.

(Notice in that second paragraph it doesn't quite say what he did after the bomber... whether he cut his vacaction short or just gave a few brief teleprompted remarks on site); 8/19/10, 8:10 AM
vet66 said...: What a wuss! If he thought being a community organizer was work, what with fanning the flames of entitlement and encouraging others in their mau mau tactics against the establishment, he is way out of his league as POTUS.

Welcome to the real world outside the echo chamber of faculty lounges where the psycophants, I mean sycophants hang and drool on your every word. You can run but you can't hide.

In the meantime the bullys of the world smell your weakness and are making their move in the vacuum of your leadership. Martha's Vineyard? That name even sounds like a hideout compared to the muscular Camp David.

Grow a pair, suck it up and try being a leader for once and not a rabble rouser.; 8/19/10, 8:13 AM
Scott M said...: Gibbs on his way out this fall?

Absolutely no doubt in my mind. The Rahm-leaving thing has died down, but that wouldn't surprise me either. The one to watch is Hillary.; 8/19/10, 8:13 AM
HKatz said...: As with many things, this reminds me of an episode in the Simpsons (the earlier seasons, when the show was still good):

The town has gone bankrupt, if I remember right, and Mayor Quimby (who looks and sounds and acts like a member of the Kennedy clan) gives a few heartfelt remarks in a T.V. conference about how he'll be there with the townsfolk every step of the way. Except that in the conference you can see him only from the waist up. Turns out he's on a tropical beach, giving his conference against a phony backdrop that looks like his office - and that while he's wearing a suit top, his lower half is in a bathing suit.; 8/19/10, 8:14 AM
Opus One Media said...: Ahh the evil troll brigade is out in full force....

perhaps we could get Mr. Bush back for a day and give Mr. Obama real tips on how to loaf his way through 8 years.; 8/19/10, 8:14 AM
AllenS said...: Obama's batteries consist of two AAAs. Not nearly enough to power the flashlight of the POTUS.; 8/19/10, 8:14 AM
KCFleming said...: I'm guessing Lithium.

And under-dosed.

NTTAWWT.; 8/19/10, 8:20 AM
Brian said...: @HDHouse:
Yes of course. When Bush was "C-plus Augustus" with dreams of an American Empire, but doing the bidding of the Saudis, and simultaneously in the back pocket of Israel, he actually was just loafing for 8 years.

So it was Cheney doing the hard lifting I suppose. So we should cheer up because Biden's back in Washington?; 8/19/10, 8:22 AM
Anonymous said...: HDHouse,

Obama would learn something from that loafer, George W. Bush:

Hangin' at the Ranch; 8/19/10, 8:27 AM
Rumpletweezer said...: Batteries? I'm thinking it's more a hamster on a wheel.; 8/19/10, 8:30 AM
Rich B said...: Hey Obama-

Anytime you're too tired, Vice President Biteme can take over.

WV: furlysic. Somebody should design one of these.; 8/19/10, 8:50 AM
Kylos said...: Althouse is the rumor weed!; 8/19/10, 9:30 AM
Scott said...: He does act like he runs on batteries.

And now poor Harold House is joining Maureen Dowd and the chorus of the other leftish who want George W. Bush back. I think somebody spiked his Geritol this morning.; 8/19/10, 9:33 AM
Unknown said...: Of course, if we're talking Demos, how many vacas did FDR take between '33 and '45? (and this IS the worst crisis since...); 8/19/10, 9:41 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: The one to watch is Hillary.

Bingo. Now you just know the political pundit mill is just salivating over that possibility.; 8/19/10, 9:49 AM
Cheryl said...: I find it interesting, and depressing, that the NYDaily news link of Obama working shows him with a microphone in hand, obviously outdoors giving a speech. (And, no doubt, reminding us that he didn't make this mess.) That's all he does...blah blah blah talk talk talk. Like he's trying to wear us out with words.

I will enjoy the quiet.; 8/19/10, 10:09 AM
Trooper York said...: It's ramadan.

I don't think we should begrudge the President his religious holidays.; 8/19/10, 10:24 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Its Ramandamus.

a portmanteau of Ramadan and Mandamus.; 8/19/10, 11:11 AM
Franklin said...: Destroying the greatest country on Earth is hard work. Give him a break.; 8/19/10, 11:13 AM
Richard Dolan said...: People who don't like O will have fun with this (many here are enjoying it immensely -- everyone except HD it seems). But it has no potential to change their views of him or his presidency.

It's the impact on more traditional Dem voting blocks where it has the potential to hurt him. Blue collar, union guys could easily be turned off by O's (and Mrs. O's) penchant for high living. It is especially problematic because it fits so easily with other aspects of O's persona that make it difficult for him to connect with those guys -- his narcissistic self-absorption, the Ivy credential-crazed eltism, the disdain for the concerns of ordinary citizens, on and on.

He's very far from hitting bottom, but seems determined to find out how far down that really is.

Works for me. Nov 2 isn't that far away.; 8/19/10, 11:58 AM
ndspinelli said...: For us informed independents[you may have heard about us..we're the ones that actually elect people] this soap opera stuff is tiring. Dems blast Bush for vacations, Repubs blast Obama,,yada, yada, yada.

It becomes more obvious to me each year that we need a 3rd party. I'm not talking about something crazy. We have chocalate and vanilla to choose from, how about some freakn' strawberry? A family w/ 2 kids produces the most nitpicking and sniping. Families w/ 3 or 4 kids certainly have their problems, but a lot less horseshit!; 8/19/10, 12:22 PM
AllenS said...: spinelli,

You have other choices. You can join the Tea Party or the Coffee Party. Take your pick.; 8/19/10, 1:06 PM
Methadras said...: Cue energizer bunny captions.; 8/19/10, 2:46 PM
Cedarford said...: The Drill SGT - "We'll see if he ends his vacation when the Isaeli's strike the Iranian reactor. Talk has it that if they are going to do it, it will be this week."

The Jews aren't that stupid. Their hope all along is they can manipulate their dumb Christian Zionist puppets into getting the US to do Israel's bidding.

The twin reactor is no threat. Russian fuel, goes back to Russia for new stuff. Fuel assemblies monitored by IAEA so that the rods get enough burn time the plutonium is isotopically contaminated and no good as bomb grade fissile matter.
And Iran has no plutonium reprocessing capacity. They are going the enriched uranium route.; 8/19/10, 4:50 PM
knox said...: Can't he spend some time with the family in the White House? Maybe he could pull some weeds in that fucking garden.

LOL! The Dark Prince of the Althouse Commentariat strikes again!; 8/19/10, 5:07 PM
Mark B said...: @ Richard Dolan, "It's the impact on more traditional Dem voting blocks where it has the potential to hurt him. Blue collar, union guys could easily be turned off by O's (and Mrs. O's) penchant for high living."

It's a sad state of affairs, but the bitter truth is that people like that vote their pecuniary interests, and find vicarious fulfillment in the pleasures of The Won. Very sad.; 8/19/10, 5:47 PM
knox said...: For us informed independents[you may have heard about us..we're the ones that actually elect people] this soap opera stuff is tiring...

Yeah, yeah, you're so *above* it all, whatever...; 8/19/10, 6:08 PM
knox said...: Why you think it will be easier to get politicians, the lowest lifeforms on earth, to listen to you just because they belong to a magical third party, is beyond me...; 8/19/10, 6:08 PM
Fen said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/19/10, 7:30 PM
Fen said...: To be blunt, Obama suffers from a lifetime of others excessively praising his intellect.

...And when his shortcomings lead to embarrassment or failure, he strikes out in frustration — at Israel, at the media, and at the American people.

...No wonder he’s so prickly. You’d be, too, if everyone your entire life had told you that you were swell but now, when the chips are down and the spotlight is on, you are failing so badly in your job."

DHOTUS.

You don't want to be "That Guy".

Back when the John Kerry campaign was taking body blows over his exagerations of his Viet Nam service, one thing undid him: he became an archetype of "That Guy".

Every veteran who had ever served in a combat unit knew "John Kerry". He was the malingerer who was always trying to skate by. The weasel that would embelish his scrapes and fake injury to get sent back to the states, where he embelish what he did overseas. Kerry even made a fake Rambo video of him tromping through the jungle in full combat gear.

Businessmen also recognized an archetype in John Kerry. He was the incompetent who was always promoted somewhere else to become someone else's problem.

Obama risks identifying as another archetype that common people see in their everyday lives: he's the Diversity Hire that can't handle the workload. And when his lack of qualifications lead to constant failure, he finds another scapegoat to blame - racism, the system - anythng but himself.

Obama has become "That Guy".

/via Instapundit

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/343946; 8/19/10, 7:48 PM
Paul said...: Spend time with his family? SEVEN vacations?

Geeze, I and my wife have not had a vacation in FIVE YEARS!! Oh, that's right, we work for a living!

I honestly suspect Obama is using all his downtime to escape from all his problems. He really can't cope with the job of president and it shows.; 8/19/10, 9:06 PM
Anonymous said...: The President is dedicated. He needs to recharge himself every now and then. The GOP takes up so much out of him, due to their constant negativity or road-blocks that are bad for us.

He will come back and then we will have a home run after a home run. Victory in Nov and then in 2016.

GOP has nowhere to go.; 8/19/10, 9:19 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Let's give the President the rest of his life to spend time with his family. Starting in 2013.

A day of Obama vacation is a day he can't screw something up. I'm really, really down on the President for screwing so much up.

I've always thought it odd when the President's political enemies criticize him for NOT doing the things they don't want him to do.; 8/19/10, 11:34 PM
Fen said...: The President is dedicated. He needs to recharge himself every now and then. The GOP takes up so much out of him, due to their constant negativity or road-blocks that are bad for us.

He will come back and then we will have a home run after a home run. Victory in Nov and then -

I hope that was parody of Libtard Che-Worship. Otherwise, I would point out that you guys said that after each of the last 6 Obama vacations...; 8/20/10, 12:55 AM