"Well it has been a whole month! Just weeks after 17-day Hawaii vacation Michelle hits the slopes with daughters on Aspen ski trip." That's the Daily Mail, where I arrived after clicking on Drudge, which also links to "16th vacation in 3 years..."
My reaction? She must really need to get out of the White House. It looks awful for the campaign, which attempts to radiate concern for the economically downtrodden, to have her romping on another luxurious vacation. Aspen, for skiing, after Christmas in Hawaii, and — a while back — summer on Martha's Vineyard. These selections couldn't be more precisely chosen to inspire envy. You'd think they'd rein her in... or at least moderate the optics. What's going on? Are they super-confident of victory in November? Counting on our short memories? Or is getting Michelle away from the White House a big priority?
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It looks awful for the campaign, which attempts to radiate concern for the economically downtrodden, to have her romping on another luxurious vacation
It looks awful to you, an intelligent and inquisitive citizen. The MSM will never run stories on her vacation as they did with Bush. And for most people, they won't even know about it.
She's a very selfish woman. I mean really, her husband is running for re-election, couldn't she tone it down for a few months to help him out?
Apparently not. No, she definitely needs $50k worth of panties and another vacation at a tony resort.
If Obama wasn't president and had a lick of sense he'd leave her. She obviously doesn't care a whit about him or what he wants.
Maybe she understands that her husband is about to hit the ranks of the unemployed and that her days of taxpayer-funded expensive vacations are nearly over.
The MSM will never run stories on her vacation as they did with Bush.
Probably because Michelle Obama is not a president?
It is fun time. Why not? Obama is going to be re-elected by the WIDEST MARGIN EVER. So, why should Michelle worry.
Just visualize Obama (a lean/happy/smiling POTUS) debating Santorum (an angry-white-man with primitive views on women and wanting his 7 children to be home-schooled to be part of the workforce).
Just visualize Obama (a lean/happy/smiling POTUS) debating Newt (a Very-Fat angry-white-man with 3 wives, ethics charge, etc).
You get the picture. Michelle KNOWS her husband will win NO MATTER WHAT.
GOP: The Party of the Living Dead.
I don't know. I always thought Obama wanted to have been president rather than be president.
That is not a trifling difference.
She's making Marie Antoinette look like a caring and compassionate women.
Too bad she didn't go to Crested Butte, then she could be a true Butte Head.
I tend to ignore people like this guy claiming to be "Amercan Politico". It come as quite a surprise, but anonymous "predictions" carry little weight.
I am not a Michelle Obama fan and have nothing bit contempt for Barak Obama. However, I suspect Michelle feels quite caged in the White House. I don't think it will bother her in the least if Obama does not win reelection. In fact, she would probably consider it a "win".
Michelle Obama clearly does not give a shit. It's likely that there has been some significant rift in her relationship with Barack that's been papered over until after his probable 2nd term. She doesn't have the political savvy of Hillary Clinton and doesn't need it as she will never run for any political office.
She knows his darkest secrets and they cannot reign her because of that fact.
She obviously doesn't care a whit about him or what he wants.
Or anybody else.
Our local libs and lefties love it though. They love the conspicuous consumption, the rubbing it in the face of the proles. It shows the left has risen to POWER and can take whatever privileges it wants, and screw the common man.
She might even have to go "shopping" at WalMart (instead of the more upscale Target) to make up for this. Then we'll all know that she is just like us.
I ask, what did Obama do to cause her to rebel now? With her it always seems like she is trying to get back at someone all the time.
BTW, you forgot the Spain trip on your list.
she definitely needs $50k worth of panties
I didn't hear about that ... details please.
Probably because Michelle Obama is not a president?
Probably because this vacation alone costs more than what Obama is paid as president?
And Crawford, TX isn't Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard, repeatedly.
Seriously ... can you name where the Clintons, Hillary in particular, went for vacation besides Martha's Vineyard and a beach somewhere once?
I would like to know where the Obamas (Mrs in particular) vacationed when Barack was a Senator. I mean being Senator is a pretty big whoop.
Oh.
America's Politico, if lean/happy/smiling is the key, maybe the Republicans should go with Ryan Seacrest.
prairie wind said...
Maybe she understands that her husband is about to hit the ranks of the unemployed and that her days of taxpayer-funded expensive vacations are nearly over.
Um, whenever it is he is done being President, they are going to be very, very rich. Very. They will always be able to vacation whereever they want to.
Pish Posh! My cake tastes yummy.
garage, would you like some too?
P.S. Please fix the word verification!
Hal Duston -- Bingo!
Besides that -- how the Obamas do their marriagae is something we will not (and should not) be privy to.
That being said ;-) -- It gives an appearance that Mrs. O. does her own thing, and there's not a lot of discussion about it with Mr. O. (Are the girls on vacation from Sidwell? In a public school one does not pull kids out for vacation whenever the parents want.)
I mean, they sure are living like the 1%. (After they leave the WH they will be wealthy, but they really won't be in the 1% any more.)
I didn't hear about that ... details please.
Google much??
Michelle Obama Agent Provocateur New York
All motels are the same no matter how many palm trees they have.
It's no picnic taking trips.
It has become passe to critique government largesse.
Here's a question -- what is the budget of the WH?
Who determines what all the assorted "assistants" get paid?
What is the budget for things like vacations?
At what point does the cost of the "perks" ceaset o be perks and become personal taxable income for the WH residents? As in some poor slob wins a Hawaii -- or Aspen -- package on Wheel of Fortune -- and pays taxes on the value. A contest we recently entered had cool toys (big truck, boat, hunting trip etc.) as the prize -- plus $30,000 cash to pay the taxes on the prize.
So at what point is the POTUS paying for this, and at what point do these things (assuming one cannot pay the cost for 24/7 Secret Service protection - and not saying that they should) become a matter of personal choice unrelated to the job which would represent a tax liability?
Just asking.
Michelle, the most rational.
If her husband lost, this would be her last chance to live the high life with other people's money.
If her husband won, why bothered by the little people's envy? Let them eat cake.
There hasn't been an outcry yet.
Why worry now?
Ann Althouse said...
My reaction? She must really need to get out of the White House.
They've both been like that from the beginning.
It's just easier for her than for him now.
WV "hanitor" Spanish custodian
Probably because Michelle Obama is not a president?
Probably because Laura Bush wasn't a stunt double for Marie Antoinette?
@ rh It's no picnic taking trips.
Trust me. Insider info.
They do not do anything but pack their iPods.
(I am not previewing at all. Too much work. Whatz my fingers do first time is whatz you getz.)
It's just easier for her than for him now.
Golf.
After they leave the WH they will be wealthy, but they really won't be in the 1% any more.
The income and wealth cutoffs for the top 1% of American families are around $300K and $1.5M respectively. I think you mean they won't be in the Pentaverate any more.
seriously? we expect a parasite to change once she has MORE access to hosts?
these people have earned nothing in life and have leveraged the collective to fulfill all their wants without any meaningful accomplishment.
she is angry. she is black. this country is racist. the least people can do is give her a free Aspen vacation.
the moral bankruptcy of these people is absolutely staggering.
She doesn't give a rats ass what America thinks, Obama thinks, or the WH thinks. She is the product of decades of black entitlement. From college and every "job" she has held.
Sorry for hogging the comments, but we are laughjing so hard here.
I am sure the Secret Service guys do have fun skiing with the FLOTUS.
But how do they stake out the slopes? Guys lurking behind trees, watching?
Maybe a fake tree here or there in case she comes down the slope, but the guy has to wait it out.
Think Pink Panther.
(Did she learn to ski when she hung out at Princeton?)
Um, whenever it is he is done being President, they are going to be very, very rich. Very. They will always be able to vacation whereever they want to.
True. But she won't always be the First Lady.
garage mahal said...
The MSM will never run stories on her vacation as they did with Bush.
Probably because Michelle Obama is not a president?
But, alas, she continues to spend the national treasure as if it comes from a firehose. Bad form that.
Now eat your vegetables.
"Our local libs and lefties love it though. They love the conspicuous consumption, the rubbing it in the face of the proles. It shows the left has risen to POWER and can take whatever privileges it wants, and screw the common man"
That's it, plus, punish Americans, the evil,the mean, in their own puritanism. Paybacks twice as hard.
A most envious person. Also, her mate likes boys.
Or no one can say "no," to Michelle Obama.
Now, why Aspen? The Obamas aren't really known as avid skiers.
The elite ski areas in this country have their individual claims or niches. Vail is where the Texan and Mexican money goes. A lot of flash. You may not go to jail for pot, but are very likely to do so for throwing blood on a fur.
Aspen though has always looked down on Vail. It is where the older money goes. That is where the Kennedy cousin killed himself going out for a pass on skis, hitting a tree. They had apparently been doing that stupid past time for years there. Also, the really big money. Billionaires, not deca and centa-millionaires.
And, yes, housing prices are even more obnoxious than in the Vail valley. Or, probably almost anywhere in the U.S.
For the costs there, people don't go to Aspen for the skiing. It is great, but there are other places where it is arguably better in Colorado and other states.
It isn't the skiing. Rather, it is the people there. It isn't the rich, but the super rich and the old rich. It is the sort of place that the Obamas would never really think of going, if they weren't the first family (or, hopefully soon, a former first family). Up until his elevation, it is also not the sort of place where they would have been welcomed. Not because of the color of their skin, but because of their serious lack of money and breeding.
That is why part of the Obama family is heading to Aspen.
It's a pitch-perfect Democrat message:
The gubmint is for plundering.
And it ain't about giving to the have nots, just about getting yours.
Michelle's showing them all how it's done.
Well played!
Suckaaaaahzzz!
She wanted to get paid for being FLOTUS. This is her sneaky way of getting it.
Bruce Hayden said...
Now, why Aspen? The Obamas aren't really known as avid skiers.
---------------
So she is poking the ultra rich in the eye for their exclusivity. Some people may actually like that and vote for him for that reason alone.
"...poking the ultra rich in the eye for their exclusivity"
Staying at their homes is hardly 'poking'.
It's joining in their exclusivity.
It's simple, they don't care. The First Lady, even more than the President, is an entitlement society baby. She thinks she gets whatever she wants because that's the way it's always worked.
The President can't see any problem. He's gotten a free ride for decades. And the grievance industry that is their most loyal supporter can't see a problem. If you don't like it then you're obviously a racist. The media will run with that line.
They don't care.
why Aspen?
Because she can, on somebody else's dime. It's her chance to be a genuine elitest snob, to look down on the proletariat.
Maybe as Bruce Hayden said she is networking among the super rich. Her hubby will need their support.
I had to forgo my ski trip this year, so yeah, really bad optics, Michelle.
Pogo said...
"...poking the ultra rich in the eye for their exclusivity"
---------------
I must explain my use of the word 'poking'. You see if she were not FLOTUS, she would neither have the money nor the class to be in their midst (as the other commenter pointed out) and they would not tolerate her presence either. Now they do because she is FLOTUS despite her not having much money or old social status. If there are racists among those ultra rich, even better. Deeper the poking.
At least she's not in North Carolina, seizing school lunches.
Now, why Aspen? The Obamas aren't really known as avid skiers.
Maybe not, but Barack knows plenty about snow.
The Obamas are affluent - what's wrong with her spending their private funds in the US during an economic downturn? Isn't that better for the economy than spending less money out of solidarity for those less fortunate?
Also, the same people who criticize her for going on an upscale vacation would label her as a phoney if she went on a "working class" holiday with her kids. I recall there were similar accusations when she went shopping at Kmart (or some similar chain).
Because she can, on somebody else's dime. It's her chance to be a genuine elitest snob, to look down on the proletariat.
I'm sure you must know - how much more has Michelle Obama spent on travel than Laura Bush?
Michelle seizes school lunches by proxy.
So let it be written, so it shall be done.
Saint Croix said...
At least she's not in North Carolina, seizing school lunches.
------------
She has her minions to do the dirty work.
Lots of Americans, even (maybe especially) leftie Americans love glamour and luxury. If Michelle Obama is "my kind of people," and she's going on luxurious vacations, that actually makes a lot of people like her more.
Neither Michelle nor Barack give a rat's ass what you or anyone else thinks.
They are going to do whatever the hell they want to do, and no one can stop them. They can even tear up the Constitution a dozen different ways and no one will do anything about it except to turn around, bend over, and take it some more.
They own you, bitch.
It was interesting how Rush noted this the other day -- how it used to be that the Dems would run as faux conservatives, hiding their true liberal intentions, but now they are openly and proudly running as proud leftist extremists.
The Politburo has nothing but contempt for the masses, who will be openly given a crap sandwich, made to eat that crap sandwich, and expected to praise them for serving such a delicious prime rib meal.
By the way, THAT is the theology of governence that Obama subscribes to, as noted by Santorum the other day.
It's just so funny compared to Obama's big "What I could do with $40" campaign.
I still think we taxpayers should see every trip they take in terms of how many tax payers' full federal tax bill goes into it.
I don't begrudge a little travel and a little time off, but presidents and their wives should be cognizant of what their whims cost the citizens. And we should know it, too.
Maybe we could give them a specific budget for the four years they are in office.
The Obamas are affluent - what's wrong with her spending their private funds in the US during an economic downturn?
There's nothing wrong with it. But it would be nice if their administration adopted the same attitude, rather than castigating rich people for vacationing in Vegas (???) and owning private jets...
Oil prices are at nine month high. Gas prices have never been higher this time of the year.
Currently $3.53 a gallon, prices could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by late April. Gas is already $4.93 a gallon in LA.
Heckuva job, Barry!
You need some vaycay!!
Amexpat said...
The Obamas are affluent - what's wrong with her spending their private funds in the US during an economic downturn? Isn't
Um, huh?
She is not spending "private funds" on the plane, accomodations, the security detail.
They have a deal.
She plays nice with Barack until 2016. No whistle blowing whatsoever.
As a reward, she gets to do pretty much whatever she wants with the taxpayers' money (and hers and Barack's.) Barack will be getting much more money, you know.
The Obamas are affluent - what's wrong with her spending their private funds in the US during an economic downturn?
I'm fine with her spending her private funds, but everywhere she (and he) goes, gobs of our public funds go with her.
The presidency is only 4-8 years. Is it really so hard to think of how much OPM you are spending while in office?
For Democrats, "private funds" just means where they got the loot.
It was yours, now it's theirs.
Think "last days of Versailles." This time next year, Michelle Antoinette may be back in Chi-town. Gotta enjoy living it up on the public millions while she can!
I'm fine with her spending her private funds, but everywhere she (and he) goes, gobs of our public funds go with her.
I don't think taxpayers assume the cost of accommodations, food etc. when the first family travels. I believe they have to reimburse what a regular plane fare would have cost when they use a govt. jet for private travel.
Of course there is a large cost for security whenever the first family leaves the White House. But I don't think it is fair to blame them for that.
Hey, I've got a (Toyota) Tundra pickupwith a trailer hitch. I'd be glad to help them move out of the White House. I could probably get a few hundred aquaintances to help.
With all those monied folk around, Aspen may be a good place to extort, er, solicit contributions.
The point has been made, but fools like Garage with their BDS and childish desire to rub it in the faces of their enemies (look at how he wets himself with glee whenever there's something even slightly bad about Walker) don't give a fuck. They won.
The Mooch lives in a downright mean, racist country that she was never proud of until her crackhead empty suit of a beard was nominated as president. She can go anywhere, say anything, do anything and be sure that neither the fellating MSM nor kool-aid drinkers like Garage and Roger will call her on it.
She's a parasite. Angry, racist, worthless ghetto trash.
I don't think taxpayers assume the cost of accommodations, food etc. when the first family travels. I believe they have to reimburse what a regular plane fare would have cost when they use a govt. jet for private travel.
Of course there is a large cost for security whenever the first family leaves the White House. But I don't think it is fair to blame them for that.
I'm not blaming them for that. I'm saying that costs real money. It costs *us* real money, and asking the people in charge of the financial well-being of this country to be respectful of that doesn't seem out of line.
And a regular plane ticket doesn't even begin to cover the cost of their plane.
My husband travels frequently for business, on transcontinental flights for which his company policy would allow him to take business class. But often the business class tickets are sooo expensive he flies coach instead. Not because he wants to, but because he is responsible for the budget of his division. He personally sacrifices for the well being of all.
I don't think asking the President to be responsible with our money is too much to ask.
Or it could be just "use it while you have it". It's gotta be a lot of fun to get to travel around braced by a couple of Uzi-packing guys and have everyone under the sun defer to you. If you think it's going to end soon you might as well work it while you can.
If President does not go, then what is the cost to the USA? I expect that Ayers and his network of socialist friends provides her and her kids with free food, lodging and travel.
Are we supposed to be envious??
Or is it a secret service detail buying ski wear that we are supposed to get angry over?
This subtle trick gets sympathy for Obama in November by baiting envious GOP types into getting angry at Mother Michelle who loves us.
Vail is the ski resort.
Aspen is an elite leftist's enclave where skying can also be done. The Aspen airport directly lands the private jets from California and NYC. Otherwise, Aspen is located at the far end of a 30 mile road off of the interstate that runs through the mountains, thus making it a pain for auto travellers to make the trip.
RonF said...
Or it could be just "use it while you have it". It's gotta be a lot of fun to get to travel around braced by a couple of Uzi-packing guys and have everyone under the sun defer to you. If you think it's going to end soon you might as well work it while you can.
Man, that does not sound like fun to me. When I travel I like to seemlessly fit in with the locals and other tourists and see what it's really like - whether a ski resort, or Spain.
An Uzi encased bubble does not sound like fun at all.
Amexpat said...
Of course there is a large cost for security whenever the first family leaves the White House. But I don't think it is fair to blame them for that.
You mean other than the fact they dont' have to go to Vail, right?
I'm sure you must know - how much more has Michelle Obama spent on travel than Laura Bush?
You tell me, lazy ass. It always goes back to the Bushes for you dumb asses. Who's president now? At least Laura knows how to be pleasant. (Get how I called you an ass twice? Pretty clever, heh?)
By the way, Mooch is spending the week at a billionaire's enclave.
The idea she is using "private funds" is silly and ridiculous.
Well, let us just thank the stars for her frugality in not going to Zermatt, Switzerland.
I haven't been here much lately. Has Althouse started some kind of award for "lamest excuse" by a troll, or is Garbage just winging it?
i wish i was the 1%
@ Garage and all the other Obama slurpers(wipe your face AP, you got a little Obama dangling there)
-- President’s Day 2012, Michelle and the first daughters in Aspen, Colorado to ski.
-- Christmas 2011, the first family in Hawaii for an extended vacation.
-- Summer 2011, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for the annual beach break.
-- June 2011, the first lady, her mother and daughters traveled to South Africa and Botswana.
-- President’s Day 2011, the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.
-- Christmas 2010, in Hawaii.
-- August 2010, the first family traveled to Panama City Beach, Fla., for some sun and fun at the beach.
-- August 2010, Obama spent the weekend alone in Chicago for his 49th birthday bash.
-- August 2010, the first lady and daughter Sasha traveled to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.
-- August 2010, summer vacation again at Martha’s Vineyard.
-- July 2010, the first family went to Mount Desert Island, Maine.
-- May 2010, the first family had a four-day trip to Chicago.
-- March 2010, first lady and daughter spend Spring Break in New York City.
-- Christmas 2009, Hawaii again for the annual break.
-- August 2009, at Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon for a short vacation.
-- August 2009, their first summer vacation as first family at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
Care of the Examiner
As of this past summers Martha's Vineyard trip, the total cost from the PUBLIC, not private, funds is $10 million.
Care of the Daily Mail
Now that I've done your work for you, defend that bitches.
I don't care what polls are reporting - No president can be re-elected when unemployment is over 7%, real unemployment is about 15%, banks won't lend businesses money, the cost of gas is at or above $4 per gallon and millions have been unemployed for his whole 1st term.
The Obamas are affluent - what's wrong with her spending their private funds in the US during an economic downturn? Isn't that better for the economy than spending less money out of solidarity for those less fortunate?
You don't go to Aspen if you are merely affluent, or, even just rich. And, notably, she does not appear to be paying for where they are staying - with billionaire "friends". That isn't "affluent", but getting into the super rich.
No matter how you try to divert it, most of the money for those 1st Family vacations comes from the rest of us. Sure, they pay for airfare, and sometimes lodging, at greatly reduced prices. But, you can be assured that they aren't paying the going rate for private jets. Or, for the security people who must go along. I would be surprised if the Obamas themselves even paid 5% of the total costs involved.
Which turns your argument into much discredited demand side Keynesian stimulus.
Noticed the pics of the older daughter skiing. Obviously not very experienced - not the angle of the slope and how straight her legs are. But, I have seen much worse. A lot of it. But, at ski areas where people go to learn, and not to rub elbows with the 1% of the 1%, like Aspen.
I really doubt that Mrs. Obama tried it more than once. Not very dignified, esp. the first couple of times. And, probably not that much fun. Expect that she is there to shop and rub elbows, and, just frankly experience the rarified atmosphere that she never could if she weren't (or hadn't been) FLOTUS.
She's just spreading the wealth around. It might be your wealth, but spread around it is.
I really doubt that Mrs. Obama tried it more than once. Not very dignified, esp. the first couple of times. And, probably not that much fun.
Let me clarify a bit there. Beginning skiers are clutsy. Esp. most adults. Skiing really isn't something that most of us can learn very well as adults. Or, at least as old as the FLOTUS. Kids, adolescents, and 20 somethings are different here. Luckily for me, I started learning at 10, which was over 50 years ago, still ski quite a bit, do still enjoy it, and hopefully don't look that ungainly or undignified.
I haven't skied Aspen in decades. Not much since I raced there in the 60s and 70s. Not worth the trip (by road). Do ski Vail every year or two (there, the issue is having to actually pay for parking, and that parking being so far from the slopes). My season passes include 10 days at Vail/BC that I mostly don't use. Vail is only a little over a half an hour away when I am in Colorado, excluding all the hassles involved. But I can get close in parking to a decent sized area 15 minutes or so away, so why bother driving over the pass to Vail?
You tell me, lazy ass. It always goes back to the Bushes for you dumb asses. Who's president now? At least Laura knows how to be pleasant. (Get how I called you an ass twice? Pretty clever, heh?)
Haha. Can't wait to see everyone's head explode for another 4 yrs. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of panty sniffers.
She's making Marie Antoinette look like a caring and compassionate women.
At least Marie Antoinette would let the peasants eat cake.
Maybe the White House political staff want Mrs. Obama away on vacation and out of their hair.
Maybe a fake tree here or there in case she comes down the slope, but the guy has to wait it out.
I picture Sir Rodney from "Wizard of Id" with his tree disguise feathered by Hun arrows.
P.S. The word verifications are becoming increasingly elaborate -- are the Skyne...er, spybots getting smarter?
They are obviously beginner skiers, judging from the photos I have seen (pretty bad form on easy terrain). They could find similarly easy slopes in Maryland and PA. The girls would have just as much fun, they would be supporting smaller operators closer to home, and the optics would be much better. FLOTUS doesn't seem to care.
garage mahal said...
Because she can, on somebody else's dime. It's her chance to be a genuine elitest snob, to look down on the proletariat.
I'm sure you must know - how much more has Michelle Obama spent on travel than Laura Bush?
LOL! Not even close.
Please try again.
Haha. Can't wait to see everyone's head explode for another 4 yrs. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of panty sniffers.
HaHa
You'll have a long wait.
HaHa
I don't even want to know where,"panty sniffers" comes from.
She is taking her kids skiing in Aspen. Big freaking deal. She went to Hawaii a month ago. So what? This is what people with her disposable income do with their kids, with their families. Why would conservatives give a damn? Butt out. Envy is a very destructive emotion.
This is what people with her disposable income do with their kids, with their families.
17 vacations in 3 years on the taxpayer's dime. If she were spending her family's money on this stuff it would be fine for some People Magazine-style laughs.
She's spending my money, and I'm not laughing, Jack.
The MSM will never run stories on her vacation as they did with Bush.
Here's what I don't get. If Mitt Romney and his PACs can afford to "carpet bomb" states with negative ads so effective that can change the course of history, why can't funders of PACs buy ads to broadcast news like this that the MSM allegedly ignores?
Note to Mitt: I already know Santorum is a big-spending hypocrite and Gingrich is a drooling loon. Time to divert your money into ads in which a news bureau highlights things like this, as well as more important things like Solyndra, Fisker, the shrinking employment base and other persuasive data.
I would imagine the adolescent hearts that make up the GOP's hallowed "base" would actually appreciate this and have a collective Sally Field "you like me" moment, allowing them to get over themselves and nominate the only Republican who can oust Obama.
Madame First Lady and First Daughters did not get to Colorado on their own dime. The cost of jetting them around the word would break the Obama piggy bank (despite their multi-million dollar net worth). I also have a feeling that they are not paying their full freight when they stay at resorts owned by campaign contributors just as I don’t pay my friends when I stay at their place. So the statement from the White House that “personal expenses” are being paid by the Obamas is not very meaningful unless they show us the bill. If you want to accept a White House handout as the final word on the cost of this – and Christmas in Hawaii, last summer at Martha’s Vineyard, the jaunt to Spain, taking Air Force one for a date in NY City, you get the impression that the White House is a dump that Michelle and the kids can’t wait to leave.
This trip is not an isolated incident but a series of in-your-face examples of Marie Antoinette extravagance when people back home are out of work or, if they are lucky, living paycheck to paycheck while it’s party time for the Obamas.
"Why would conservatives give a damn? Butt out. Envy is a very destructive emotion."
Agreed, Michael, and I don't give a damn about the first family's vacations. In fact, I'm glad they get away from what must be a frightfully stressful existence.
That said, we currently have a President who works the "envy card" entirely too much. "Shared Sacrifice" is Obama code for "Tax the Rich", while we really need more talk about why our Government is wearing such big snow shoes.
For security purposes, the ski resort closed the lift on the beginners' run for sole use of the FLOTUS' party and security detail. (Don't worry, there are plenty of easy slopes available to the paying customers.) I can't even imagine what the cost would be for and ordinary billionaire to rent an entire ski run (and the resort owner's private home) on a holiday weekend.
There's a multi-million dollar quid, and some eventual quo, but you can't prove the pro, so FYNQ.
Obama, Plouffe and Axelrod aren't stupid, so I have to figure they are sure they will be running against Romney, and with Romney's money and Bain Capital background this won't be a tractable issue for the GOP.
It's odd that the Obamas do such stereotypical "rich people" activities like going to Aspen, south of Spain, golfing, Martha's Vineyard, etc. Does Michelle even ski? Obama is apparently not so good at golf. So why do these things if not to act out the fantasy of being "rich folks"?
It's like we're being led by Judge Smails, albeit, as noted by a drooling Obamafan (dateline: sexytime in his bunk), he's lean. So I guess it's over and we should all just give up and let the Obamas live out their fantasy.
AJ Lynch said...
I don't care what polls are reporting - No president can be re-elected when unemployment is over 7%, real unemployment is about 15%, banks won't lend businesses money....
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FDR did. Twice, in fact. 1936 and 1940.
Reagan did in 1984, with unemployment still at 7.5% but with an improving economy and unemployment down sharply from Reagan's 9.6% unemployment rate the year before,
I believe that against Newt Gingrich, Obama would win for sure and Michelle can start her vacation tour early if Newt is the nominee or the VP selection.
Romney would have to make a better case than at present.
Santorum is the the interesting case. If the Christian Right installs him as true to Jesus and the cultural warrior they want with his big spender past not an issue with them - how will that play out?
1. Will Santorum, who voted for most earmarks each Senator wanted,be embraced by the Tea Party as their fiscal conservative guy?
2. How will Mormons respond, with their vital vote in certain Western States - to a message by the Christian Right that Mormons need not apply??
3. How will Santorum match up against Obama with two groups - women and independents? They killed Santorum in his landslide loss to Casey in Pennsylvania over criticism of Santorum as an ideologue that wanted Government to push his theocratic notions on contraception, abortion, Terri Schiavo,his repeated statements about the proper role of women.
She has had this life since daddy was an alderman in ChiTown so its nothing new to her to live the life ,although she will likely not get a taste as sweet as this after the "Fall".
I'm sure you must know - how much more has Michelle Obama spent on travel than Laura Bush?
ROFL
I think that being silenced during the 2008 campaign and then being forced to take on the role of a traditional First Lady really made her angry.
Hillary Clinton co-authored the failed 1993 health care bill, among other things. Michelle Obama was relegated to lecturing the parents of fat kids. I can see why she'd be frustrated.
I find Michelle's unbridled particpation in the good life to be one of the more interesting aspects of the first family. It seems obvious no one can "reign her in." It also seems pretty clear that either she either a sense of entitlement or she just wants to take advantage of the good life that her husband's success has provided her. I remember how she told Barbara Walters how important it was to put herself first - some nonsense that she was happy, then she was a better mother, wife and first lady. I think she probably has been given everthing in life since she was an affirmative action acceptance at Princeton and it has developed a sense of entitlement. And my guess is that she cannot imagine Obama losing (or is not smart enough to see that possibility), so she has no restraint on her lifestyle.
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