Summer time vacations? There is a huge disconnect between what the right says, and the facts. Let's look at factcheck.org's comparison of first years in office vacation time for the most recent four presidents: H.W. Bush -- 40 days;
Bill Clinton -- 21 days;
George W. Bush -- 69 days;
Barak Obama -- 26 days
The right likes to generate fake outrage by mis-informing people about not only the number of days presidents are on vacation, but the costs of those vacations and other trips - the complete lies told by Michele Bachmann about the costs of a presidential trip to India was an example (although not a vacation, every trip seems to be treated similiarly). And it works - ignorant people get worked up, as we see below.
It is unrealistic to believe that anyone would do a job for four years without taking occasional time off - either playing golf for an afternoon, or taking an occasional few days vacation with their family. Do most of us have luxury vacations? No. But these are not conspicuous consumption vacations either; one recent 'vacation' was a brief visit back to the home of the first family in Chicago (although no brush cutting).
If you can't believe the right on this stuff.......why would you believe them on anything else? They are just not good at getting facts right, on the right. Sarah Palin campaigned for a good part of the time she was in office, and then quit part way through; who is she to criticize anyone else for how they spend their time in office? And Donald Trump? WHY would anyone, anywhere, ever at any time listen to birther / media whore Donald Trump who will do anything and say anything to get some attention? But the right does.
Here are a few of the more outrageous rumors about Obama, vacations, and other travel corrected by factcheck.org:
Did President Obama have his dog, Bo, flown to Maine in his own private jet for the family vacation?
No. The family and staff took two small jets because the airport couldn’t accommodate the usual presidential plane. Bo flew with several staffers.
Sept. 16, 2010
Is President Obama flying on Air Force One more than other presidents did? Is he being accompanied by more people on international trips?
Two chain e-mails suggesting that the president’s travel habits are more excessive than his predecessors are off base.
July 8, 2011
This one comes up a lot while the President is traveling:
Did President Obama secretly sign a law that makes it a crime to protest against him or ask him a question he doesn’t like?
No. He openly announced the signing of a bill overwhelmingly passed by Congress that slightly revises a 1971 law against trespassing into areas under Secret Service protection.
May 7, 2012
and from this factcheck.org article on Obama:
It’s worth mentioning that President Obama has also made 11 trips — all or part of 27 days — to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Frederick County, Md. Knoller, however, says he doesn’t count trips to Camp David as part of any presidents’ "vacation" time. But for the sake of comparison, President George W. Bush, made more trips to that country residence than Obama. According to Knoller, Bush made 25 trips — a total of 78 days — to Camp David in 2001.
But no matter how much time a president actually spends away from the official residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Knoller says that the commander in chief is never really off the clock. "I have long held the view that a US president is never really on vacation," Knoller told FactCheck.org in an e-mail. "The job – and its awesome powers and responsibilities – is his wherever he is and whatever he’s doing."
and then there is this one from 2009:
Q: Did Michelle Obama and her daughters use taxpayer money to take a European vacation?
A: The first lady, her mother and her children did stay in Europe for a private vacation after the president completed an overseas trip on official business. However, no taxpayer money was used for the first family’s personal expenses.
Right wing perceptions just don't match up well with objective reality -- they COULD, but the right just doesn't like objective, fact-driven reality; it differs from what they choose to believe.
Bill Clinton -- 21 days;
George W. Bush -- 69 days;
Barak Obama -- 26 days
The right likes to generate fake outrage by mis-informing people about not only the number of days presidents are on vacation, but the costs of those vacations and other trips - the complete lies told by Michele Bachmann about the costs of a presidential trip to India was an example (although not a vacation, every trip seems to be treated similiarly). And it works - ignorant people get worked up, as we see below.
It is unrealistic to believe that anyone would do a job for four years without taking occasional time off - either playing golf for an afternoon, or taking an occasional few days vacation with their family. Do most of us have luxury vacations? No. But these are not conspicuous consumption vacations either; one recent 'vacation' was a brief visit back to the home of the first family in Chicago (although no brush cutting).
If you can't believe the right on this stuff.......why would you believe them on anything else? They are just not good at getting facts right, on the right. Sarah Palin campaigned for a good part of the time she was in office, and then quit part way through; who is she to criticize anyone else for how they spend their time in office? And Donald Trump? WHY would anyone, anywhere, ever at any time listen to birther / media whore Donald Trump who will do anything and say anything to get some attention? But the right does.
Here are a few of the more outrageous rumors about Obama, vacations, and other travel corrected by factcheck.org:
Did President Obama have his dog, Bo, flown to Maine in his own private jet for the family vacation?
No. The family and staff took two small jets because the airport couldn’t accommodate the usual presidential plane. Bo flew with several staffers.
Sept. 16, 2010
Is President Obama flying on Air Force One more than other presidents did? Is he being accompanied by more people on international trips?
Two chain e-mails suggesting that the president’s travel habits are more excessive than his predecessors are off base.
July 8, 2011
This one comes up a lot while the President is traveling:
Did President Obama secretly sign a law that makes it a crime to protest against him or ask him a question he doesn’t like?
No. He openly announced the signing of a bill overwhelmingly passed by Congress that slightly revises a 1971 law against trespassing into areas under Secret Service protection.
May 7, 2012
and from this factcheck.org article on Obama:
It’s worth mentioning that President Obama has also made 11 trips — all or part of 27 days — to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Frederick County, Md. Knoller, however, says he doesn’t count trips to Camp David as part of any presidents’ "vacation" time. But for the sake of comparison, President George W. Bush, made more trips to that country residence than Obama. According to Knoller, Bush made 25 trips — a total of 78 days — to Camp David in 2001.
But no matter how much time a president actually spends away from the official residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Knoller says that the commander in chief is never really off the clock. "I have long held the view that a US president is never really on vacation," Knoller told FactCheck.org in an e-mail. "The job – and its awesome powers and responsibilities – is his wherever he is and whatever he’s doing."
and then there is this one from 2009:
Q: Did Michelle Obama and her daughters use taxpayer money to take a European vacation?
A: The first lady, her mother and her children did stay in Europe for a private vacation after the president completed an overseas trip on official business. However, no taxpayer money was used for the first family’s personal expenses.
Right wing perceptions just don't match up well with objective reality -- they COULD, but the right just doesn't like objective, fact-driven reality; it differs from what they choose to believe.
The rabid right wingers would do well to foam at the mouth less, and fact check a whole lot more.
But they won't. If they did, they would never nominate Mitt Romney.
Wanna-be CEO-in-Chief Mitt Romney has warned against "Fore more years of Obama playing golf" as President Obama completed his 100th round of golf to celebrate Father's Day ... which begs the question, which President played the most golf ?
ReplyDeleteAnswer : Woodrow Wilson ... played nearly every day -- over 1000, often with Dr. Cary T. Grayson, a good friend who had recommended that Wilson play regularly for health reasons ... Wilson played even in the snow.
But the President most people associate with golf is Dwight D. Eisenhower ... having played nearly 800 rounds during his two terms ... including 210 at the Augusta National (not exactly a quick road trip from Washington.)
In fact, the Democrats tried to make this a political issue issuing bumper stickers - Ben Hogan For President - If we're going to have a golfer, let's have a good one.
The Democrats probably did not like Harry Truman's response. Truman, a non-golfer along with Hubert Hoover and Jimmy Carter, said "To criticize the President because he uses a helicopter to fly to his home, to yap at him when he plays a game of golf is unfair and picayunish. He has the same right to relax from the heavy burdens of office as any man.
So what's the difference now ... the Internet. Today, somebody can blast out emails and get circulated and re-circulated ... and people respond.
It is a sad country where real issues are ignored and a major candidate for CEO-in-Chief refuses to tell the voters what his plans are ... most recently involving the DREAM Act but more importantly how he will grow the economy while cutting federal government workers by 10% and increasing military spending.