ANOTHER Vacation?!??

[makattak]

Really?

Does our President spend any time in the White House?

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11550156

He's going to Camp David this afternoon. He just got back from Martha's Vineyard!

I'm beginning to believe these people who say Obama won't run in 2012. He doesn't even want to be president now.

I'm starting to think he expected a start at 9 (or 9:30) clock out at 5 job. After all, if that moron Bush did it, it couldn't be that hard, right?

[TommyGunn]

I think Dubya entered the oval office at 7:00AM each morning .....


In any case, I would be very pleased to see Obama go on as many vacations as he wants, whenever .... all the time ..... provided of course he'd leave work in the oval office.

[AZRedhawk44]

"Vacation" for the president ain't exactly a vacation.

All the infrastructure of the office is made redundant at all the vacation stops he routinely uses.

Camp David is practically White House v2.0. 

Bush's house in Crawford was also tricked out as a secondary White House while he was Prez.

I'm willing to bet that his daughters and wife hate the White House, and like the alternate locations better.

I don't condemn the man for taking these "vacations."  I doubt he gets much vacation time in, on them.  I condemn the man for his policies.

[mtnbkr]

Yeah, I doubt he's actually getting a vacation in the same meaning of the word as most of us.  I know from my own experience that it is almost impossible to get 100% away from work while on vacation and I'm not a high level executive. 

My last vacation trip included 2 conference calls and  plenty of email.  That was after canceling the other half dozen scheduled calls for that week and informing folks for a month leading up to my vacation that I was going away for the entire week.

Chris

[BMacklem]

Although I would agree with you on principle that a "vacation" for a president isn't exactly like a real vacation, but I do wonder if Obama seems to think it *should* be like a real vacation. The now famous quote of "come on guys we're buying shrimp here.." comes to mind.
Even when he isn't off on vacation, he seems to spend more time fundraising, giving speeches, and shilling for his democrat friends than anything presidential.
Let's not forget golf, basketball, and dinners.
This man is the least presidential person I have ever seen.

Now onto those "vacations".... I wonder how much taxpayer money has been used up in all these vacations that he's taking.

He really needs to get a clue, and fast.

[Jocassee]

"Vacation" for the president ain't exactly a vacation.

All the infrastructure of the office is made redundant at all the vacation stops he routinely uses.

Camp David is practically White House v2.0. 

Bush's house in Crawford was also tricked out as a secondary White House while he was Prez.

I'm willing to bet that his daughters and wife hate the White House, and like the alternate locations better.

I don't condemn the man for taking these "vacations."  I doubt he gets much vacation time in, on them.  I condemn the man for his policies.

Well said. There are enough bones to pick with the O without drifting into vagaries.

[makattak]

"Vacation" for the president ain't exactly a vacation.

All the infrastructure of the office is made redundant at all the vacation stops he routinely uses.

Camp David is practically White House v2.0. 

Bush's house in Crawford was also tricked out as a secondary White House while he was Prez.

I'm willing to bet that his daughters and wife hate the White House, and like the alternate locations better.

I don't condemn the man for taking these "vacations."  I doubt he gets much vacation time in, on them.  I condemn the man for his policies.

The president is supposed to be working, even when he's on vacation, I understand that.

Something is more than a little strange about how often this president goes on vacation, though.

I'm beyond the point where I wonder what the press would say if Bush took this many vacations (and I'm sure I could link what they said about far fewer ones) and am now wondering what is going on.

I know I don't recall Clinton taking this many vacations. Nor George H.W. Bush.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I know I don't recall Clinton taking this many vacations. Nor George H.W. Bush.

Indeed.

We all know that the President is never fully off the clock, even when he's on vacation.  But a President's vacation is still down time compared to the normal routine, he's still doing a lot less official business than when he's in the White House.

So why is Obama so averse to doing the job?  I think mak is correct to surmise that he doesn't like the job.  He may like being President, but he doesn't appear to care much for the work that comes with it.

There are enough bones to pick with the O without drifting into vagaries.

This isn't picking a bone with the man, this is observing his behavior and interests.  Again, mak might be right that the man doesn't care for the job and won't bother with reelection in 2012.

[charby]

Yeah, I doubt he's actually getting a vacation in the same meaning of the word as most of us.  I know from my own experience that it is almost impossible to get 100% away from work while on vacation and I'm not a high level executive. 

My last vacation trip included 2 conference calls and  plenty of email.  That was after canceling the other half dozen scheduled calls for that week and informing folks for a month leading up to my vacation that I was going away for the entire week.

Chris

Dude you gotta come to the BW with me sometime. Short of a satellite phone no one is going to be in communication with you.

[AZRedhawk44]

I will admit that "vacation" makes for an excellent excuse to avoid the press.  The shrimp thing being a prime example.

The press doesn't have the hotel budget and infrastructure to do their jobs wherever he goes on vacation.  They do, in the DC beltway.

[RocketMan]

The perception (which may or may not be close to reality) is that Obama is taking more vacations away from what is considered a second White House (eg. Camp David), where he could continue to conduct some of the business of the POTUS.
Whereas Bush² often went to Camp David or his ranch in Crawford, TX for downtime, both locations being set up for working vacations.
Perceptions often trump reality.

[Perd Hapley]

As the new general manager at my job might say, he's "working remotely." 

[ronnyreagan]

Something is more than a little strange about how often this president goes on vacation, though.

I'm beyond the point where I wonder what the press would say if Bush took this many vacations (and I'm sure I could link what they said about far fewer ones) and am now wondering what is going on.

I know I don't recall Clinton taking this many vacations. Nor George H.W. Bush.

Could you elaborate on what exactly is strange about it? I don't suppose it's the fact that he's taken less vacation than his predecessor?

[RevDisk]

Could you elaborate on what exactly is strange about it? I don't suppose it's the fact that he's taken less vacation than his predecessor?

I think the perception is because Bush when to his ranch.   Obama and his family have gone to a lot more exotic locations.  

Personally, I don't mind the vacation thing.  I do admit I roll my eyes a bit.  But I do think part of the anger is due to the bad times.  I know of very few folks scheduling elaborate vacations, and those few have more to do with "important" events (honeymoon, etc) than just routine summer vacations.  Most folks who haven't had a real vacation in a couple years due to the economy sucking, they're not going to be very sympathetic to the First Lady vacationing in Spain, then Maine, then Martha's Vineyard, etc etc.  People see "stay at home vacations" as counting as far less than vacations in 'exotic' locations, and are more sympathetic to a President staying at his own home for a bit.

Just saying, there's a difference between "That's not a good PR idea" and "He shouldn't be doing that for (whatever reason)."  

[longeyes]

We'd be best served if Obama and Congress all took extended vacations, non-working.

[MechAg94]

We'd be best served if Obama and Congress all took extended vacations, non-working.

.....and unpaid.

I remember people trying to criticize Bush for being in Crawford and such a lot.  Obama should take his lumps and deal with it.

[Jamisjockey]

I read somewhere that Bush didn't charge boarding for the SS at the Crawford ranch. 
Also, the ranch is a fixed location, isolated, and easy to control.  Not much disruption for the common folk.  All the flitting about here and there by the Obamas disrupts alot of people's lives, commerce, and costs us beaucoup bucks. 
Really what bothered me the most, though, was the Michelle Obama vacation.  She is living like a Real Housewife of DC while the common folk are struggling to make ends meet all across the country.  She could have at least had the courtesy to spend all that money in country, instead of overseas.  At least the family vacations have been in the US.

[Monkeyleg]

JamisJockey, I think their vacations, and especially Mrs. Obama's, are symptomatic of a larger problem the Obama's have, that being a complete disconnect with regular Americans. They've lived in an academic and intellectual bubble for their adult lives, one that's entirely different than what the average middle class American experiences.

They're very bright people, but they have no sense of public relations (or so it would seem). They're not in tune with us, so Michelle Obama probably didn't see how her "first time I'm proud of my country" remarks would be received by most people, nor can she see how people who are hurting look at her globe-trotting to exotic locales.

Clinton, Bush I & Bush II, and Reagan would all have realized that you don't take expensive and frequent highly visible vacations when 10% of the people are out of work. But Clinton, the two Bushes, and Reagan weren't ivy league elites.

[ronnyreagan]

But Clinton, the two Bushes, and Reagan weren't ivy league elites.

Is this supposed to be sarcasm or do you use a different definition of "ivy league elite"?

[wmenorr67]

I guess one way to describe Obama and the Mrs. would be to call them educated idiots.

[TommyGunn]

I guess one way to describe Obama and the Mrs. would be to call them educated idiots.

  That's funny & pithy .....

[Monkeyleg]

Is this supposed to be sarcasm or do you use a different definition of "ivy league elite"?

What I meant was the ivy league intellectual elite, the professors, etc, not the mere graduates. I guess I didn't do a good job communicating that.

[Perd Hapley]

Nothing Ivy League about Reagan.

[Ben]

I read somewhere that Bush didn't charge boarding for the SS at the Crawford ranch. 
Also, the ranch is a fixed location, isolated, and easy to control.  Not much disruption for the common folk.  All the flitting about here and there by the Obamas disrupts alot of people's lives, commerce, and costs us beaucoup bucks. 
Really what bothered me the most, though, was the Michelle Obama vacation.  She is living like a Real Housewife of DC while the common folk are struggling to make ends meet all across the country.  She could have at least had the courtesy to spend all that money in country, instead of overseas.  At least the family vacations have been in the US.

I normally don't do "+1", but....

+1

Everything you said, and what Monkeyleg said too about the past presidents. Reagan hung out at his ranch as well. I can't remember what Ford did, but I think even Carter (who I can't stand politically) was happy just going fishing.

It's not even just the economy argument to me. As you said, it's the commotion and disruption of the fancy vacations. As I've said before, I don't begrudge any president a vacation, but stuff like the Spain trip and "romantic" trips to NYC should wait till Obama is out of office, when the taxpayers are not as liable for the trip.

[charby]

Just remember he also created the Office of the President Elect