The Jaunt
Right-wingers, apparently running out of tinfoil-hat fuel with the Republican-car-dealership conspiracy theory, switched their angry criticism of Obama in another direction today: that Obama took his wife to a Broadway show in New York. The general tirade was that Obama wasted taxpayer money to have a grand old time in the Big Apple while honest Americans were being put out of work.
I do not recall any of the same complaints from this crowd when Dubya took the much-larger Air Force One airplane for his multi-week holidays in Texas. Bush, who spent well over one full year of his eight in office on vacation (not weekend or special “days off” but full-out vacations), constantly jetted back and forth to Texas, at great taxpayer expense. He flew to his Crawford ranch 77 times, flew to his parents’ house in Maine 11 times, and took several trips elsewhere for pleasure.
Obama didn’t even stay the night in New York before jetting back to work.
If I might quote George “part-time” Bush: “It’s hard work.”
When a President goes between airports all traffic between the airports stop. Its a security issue, because he is our president. So our President waited till the weekend on one of the most traveled days for those going back home for business. For instance, my husband was stuck on the ground in the plain for an hour at Reagan because Obama didn’t want to use usual transportation. It is just inconsiderate to do that. He stopped travel thousands so he could go on a date in NYC on a Friday? I guarantee many nights were disturbed. Missed flights, etc. Not tragic, just not understanding of how his travel effects others. The news has called prexidents on that before.