Covered at Reason 24/7: First Family's Taken Three Vacations So Far This Year

Reason 24/7

Covered at Reason 24/7: First Family's Taken Three Vacations So Far This Year

The White House was shut down for visitors, to save about $70,000 a week, after the sequester went into effect. The sequester isn't austerity, and even if it was, the White House remains far from austere.

From the Weekly Standard:

In the first three months of the year, members of the first family have been on three vacations, averaging a vacation a month. And now it's being reported that the first daughters are on a spring break vacation in the Bahamas.

The Obamas began the new year in Hawaii. "President Obama departed Hawaii this morning for Washington, after spending NINE days vacationing with family and friends in his native state. Here's a quick look at how he spent his vacation," ABC reported on January 6, 2013.

President Romney would likely be getting skewered by the press for this.

h/t John

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Comments

[Drake]

It's a hell of a gig if you can get it.

[Way Of The Crane]

Sounds easy, all you have to do is be willing to sell out the American people to a handful of cronies.

[NeonCat]

Yes, but you have to convince a slight majority of the American people that you're selling them out is in their best interests. Many try but only one per election succeeds.

[CatoTheElder]

Personally, I prefer Obama to be on vacation. At least he's not doing as much damage as he could do at work.

[Way Of The Crane]

Not true. You're forgetting about Obama's Autopen.

[Counterfly]

No one wants to hear about the wookiee's vibrator.

[Randian]

Alright, that's a foul.

[WTF]

I LOL'd

[sarcasmic]

Where's C3PO?

[Lord Humungus]

Where hasn't C3PO been?

[Wind Rider]

Helen Thomas?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well at least Obama didn't drive to Hawai'i with Sasha and/or Malia strapped to the roof of the car.

[Counterfly]

But he does keep them in travel kennels.

[John Galt]

At least the Vacationer in Chief has mountains of money and plenty of time to spend it.

[sarcasmic]

The closest thing I've ever had to a vacation is down time between jobs.

[SumpTump]

Sounds like a very good plan to me dude, I like it.

http://www.WebPrivacy.da.bz

[The Late P Brooks]

It pleases me that the First Lady likes to go to Aspen. That shithole deserves her.

[Broseph of Invention]

Yeah, the French are assholes.

[Loki]

"It's good to be the king" - Barack the First

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It's almost like they're looting the treasury and don't care who sees it.

[WTF]

Why the hell should they care? It's not like their defenders in the media will ever call them on it.

[jcw]

If the facts found in the link below are accurate, not sure if this is the correct way of going about discrediting Obama.

http://politic365.com/2012/05/.....-the-most/

Regardless of the accuracy of the claims made by the website I linked to, the fact that reason deems this important enough information to re-post is pretty stupid.

[Hugh Akston]

Cool story bro. The problem is that past presidents doing it harder doesn't make it okay for Obama do it.

Especially when he goes on TV and sheds crocodile tears about how they can't afford to run kiddie tours of public property before he jets off for his third vacation in three months.

[jcw]

I agree that there is some hypocrisy involved here.

And I don't think that it's necessarily okay for Obama to take 3 vacations this year (already).

I would much rather have additional analysis on Florida vs. Jardines than a post about "OMG OBAMA TAKES VACATIONS SOMETIMES."

I said the same thing about when certain media outlets were saying this about Bush, and I imagine I'll be saying it in a few years too.

[$park?]

You forgot "For a magazine called Reason..."

[$park?]

Oh, and something about Postrel and canceling your subscription.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Keep calm and recognize this for what it is, yet another craven attempt to bleed the highly unpopular 24/7 into the wildly popular Hit & Run. I, for one, say this will not stand.

[Wind Rider]

What, you want it to sit politely in the corner?

[mnarayan]

I'd also accept crawl off and die.

[CampingInYourPark]

"Regardless of the accuracy of the claims made by the website I linked to, the fact that reason deems this important enough information to re-post is pretty stupid."

And you going into "research mode" to find data to re-butt the post is what? Smart?

[jcw]

If googling some variation of "obama taking too many vacation days" and clicking on the first link is going into "research mode," by god I am a researching god.

[Brandon]

Then why post it? It's outdated (May 2012),and it doesn't prove your point that talking about Obama's vacations is stupid. You're pretty much just trolling.

[jcw]

Using relevant data to show that Obama's vacationing viewed objectively is certainly within normal parameters is trolling. Okay, I guess.

[Randian]

It is old data. It's also not really ripe for review, as the current President has not concluded his second term.

It's also irrelevant.

[jcw]

how is it irrelevant?

wouldn't you say that using such a small sample size of data in such a small time-frame (3 vacations in 3 months) be considered at least misleading, if not irrelevant?

[$park?]

What was shut down because of lack of funding while Bush was on vacation?

[jcw]

Unfortunately, no sequestration, so no "lack of funding" under Bush. I can only assume that Bush wouldn't hole himself up in the White House if there were sequestration cuts, but I have nothing to back up that assertion.

Without calling into question this idea that the 1% sequestration cut is leading to any "lack of funding*," I'd rather have federal government programs being shut down with my president taking vacations compared to my federal government expanding exponentially with my president taking vacations.

But maybe that's just me.

*Is the 1% cut actually directly causing these things to shut down, or are these shut downs political in nature and are merely pretexts for the removal of the sequestration?

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

Unfortunately, no sequestration, so no "lack of funding" under Bush. I can only assume that Bush wouldn't hole himself up in the White House if there were sequestration cuts, but I have nothing to back up that assertion.

So your entire argument is based on a counterfactual for which you have no evidence for. Cool!

Let's go through the facts of this situation.

1. BO signed into law a bill requiring sequestration if $1.2B in budget cuts weren't made by the deadline.

2. BO never proposed any package of budget cuts that would avoid sequestration.

3. BO scolded Congress for not coming up with budget cuts or repealing the sequestration bill that he signed.

4. BO then went on vacation thrice in a three month period while not coming up with the budget cuts needed to end sequestration.

Can you think of a situation in Bush's administration that compares to this? If so, I'm all ears. And that's neglecting the fact that Reason isn't populated by Bush lovers.

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

I'd rather have federal government programs being shut down with my president taking vacations compared to my federal government expanding exponentially with my president taking vacations.

The federal govt is expanding; sequestration merely slows the growth, and BO is making sure to apply the cuts to the few useful fedgov functions so that people feel the pain, not the ones that actually need to be cut.

[Randian]

It's irrelevant because you act as if we were silent in criticizing Bush on this issue, like all Obamatron defenders presume.

We weren't and your criticism is thus rendered irrelevant.

[jcw]

Isn't that a strawman? I never said you or anyone here at Reason were silent in criticizing Bush.

I think it's a bit stupid to have president vacations be part of a cost cutting conversation. It's as useless as talking about foreign aid and other such trivialities.

[Virginian]

Dude, if we can't cut out extravagant vacations for a family that lives in a fucking mansion staffed with servants, then what the hell makes you think we can cut any of the big stuff?

[Randian]

And like RC Dean said below, what's the full cost as compared? How many days will it be for the full eight-year term?

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

So when I show up to work drunk three days in a row, can I tell my boss that he can't fire me because it's a small sample size?

[Brandon]

Does context mean anything to you?

[Loki]

Shorter version: "BOOOOSH DID IT 2!!11!!!!"

[jcw]

and essentially every president ever, also.

[Virginian]

Now that isn't really true. Back in the day they used their homes, or friend's homes. Eisenhower stayed with a wealthy friend out in California to write his memoirs after retiring.

Presidents used to walk down to Union Station after they turned over the office to the next one, and buy a train ticket home.

It's the principle of the thing, the difference between sober and thrifty republican leaders, and the extravagant trappings of an imperial court.

[Brandon]

I'm glad you used the lowercase "republican."

[Whahappan?]

Also, not that I'm a fan of either Bush, but didn't they vacation for the most part at Camp David or their family homes? I.e. Crawford or Kennebunkport? Come to think of it, Reagan, too, on his ranch in CA.

[The Late P Brooks]

"Looting the Treasury"?

The Treasury is just like the President's personal bank account. Did you sleep through Civics class?

[albo]

I bet Joe Biden is up in the First Family's digs right now laying in their bed watching Judge Judy and getting Cheetoes dust all over the nice duvet.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Judge Judy doesn't air until 4pm in the DC market.

Not that I would know that first-hand or anything. Nope.

[MJGreen]

Joe Biden DVRs Judge Judy. 4PM is his nap time, and by the time he wakes up he's halfway into Entertainment Tonight, then the whole CBS primetime lineup.

[Vince aut Morire]

Tuesday is Wapner, yeah. - J.Biden

[Hugh Akston]

I would be more embarrassed to admit to living in the DC area than I would to admit to watching Judge Judy.

[Randian]

ha ha! zing!

[Kaptious Kristen]

You haven't been reading my posts if you think I think there's anything redeeming about living in the DC area. Well, other than the fact that the most retarded retard can find work here (see: Biden, Joe)

[MJGreen]

Well, why not? What else is there for him to do? He got re-elected. His job's done, isn't it?

[CampingInYourPark]

I'd say the trip the Anointed One took to Israel last week to accomplish absolutely nothing was just another vacation as well.

[Mike M.]

THIS. When the media lickspittles do their comparisons, they never count the huge number of overseas junkets this family takes that are really vacations in everything but name.

[Virginian]

Not to mention the fly out to a fundraiser, but stop off and make a quick visit to a green energy factory so the taxpayers have to pay for it.

[John Thacker]

Well, we know that people made comments about GWB going to his ranch, so I don't think it's a question that partisans on the one side defending a Dem Prez would be attacking an R. Vice versa too, of course.

[The Late P Brooks]

How much did it cost for Boooosh to go to his ranch, versus what it costs to Occupy Aspen?

[Loki]

From the article the troll posted above, BOOOSHITLER! spent 1,020 days on vacation at a total cost of "upwards of $20 million". Joe Biden ran up a $500,000 bill for a one night stay in Paris. (WTF was he doing? Ordering PPV porn flicks all night?)

[$park?]

Not just any porn, it was Vichy French Nazi porn. That ain't cheap.

[R C Dean]

From the article the troll posted above, BOOOSHITLER! spent 1,020 days on vacation at a total cost of "upwards of $20 million".

Did Laura and the girls go on separate vacations?

In totalling up the Imperial Family's vacations, how many days did the Bush II clan spend at poshy resorts during through March of 2005, at what cost, compared to Obama the Great's clan? Could we get some apples to apples here, rather than comparing 8 full years to a little over 4?

[WTF]

That would require some honesty and objectivity, so, no.

[albo]

You try getting Cheetoes in Paris. They had to be flown in.

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

Joe Biden ran up a $500,000 bill for a one night stay in Paris.

I think I have that on DVD. Not the Hyatt, the other one with an H.

[The Late P Brooks]

Ordering PPV porn flicks all night?

For that kind of money, it should be live action porn.

With, umm, audience participation.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not one penny can be cut from the government! In fact, we need more taxes! Tax the incomes! Tax the 401Ks! Tax the savings accounts! Tax the internet! Tax carbon! Tax hydrogen! Tax oxygen! Tax cigarettes! Tax soda!

Know what? Fuck it, just turn out your pockets!