What could that have to do with the sequester? With the very real suffering that ordinary Americans will go through because the tea party was willing to let the sequester become law rather than eliminate corporate subsidies or tax the extremely wealthy Americans who have profited so much this past decade, what does it matter if the president gets away to play some golf?
OMG! Was Obama wasting taxpayer money?
Was the outrage legitimate?
In a word, "NO"
Here's the breakdown:
President Obama has been on vacation 78 days from 2009 to 2011, and in his first year was on vacation less than the previous three Republican Presidents. In his first year, Obama took 26 days of vacation.
President Bush spent 32% of his presidency on vacation. He was on vacation more — 1,020 days — than any U.S. President since Herbert Hoover. GW Bush took off 69 days in his first year.
What about the rest of the Presidents?
Reagan spent all or part of 335 days in Santa Barbara over his 8 year presidency, 42 days in his first year.
Bush the elder took 40 days his first year,
Eisenhower was on vacation for 456 days during his 8 years in office, 57 if his first year was average
But there are two Presidents who took fewer vacation days than Obama!
Presidents Clinton and Carter vacationed the least of any of the last seven chief executives.
Presidents Clinton took 21 days his first year, and only 174 in eight years
President Carter took just 19 days his first year.
So the three Presidents who took the fewest days off are, in order, Carter, Clinton, and Obama.
Hmmm, is there a pattern here?
Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was in office 12 years from 1933 to 1945, was on vacation fewer days than President Bush, at 958 days
Oh, but it's not about the number of days, it is the cost of the trips!
How about that?
Bush used Air Force One 77 times to go to his ranch in Crawford, TX. Using the low end cost of $56,800, each trip to Crawford cost taxpayers $259,687 each time, or $20 million total for Bush’s ranch flights.
If cost of the flight was the only expense involved to taxpayers Bush’s vacations would still seem rather economical, but there is more, much more. Unlike the Obama’s $4 million Christmas vacation price tag, which includes the cost of everything, from transportation to accommodations for the First Family, the White House staff, and the White House press corps. Bush’s numbers only include the cost of flying the president to Crawford. The cost of transporting and accommodating staff, media, friends and family is not included in Bush’s vacation numbers.
Oh, ok, not really particularly expensive, especially when compared to flying Air Force 1 on vacation, then taking a few 'one-day-work-breaks' where he would fly to an event for an hour or two, and then fly back to Crawford later that same day, so it wouldn't seem like he was taking too much time off.
And we certainly can't bring up the fact of the looming sequester cuts to call foul on Obama, when Bush was involved in two wars and a deeply sliding economy that was squandering Clinton's surplus years.
The truth is that every modern President has had to deal with a deficit and times when the economy is less than solid, and they all also need some time to relax and to get away from the demands of the job. Now is no different.
Consider this quote:
"The reality of the matter is that no matter where they go or what they do, Presidential trips are going to be expensive, because the Secret Service has to go, first to check out the security of the site, then enough of them need to go along with the President to provide security for him, his family and everyone else that goes."*
*As said out loud by me, a few minutes ago
It is unfair of the Republicans to berate President Obama for his vacation time, he is taking less vacation time than any of the GOP Presidents, and as we have seen, Democratic Administrations take far fewer vacation days than those of the GOP.
So in the end, it turns out that the 'Obama Golf' hysteria is just part of the "False Outrage Machine" that the GOP gins up anytime they can distort a few facts and build a whole misinformation campaign against Obama.
"Tee It Up, John, and get out your 'Lyin' Iron'
"Obama is playing Golf!"
Oh, and Golf? Turns out that John Boehner once told Golf Digest that he plays upwards of 100 rounds a year. Obama played 104 rounds from 2009 to August 2012. So when we talk about hypocrisy, if we can be outraged at Obama, we should be doubly outraged at the politicians who were a lot worse, which, coincidentally, are all Republicans.
Here are some deeper historical facts, which in my view don't mean much, things change and circumstances are different, and I don't begrudge any President time off, I just care about how well they do the job. But it's fun to consider....
- In 1798, President John Adams left the capital for seven months to care for his ailing wife Abigail; his enemies said he practically relinquished his office.
- Thomas Jefferson and James Madison routinely went away for three- and four-month stretches.
- Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, was blasted for spending about 25 percent of his time away from the White House. (see? Bush is just like Lincoln!)
- Dwight Eisenhower took long summer breaks in Denver and spent almost every single weekend at Camp David.
- John F. Kennedy rarely spent a weekend in the White House, staying at family homes in Palm Beach, Hyannis Port, and the Virginia countryside.
- Lyndon Johnson spent 484 days in five and a half years at his Texas ranch.
- Ronald Reagan was away for 436 days, usually at Rancho del Cielo (his mountaintop retreat in California) or Camp David.
- Bill Clinton, who didn't own a vacation home, loved to party with his elite friends in Martha's Vineyard and the Hamptons.
- George W. Bush spent 32 months at his ranch (490 days) or Camp David (487 days) — an average of four months away every year. WE HAVE A WINNER!
I do remember it seemed like W. was on vacation all the time!
ReplyDeleteAs for golf, if Obama really loved the poor and the earth, he would switch to Disc Golf!