Is it a sign of more gaffs to come (Bill Ayres named Sec of State), or not appreciating the bad mojo from the good-life gaffs of the past (golfing golfing golfing), or have we reached "la la la I don't hear you" levels of denial from the Obama team (a speech about basketball, perhaps, coming)?
Now a vacation caused the Obamas to look, thus America to look, spoiled and, well, elitist. Not because taking a break is wrong, but since dragging all the security that will fit in several large aircraft to Europe, this is another "ignorant Americans" moment offered up to those who still "hate" (envy, mock, distrust, misunderstand) America. And it was on the time card of the great fixer-uppers of our worldwide reputation, the Obamas. They are collecting some nice gaffs for the world to enjoy.
There was the "historic" speech in Cairo that was a forgettable moment, the promise of closing Gitmo (a first thing that Obama signed was the order), the "stupidly" inspired beer summit, the amazing number of self-referencing pronouns in all the long-winded speeches, the "urgent" need to pass Obamacare LAST August though this August there's still few who know what's in the passed bill, the Air Force One trek to convince the Olympic Committee of how important Obama's presence is (and something else, about Chicago) and to take 15 minutes out of a busy day to speak to his top general, the AF1 trip over Manhattan nice and low, and many others. Plenty of silliness, and that's without looking into Joe Biden's record.
Some of us educated, hard-working folks get a week off and hope we don't have to put the car in the shop; we hope it's only a furlough and not leading up to a layoff. Now, I don't expect the White House to feel too bad for us, but it would be nice if they focused on the truly critical problems that we care about. Pretty sure trips to Europe are not on the list of 9.5% of those who wish they were working but are not. Among rest of us many are just happy to ride it out.
So the First Lady -- the administration -- decided to take an overseas break, in a way rubbing the little people's grudging reliance on government decision-makers in our noses, it seems. I figure that insulting the underemployed and jobless was not the intent, but it is still a bit crass to jaunt off to Spain and make a spectacle of it. And they have been making quite a stir over there.
Meanwhile, millions of American homes have endured a "black summer," in the economic sense. Not a smooth move.
This Vacation Is a Bad Move, Michelle on Newser:
- Perhaps the most high-profile criticism has come from the Daily News in a column by Andrea Tantaros that likened the "material girl" first lady to Marie Antoinette.
- Not everyone agrees: Today in the Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh strikes back at the Tantaros "hit piece in Mort Zuckerman's rag," saying the publisher has a vendetta against the Obamas. "I'd personally like to see Pres. Obama call Mr. Zuckerman out on this cheap shot."
Well, it's the Huff Post! Someone doesn't need to call them out for vending the Obama Kool-Aid, because that allegation is already established in fact. Of course, they are angry with Obama for not being utopian, peacenik, and leftist enough (in the open air, anyways).
If liberals weren't struggling with having an objective perspective on the administration, then THAT would be newsworthy. As if the Huff Post wouldn't have someone eager (several someones were probably clamoring) to defend something as apolitical as a vacation, when it proves to be a PR debacle for the current administration. It's their job, isn't it? (It should not be their job, as journalists, to defend the absurd, but they obviously make it their job at Huff Post. Like so many other opinion sites and allegedly real journalism outfits.)
This Spain trip with one of the two First Kids shows, again, just how glassy-eyed and out of touch the Obamas (and handlers) are -- or want to be -- with the state of things for so many non-elites and non-politician's wives. Both of them. It's only more clear on her part with the trip than it has been.
And thanks to writers such as Taylor Marsh, we have continued evidence of the knee-jerk, pro-Obama stance that the sad little news and opinion site offers.
Face it: The First Lady ought to stay home for vacations and not bring a cadre of security and create all sorts of distracting hubbub in a foreign country when the world faces the worst recession since the Great Depression. It is akin to the glibness of aristocracy. And we don't do aristocracy here, señorita.
So while she's getting folks all worked up over the trip, what's Obama up to in Chicago? He net with Oprah and Gayle King. And? Not heard much about his little break.
Keep an eye on the elected one, news media, will ya?
-jR
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