Humility and elected office

[NightTemplar]

Yes I'm going to bang on President Obama here... but the criticism goes for Senators, Rep's and the local Mayor alike.

WHY in the midst of a deep recession do politicians live extravagantly? It's callous and in extremely bad taste.

Exhibit "A"

The Obama's 2009 Halloween Party held at the White House.

Summary from the Daily Beast:

The Obamas are Tea Party members after all! Maybe they should have thought about this before they allowed Johnny Depp and Tim Burton to throw an Alice in Wonderland costume ball at the White House in Halloween of 2009, in the depths of the recession. According to The Obamas, the mad tea party was so over the top that George Lucas sent the original Chewbacca to mingle. Burton turned the State Dining Room into the Mad Hatter's tea party—Depp was in full costume—to peg to the release of his Alice film. Meringue cookies were bone-shaped, fruit punch was served in blood vials, and there was a magic show in the East Room. But the gossip invites serious scrutiny, since the White House anticipated the controversial nature of the bash and moved—hitherto successfully—to cover up the event. “White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans—or their representatives in Congress

<snip>

And why do politicians insist vacationing internationally? Do politicians have advisers anymore? Would it BE SO BAD for the Obama's to take a family vacation to The Grand Canyon, The Great Smokey Mountains, Yellowstone or Yosemite (they made a photo-stop appearance there in 2009)?

It's all about packaging... no one wants to see some politician come across as elitist right now. I don't want my elected official "acting" like a 1%'er. This is why I can't even imagine a REAL silver spooner like Willard as POTUS.

Obama IS our horse in this race... warts and all. But I really wish that SOMEDAY we'd have an elected official who REALLY connected with the 99%.

[Lisa D]

1. Define extravagant living.

For some, owning more than one house is extravagant. For others, owning a computer is extravagant. Until we change the way we finance political campaigns in this country, the politicians will be wealthy and they'll be surrounded and influenced by wealthy people.

I do take issue with one point of your post. I don't think it's necessarily extravagant to travel internationally. I'm sure plenty of DUers and the 99% have traveled internationally. Sorry, but the Obamas don't come across as living extravagantly to me. Their last vacation was in Hawaii, where the prez grew up.

[NightTemplar]

4. the Obama's "don't" come across as living extravagantly?

Then what is YOUR entertainment budget annually? When you go on vacation do you stay at the Four Seasons or a Private Condo or the Best Western?

You really think 99% of DU'ers have traveled internationally? I'm 46 y.o. and have been outside the US once!

[Lisa D]

6. You misread my post

I didn't say 99% of DUers have traveled internationally. I said many DUers and many of the 99% (the ones you referred to in your post) have probably traveled internationally. I'm 50 and I've been outside the U.S. once. My kids have been outside the U.S twice. And frankly, I want a politician who has traveled internationally, so they have some knowledge of what life is like outside the U.S.

There is no way to compare the "entertainment" budget of the President to an average citizen, so my entertainment budget doesn't matter. And to answer your question, the Obamas certainly don't come across as extravagant as some of the previous presidents.

I agree that there is too much money spent in politics for all sorts of reasons. But I'm much more concerned about the money being spent by the Koch Brothers, etc., to influence politicians/legislation than where someone goes for vacation.

[MineralMan]

9. I'll bet you'd be surprised at how many DUers have

traveled internationally. I did my first international travelling while serving in the USAF, and a little more during periods when I could afford it. On vacations, I stay in places I can afford, whatever my means are at the time. On business travel, I stayed near the place I did business.

[MH1]

2. I thought the Obamas took their vacation in Hawaii?

Not like there's any family connection or anything there ....

[NightTemplar]

5. there have been several international vacations in the past 3 years. nt

[Robb]

14. Lemme guess, Kenya, right?

[treestar]

3. I don't think voters care that much

Right wingers just like implying that the President is not "American" which has some dog whistle qualities.

Hawaii is an American state, so they can't use that and the POTUS is from there. They may as well have whined about Sarah Palin visiting Alaska (but they would not have).

Obama took fewer vacation days than Bush and that has to count for something too.

[Ikonoklast]

7. Obama too uppity for your tastes?

Bless your heart.

[MineralMan]

8. Didn't the Obama family go to Hawaii?

Isn't that President Obama's birthplace?

All of his international trips have been on Presidential business. It's nice when his family can accompany him. Presidents have always included family on such trips.

As for the party, I'm betting it wasn't paid for by taxpayers, but the White House is America's House.

Sounds to me like your post has some underlying animosities in it.

[phleshdef]

10. If the President wants to take his kids to a foreign country for vacation, I don't give a shit.

He is able to do it. He has wanted to do that. So he should do that. His little girls only have one childhood. He shouldn't restrict himself from doing something big every now and then just for some fake ass political onesupmanship to make himself appear more average.

Barack Obama cutting back on the fancyness of his vacations won't make him any less wealthy. The White House not having a big social event every now and then won't actually put any extra food on anyone's table. If the President did what you have suggested, he would just be pretending, all for some symbolic foolishness to make you FEEL like he is catering more to people at your/my income level.

I don't want rich people to pretend like they aren't rich to make me feel better. I don't want the White House pretending like its actually doing me some kind of favor by not having a big event with Hollywood stars (which is something White House's have done for ages, in good economic times and bad ones, its inconsequential in reality).

What I want are policy changes, many Obama has successfully passed and many he has pursued but have not came to pass and some he has compromised on in ways that I disagree with. In any event, those are the only things I'll continue to care about. These symbolic, mostly irrelevant issues of where a President vacations or the magnitude of a White House party have no mathematical (REAL) impact on the broader issues of the middle class economy. Therefore they are not actually important outside of the emotional bullshit.

[The Magistrate]

11. Your Concern Is Noted, Sir

Do not tax corporations, that President Obama sure lives high on the hog...whatever will you regale us with next?

"Enquiring minds want to know!"

[spanone]

12. more malarkey

[idahoblue]

13. The right

Has glommed onto the Halloween ball as a gotcha moment to prove that the Obama's are corrupt, the big ball coverup, spending the taxpayers money on fun and games.

[Suich]

15. That Halloween party was for children of those

Last edited Tue Jan 10, 2012, 01:26 AM - Edit history (1)

serving in the military.