Posted on 08/17/2011 6:04:16 PM PDT by ConservativeTerrapin
Following his three-day bus tour to promote his economic agenda -- and not to mention the debt limit rancor in Washington before that -- President Obama is finally getting some rest and relaxation.
On Thursday, he and his family are heading off to Martha's Vineyard, the island off of Massachusetts. They'll be staying at a 28-acre retreat called Blue Heron Farm for about 10 days.
There has been criticism of the president's vacation at this time. But how does the number of vacation days the president has spent compare to his predecessors? CBS Radio's Mark Knoller has kept track of presidential vacations for years and supplied the data.
So far, President Obama has taken 61 vacation days after 31 months in office. At this point in their presidencies, George W. Bush had spent 180 days at his ranch where his staff often joined him for meetings. And Ronald Reagan had taken 112 vacation days at his ranch.
Among recent presidents, Bill Clinton took the least time off -- 28 days.
To be fair, a presidential vacation away from the White House is not the same as a vacation for the average person. The president is still in contact with his advisers and on call for any emergency.
Flying around the continental USA, true. But flying to far-away Alaska and Hawaii—that might be a different story!
Note the comparison, i.e., apples and oranges. They refer to Obama’s ‘days of vacation’ and Bush’s days at his TX ranch.
They count Bush’s travel days in that, so if he worked at the WH on a Friday, then left for the ranch, that day is in their count; similarly, if he left the ranch at 6am to return to Washington, that day is counted as ‘a day at his TX ranch.’
Obama’s count would shoot up if it included ‘parts of all days spent away from the White House on rest and relaxation.’
PLUS, Obama doesn’t have one advantage GWB did. GWB owns his ranch. Obama has to (like Clinton) freeload OR pay $50K/week for a vacation place.
Maybe CBS can do an ‘investigation’ of how much $$$$ our past few presidents spent on their vacations. Maybe my memory is short, but I have NO recollection of the Bushes going on vacation to costly posh island resorts, ever.
Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan and Both Bush’s had places to go. They owned vacation homes that they could go to.
Obama like Clinton really has no place to go to that they can call their own. I think that does make a difference in a way.
They can afford to send 50 people each to Alaska. And to destroy a candidate they'll spend more.
If Cbs stated the sun comes up in the east,
Ya’d best check fact check before believing it or anything else that comes out of that garbage gub mint propaganda tool.
They didn’t count the 48 days Obama has spent at Camp David so far.
They didn’t count the 48 days Obama has spent at Camp David so far.
When President Bush(43) was in office, his ranch was commonly referred to as the Texas White House or Crawford White House. Business was conducted from there with little extra cost to the taxpayers. Bush(43) typically spent holidays in D.C. so that the Secret Service agents could be with their families.
When President Reagan was in office, his ranch was referred to as the Western White House. Same as with President Bush, business was conducted at the Western White House with little extra cost to the taxpayers. Massive Secret Service protection was not needed.
When Slick was in office, the White House in D.C. should have be named Las Vegas East. 'What happened in the White House stayed in the White House'. Why leave home when the 'girls' are coming to you!
This CBS story is typical DNC rhetoric. They are void of dignity and have no shame!
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