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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: coug who wrote (82521)	8/6/2010 11:26:25 AM
From: longnshort	Respond to of 89467

Multiple Vacations Likely to Interrupt Obama's Golf Schedule I love it when Democrats start blurting out what they really think, and I don't mean the "let's call conservatives racist" strategizing on JournoList. No, I point you to Susan Estrich: "I'm thinking here of the president's forthcoming vacation to Martha's Vineyard, one of those terrible decisions that has even his strongest supporters shaking their heads. Why is he going to Martha's Vineyard? "For vacation. Because he likes it. Because he knows people there, has friends there, enjoys himself there. I'm from Massachusetts. I was in my 30s the first time I ever set foot in Martha's Vineyard. Elite. Fancy. Expensive. Hard to get to. The Estrich family from Lynn considered Nantasket Beach exotic. Martha's Vineyard might as well have been an island off of Spain. "I don't begrudge the president a nice vacation. But having already spent time in Maine this summer, a second vacation to a place other than the hard-hit Gulf is an invitation for people to think what too many of them already think: The president just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand what's happening out there, out here. People still don't have jobs, home values still haven't recovered, and 401(k)s are still in a slump. The only signs of recovery are a lot of highway projects, which, as we are told every day when the traffic slows, are being paid for by us." It was striking to see how much Estrich's tone matched this New York Daily News column by a Fox News contributor and former GOP strategist (I haven't met Andrea Tantaros, but I'm developing a serious crush): "While most of the country is pinching pennies and downsizing summer sojourns -- or forgoing them altogether -- the Obamas don't seem to be heeding their own advice. While many of us are struggling, the First Lady is spending the next few days in a five-star hotel on the chic Costa del Sol in southernSpainwith 40 of her 'closest friends.' According to CNN, the group is expected to occupy 60 to 70 rooms, more than a third of the lodgings at the 160-room resort. Not exactly what one would call cutting back in troubled times. Reports are calling the lodgings of Obama's Spanish fiesta, the Hotel Villa Padiernain Marbella, 'luxurious,' 'posh' and 'a millionaires' playground.' Estimated room rate per night? Up to a staggering $2,500. Method of transportation? Air Force Two. To be clear, what the Obamas do with their money is one thing; what they do with ours is another. "I don't begrudge anyone rest and relaxation when they work hard. We all need downtime -- the First Family included. It's the extravagance of Michelle Obama's trip and glitzy destination contrasted with President Obama's demonization of the rich that smacks of hypocrisy and perpetuates a disconnect between the country and its leaders. Toning down the flash would humanize the Obamas and signify that they sympathize with the setbacks of the people they were elected to serve." Economists say the recession began in January 2008; I think most Americans felt like hard times really started with the jump in gas prices that summer. By Lehman's collapse, the Great Recession was at full speed. But 2009 was pretty crappy, and 2010 doesn't feel so hot, either. Maybe we've stopped falling, but it feels like we're floundering. The economist nicknamed Doctor Doom -- really, Nouriel Roubini should embrace the image and get a cape, mask, suit of armor, the whole works -- is telling us that compared to the past six months, the next six months will be sluggish. Sluggish? This economy already feels like it has the metabolism of Sydney Greenstreet.