RNC slams Obama Broadway date night

[Tab]

Source: UPI

WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- GOP officials chided U.S. President Barack Obama for attending a Broadway play Saturday but the White House said Obama was keeping a campaign promise.

The president and first lady Michelle Obama flew to New York from Washington on what a White House press pool report called a Gulfstream-type plane, rather than one of the larger craft that serve as Air Force One, Politico reported. Plans called for the couple to dine at the Blue Hill restaurant before attending a performance of the late playwright August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."
...
In a posting on its Web site, the Republican National Committee contrasted the Obamas evening out with General Motors Corp.'s fight for survival and the broader economic turndown.

"As President Obama prepares to wing into Manhattan's theater district on Air Force One to take in a Broadway show, GM is preparing to file bankruptcy and families across America continue to struggle to pay their bills," the GOP said. "Have a great Saturday evening -- even if you're not jetting off somewhere at taxpayer expense."

RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said if Obama wanted to go to the theater, "isn't the Presidential box at the Kennedy Center good enough?," Politico reported.

During the flight to New York a spokesman for the president read a statement saying the trip was intended to keep a campaign promise Obama made to his wife.

"I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished," the statement sa
aid.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/30/RNC-slams-Obama-Broadway-date-night/UPI-75081243725725/

[saltpoint]

1. Married couple goes out for dinner & a movie?

Outrageous and unpardonable.

[durablend]

16. IMPEACH NOW DAMMIT!!!!!

Absolutely unexcusable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[saltpoint]

18. LOL!

[durablend]

22. Enough exclamation points?

Or did I need a few more?

[saltpoint]

23. What the hell, it's Saturday. The more the merrier.

[mdmc]

2. gotta keep those campaign promises

:patriot:

[msongs]

3. th're enjoying the results of labor of glbt americans who cannot serve openly nt

[Cha]

4. Ah Jaysus..the cronic

whiner.

[NYC_SKP]

68. .

I thought this might come up, and then I thought, "no, how on earth could someone connect that issue to this night out?"

It's at one sad AND funny, but mostly sad.

[liberalmuse]

5. Everyone knows you do not take your wife to a Broadway show.

That's where you hide in the shadows with your whip-welding, diaper-changing, 14-year old "mistress".

[goclark]

6. Why does the Baseball "Date" that GW had with Condi

come to mind?

Recall that Pickles was out of town and Condi and "my husband" were
attending a Ball game.

She had on a sleeveless dress and a sweater tie around her neck like a school girl on her first date.

Hardly a mention.

Here we have a husband taking his wife to see a show in New York.

[No Elephants]

7. Gotta love Republican priorities and hypocrisy. The UN is charging America with war crimes and they

are are getting snotty about a Broadway show? With his own damned WIFE? (I thought they approved of family values?)

If this is the worst they can come up with, America should be in great shape, no?

Then they wonder why their party is going down in flames.

I'll retire to Bedlam.

[theoldman]

8. President Obama should stay in the White House for eight years.

He should not have any time off until the job is finished. Who does he think he is, G. W. Bush? Sorry, for a moment I was thinking like a Republican.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

15. HE WENT OUT TO LUNCH YESTERDAY!!!!

He NEVER works.

Big bitch that he is ...................

:sarcasm:

[Pirate Smile]

35. If he goes anywhere it should be to clear brush. That's what Presidents do. Not keeping promises

to their wives and stuff like that.

[floridablue]

54. Brush clearing was good nouf for RayGun, and good ole W

They didn't need no fancy News Yaaaaaaaawwk dinners and pitcher shows.

[yy4me]

81. The Obama's should also take about 25% of his term off for

some R&R. After all, **** found that was the thing to do. I don't see President Obama clearing brush, maybe he has some other jobs of earth shattering importance that he could tend to.

The GOP is grasping for straws and making themselves look more stupid as they do so.

[BulletproofLandshark]

9. "GM is preparing to file bankruptcy and families across America continue to struggle...."

And you greedy thieving motherfuckers did everything you could to make sure that would happen. You know, so the crooks on Wall Street could take another slice of the pie. The GOP can eat shit and die.

:argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

[bbernardini]

10. And wasn't Bush playing a guitar while New Orleans flooded?

Pot, Kettle, etc.

[floridablue]

88. MaMa Shrub didn't give him fiddle lessons like he needed.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. What he ought to be doing is going for a 5 week va-cay on a ranch somewhere.

[Tansy_Gold]

12. Where are their criticisms of the execs from GM and Chrysler and Ford

And CountryWide and B of A and Goldman and AIG and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on?

Where are their criticisms of the lavish lifestyles enjoyed by the idle filthy rich?

How many of them own their own planes, have their own pilots waiting at the ready, have begged for government bailouts to fund their sybaritic lifestyle, right after they've shipped American jobs to third-world countries so they can increase their own already obscene profits?

Why is no one calling outrage on this????!!!!


Tansy Gold, who needs to find her blood pressure medicine real quick --- oh, wait, she's uninsured and can't afford it. . . . .

[riverdeep]

93. See, now you're talking socialism.

It's okay for ten thousand people to be thrown into the street, while the ones who made catastrophic decisions get to shop for Louis the XIV furniture. What that tea party nonsense did was to direct the anger that exists out there, to direct it not at the people who are robbing them blind, but at Obama, who is actually trying to undo the damage.

[Tansy_Gold]

96. WELL, DUH, OF COURSE I AM!

Although I'm not sure Obama is doing ENOUGH or is doing the best things possible to undo the damage, much of it done under the direction of the people who are advising him on how to undo the damage their advice kinda like caused. . . . .



Tansy Gold, your friendly neighborhood socialist. . . .

[saltpoint]

13. Say you're a young person in the New York area and you hear that the

First Lady and the President are due in the city for dinner and a play.

It seems to me that is a date night worth emulating.

Presidents and First Ladies who heartily and visibly endorse the Arts elevate the importance of the artist in society, and if they can inspire others to support the Arts, then they widen and deepen the audience for creative work.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

21. Indeed...........

Gracious, sophisticated, and certainly well worth emulating.

or

we can have an old drunk hanging out in the White House, never going out to dinner or lunch or anything, soaking it up when his wife's not looking, and the wife, a real prize, is wigged out on Xanax, chain-smoking, watching Japanese snuff films in the family room...................

[saltpoint]

27. Dear god yes. Hi there.

And a happy Saturday evenin' to ya, ma'am.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

43. Good evening, sir .........

You're looking especially toothsome tonight, if you don't mind my saying so .......................

[saltpoint]

45. : )

Time's the healer, whatever that means.

We're about to zoom out onto the town for pizza. It's no match for the Obamas' schedule tonight, but within a more modest budget, it will do.

Hope all's well your way.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

53. But every bit as romantic and

enjoyable, I'll wager.

We did our gallivanting all day, and now we're recovering, very quietly, very carefully.

Stay safe, kiddo ...................

[GrantDem]

47. .

:rofl:

[JerseygirlCT]

30. Absolutely!

Heartily concur.

And though I haven't seen it, I'm betting this production is one quite worthy of the viewing - knowing the director from years ago.

[saltpoint]

31. Hey there. I'm glad the First Couple hit the Big Apple for a play

and agree with you that they likely picked a winner.

Sometimes it's all good and this time is one of those times.


:hi:

[Chovexani]

71. Young people in the NY area don't need encouragement to participate in the arts

If you were talking elsewhere, you'd have a point.

Just sayin'.

[saltpoint]

76. Lived in NYC 3 years. Young people everywhere on earth should be

encouraged to participate in the arts.

I consider it an essential duty of parenthood and citizenship.

[rocktivity]

14. ...(A) spokesman for the president read a statement saying

the trip was intended to keep a campaign promise Obama made to his wife. "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished," the statement said.

The statement also should have pointed out how many vacations days Bush took and the RNC had no complaints about it. And, of course, how Bush fiddled on the guitar while New Orleans drowned.



:headbang:
rocktivity

[riverdeep]

94. While New Orleans drowned, the President played.

While soldiers were dying, he said 'now watch this drive (golf)'.

While civilians were being displaced and killed by the hundreds of thousands, he was joking about not being able to find weapons of mass destruction at a press party.

On all that and more, the RNC was silent. They lost all authority to speak on anything for the next fifty years.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

17. What bullshit ........

"... at taxpayer expense."

WRONG!

Obama's paying for this out of his personal funds.

Dickwads.................

[mix]

19. August Wilson is a cultural and artistic giant, despite his recent death.

He is one of our country's finest playwrights. I am proud that President Obama is a patron of the arts that make us great as a nation.

[JerseygirlCT]

26. I met him many years ago

On top of all that, he was a genuinely nice and warm person as well.

[durablend]

20. They were on CNN claiming

The Democrats are DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED in '10 and '12 because of this travesty.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

72. they?

[JerseygirlCT]

24. Excellent choice.

Bart Sher is a terrific director.

And August Wilson's plays are just wonderful.

And on the political side, it would be almost too easy to tally up how much GOP public figures are spending on travel, wouldn't it?

Or how much George Bush spent to fly back and forth to "clear his brush" every two weeks or so?

They're really hurting if it's come to this.

[mix]

38. Seeing Two Trains Running

was a privilege I won't forget...Wilson's characters and stories are exactly the thinking about the world that the GOP wants to discourage and destroy.

[JerseygirlCT]

44. That's true.

Most really good art is subversive in some way...

[cloudbase]

25. Hold your outrage

until we find out what they ordered, and what kind of tipper the Big Boss is.

[Pirate Smile]

39. Oh, no....I hope he doesn't add to the great mustard outrage. I don't think the Republic can survive

it.

[cloudbase]

56. Brown or yellow?

Cultured or barbarian? The world wonders.

[Pirate Smile]

60. I knew he was a Mr. Fancy-Pants the first time he asked for Dijon mustard. Now look at him, going

to Broadway shows ... on a date ... with HIS WIFE! :wow:




I enjoy these periodic flare ups way too much. :evilgrin:

[Cha]

61. Yeah, I get a big

Kick out of 'em too!

[No Elephants]

79. Dijon? French? And he didn't even call it Freedom Mustard? I'm outraged.

[Politicalboi]

28. How dare him

He should stay at home and go to bed by 9. Only Bush had the right to take all those vacations, and ignore the economy and people drowning.

[TankLV]

97. He should order a PIZZA & a 6 PAC, sit around in his UNDERWEAR with his HAND down INSIDE

and WATCH TV SPORTS RERUNS like a REAL - I mean MERICKAN till he FALLS ASLEEP ON THE COUCH (after trying to see the PORNO CHANNEL for FREE thru al the SNOW and STATIC for TWENTY MINUTES)!!!

[high density]

29. RNC: Out of touch.

People can't have fun or enjoy a show because the economy is in the shitter?

[No Elephants]

80. Understandable. If the Obamas skipped NY, that would cure the economy instantly. Selfish!

[madrchsod]

32. r n c and the moonies at upi....no one else gives a shit

[Scooter24]

33. Bush is on vacation for almost 500 days during his Presidency...

and President Obama wants one evening to enjoy with his wife.

Where was Bush during the lead-up to 9-11? On Vacation.
Where was Bush when the nation watched Katrina come and devastate New Orleans? On Vacation.
Where was Bush when the Middle East was erupting in violence? On Vacation.
Where was Bush for nearly 500 days during the War on Terror? On Vacation.

I don't think the RNC has any credibility to lecture President Obama on the importance of his duties or office.

[troubledamerican]

95. Best post.

[jaysunb]

34. Can't wait for Jackeens great pics !

Also can't help but enjoying the hell out of the republiklans making even a bigger ass of themselves ? :popcorn:

:evilgrin:

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

37. This is where the President and First Lady had dinner.

I love that they went to Greenwich Village.

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/blue-hill/

http://www.bluehillfarm.com/food/blue-hill-new-york

This is a pic of them going to NYC.

[jaysunb]

46. Great Pictures ! Thanks

I'll bet there'll be a boom in business for the Bluehill. LOL !

[rocktivity]

59. Could some please wake up the new head of the DNC

and tell him to stop letting the RNC run all the news cycles? Every time Steele and Co. makes a statement, I want it responded to by DNC with examples!

P.S. Great dress, Michelle!


:headbang:
rocktivity

[No Elephants]

82. Self delete. Double. Sorry.

[No Elephants]

83. He's still Governor of VA, so he has to keep a low profile. Someone on staff could be more active,

though. When I heard about Kaine, I was happy, but I thought Obama should have appointed a place holder who would resign when Kaine's term ended. Oh well.

[saltpoint]

36. I think of Lincoln, a Republican, at the theater the night his life ended.

And of the artists and writers etc who flooded the Kennedy White House.

It lifts a lot of boats when a president honors the arts.

[onehandle]

40. What's more of a waste? A flight to NYC or thousands of Americans' soldiers' lives?

Not to mention trillions for the war itself.

Hmm?

[No Elephants]

84. The flight to NY is not ending any wars, so it's not "either...or," but both.

[Aristus]

41. Perhaps the repukes would like it better if President Obama kept an aircraft carrier

returning from service with full crew out of port for a full day, then "piloted" :eyes: a jet onto the launch deck and pranced around the deck in a flight suit "Look at ME! I'm Top Gun!" and delivered a cockamamie speech declaring the end of a war that would still be going on six years into the future. All at tax payers expense.

Yeah. Maybe they'd like that instead...

I fucking HATE re- :puke: s!!!

[Bluenorthwest]

42. I support paying for as many trips

to see plays of that quality as the President can be talked in to taking. Hell, I'd chip into a fund. I love that they saw Joe Turner, and I think influence from great minds such as August Wilson's could only help any President in his duties. Exposure to thought higher than Beltway babble? No money could be better spent.

[JerseygirlCT]

50. Completely agree!

And they don't even need to travel to NYC every time, either. (Though I do think this production is likely well worth it!) Excellent regional theater to be found right in their backyard!

[No Elephants]

85. I'd rather save P.R. battles for something important,. He can afford it. He

is going to be a gazillionaire after he leaves office. Consulting and speaking gigs, maybe another book or two or ten.

[nolabear]

48. Oh, the RNC can bite me twice. nt

[katandmoon]

49. Oh for fuck's sake. There are plenty of things to criticize Obama for but this isn't one of them.

[hangman86]

51. Oh why don't they just say it already! They think theater is for wussies.

They know they don't have a leg to stand when it comes to presidential leisure time after George W. Bush. They just want to nudge their base members in the ribs and go "Hey look at that Obama there attending fairy events like Broadway shows!"

Yeah, that's a lot less manly then going to your million dollar ranch and playing pretend cowboy.

[MasonJar]

52. It's clear the RNC has nothing better to do.

[underpants]

55. Fox News is on it

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/30/obamas-head-new-york-city-date-night/

[truthisfreedom]

62. That's actually a pretty cute article.

I don't think the FOX angle is going to hurt Obama at all.

He's promoting consumerism. He's spending some money. He's suggesting that we should all live it up a little. I think it's brilliant.

[soupkitchen]

57. Being America's No 1 Domestic Tourist

Certainly seems in the purview of Presidential responsibilities to me.

[Doctor_J]

58. Wait until he takes a month off in August after discovering AlQaeda is planning an attack

they'll REALLY be pissed

[CreekDog]

63. Republicans are angrier about this than they were about 5,000 of our troops dead over a pack of lies

:eyes:

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

64. GOP: 'Obama is using Air Force One to go see a play...'

To most Americans, "Air Force One" is the modified 747 (VC-25A) we see whenever a president (starting with Daddy Bush) goes on a trip. The truth (and since when do Republicans care about the truth?) is that the call sign "Air Force One" is assigned to any Air Force aircraft that is transporting the president. In this case, he used one of the C-20B (Gulfstream III) or C-37A (Gulfstream V) aircraft flown by the 89th Airlift Wing. http://tinyurl.com/ntdo2p These are the two smallest aircraft in the Wing's fleet, which supports Special Air Missions around the world.

As said before, the call sign is Air Force One only used when the president -- or Harrison Ford -- is aboard. Otherwise the call sign is made up of the word SAM (Special Air Mission) and the aircraft tail number. For instance, one VC-25A has the tail number "28000," thus the call sign would be "SAM twenty-eight thousand" when it's flying on a non-presidential mission -- like scaring the sh*t out of New Yorkers for the sake of a photo op.

Seems strange the GOP didn't make a fuss when Dubya used Air Force One (the big one) to fly from the pig farm to Washington so he could sign the Teri Shaivo bill. Nothing says the prez has to be in the Oval Office to sign a bill into law. They could have sent the documents to Crawford by FedEx and accomplished the same thing. After signing the bill he hopped back on the plane so he could get back to his vacation. Not one peep from the Repugs, the Dems or the MSM about how much that little stunt cost the taxpayers.

[tabasco]

65. Idiot repukes grasping at straws.

They are little more than chimps throwing shit.

[Dappleganger]

66. They are jealous of the fabulous

they just cannot compete with anyone as cool as the First Couple.

[Swagman]

67. so the RNC wants Broadway workers, waiters, chefs etc , unemployed?

Obama should go to Texan ranch for holidays for months on end. Then the RNC might approve.

[Lucky Luciano]

69. Somehow I doubt those GOP tools cared about all those trips to Crawford! nt

[Missy Vixen]

70. Hey, Republicans, bite me

I have my own quibbles with some of the stuff the President hasn't done, but I'm glad he has what appears to be a solid, loving marriage and a wonderful family. Anyone who's not half in love with the adorable Malia and Sasha has a heart of stone.

Of course, snaps to him for keeping a promise to his wife. As a wife myself, I have to confess a warm feeling in my heart for a guy who just wants to make his spouse happy.

[Bluebear]

73. Fondue date night!

[Sherman A1]

74. I am afraid they don't have any room to talk

with 'vacation boy" heading up their previous act. The GOP really needs some better researchers and writers.

[bluestateguy]

75. I will not tolerate criticism of the Commander in Chief in a time of war

Not the way it's gonna be.

[quidam56]

77. Hannity will hold his breath until his face turns blue...

Idiots !!! http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=138

[No Elephants]

86. Which would be a big improvement over his current yellow.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

78. I hope they go to the symphony and the opera as well.

I can hope.

I love opera (when they put up English supertitles so I know what's going on) but I don't give a shit about the ballet.

Maybe a chamber music concert? I can hope.

:D

(classical musician here).

[EndersDame]

87. They should have gone out for chicken wings and then to Wrestlemania

like any other decent American :patriot:

[Tab]

89. An old legal saying...

If the truth is on your side, you hammer on the truth.

If the law is on your side, you hammer on the law.

If neither is on your side, you hammer on the table.

I see the GOP doing a lot of table-hammering laterly.

[Ian David]

90. Condie Rice was seeing "Spamalot" while New Orleans drowned. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

91. Verrrrrry interesting...

When you examine the main complaints that the Democrats have against Bush:

1.) An illegal, ill-planned failed war that murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of our soldiers.
2.) Violating the Geneva Conventions and torturing people who have been charged with no crime.
3.) Wrecking the entire U.S. economy
4.) Destroying our standing in the world.
5.) Destroying the Earth through corporate-friendly environmental policies that cause global warming which will ultimately kill millions.
6.) Killing hundreds of U.S citizens in the most disorganized FEMA reaction to a US national disaster.

Republican complaints about Obama:

1.) Seething outrage at the President for taking his beloved wife of 15 years, to dinner and a play.

[progressoid]

92. Or the horror of it all.

How could the President embarrass us like that.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

98. *Yawn*

The RNC is grasping at straws, desperate to show the country how bad Mr. O is.

[Lorien]

99. So says the party whose last President spent 1/3 of his presidency on

vacation- all paid for by the taxpayers-"in a time of war".

They DO NOT want to go there.