Factcheck.org - "President Obama’s Vacation Days"

[TomCADem]

Interesting little response to Republican attacks, particularly since the Montana,Colorado and AZ trip were filled with town hall forums and the Hawaii trip seemed pretty action filled.

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/president-obamas-vacation-days/

Q: Has President Obama taken more vacation time than his predecessors?

A: According to one count, Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush spent more time on "vacation" during their first year than President Obama did. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton spent less time on "vacation."

* * *

• A four-day holiday weekend in Chicago in February where the president played some basketball and treated First Lady Michelle Obama to a Valentine’s Day dinner date.

• An eight-day stay with his family at a rented house on Martha’s Vineyard in August.

• A trip out west to the U.S. states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona that combined both business and pleasure. The president held town hall meetings on health care during the trip. And he went fly fishing and took trips to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon with his wife and two daughters.

• An 11-day stay in Hawaii where the president and his family celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

[Skittles]

1. sounds about right

Obama has to clean up more shit than did Clinton and Carter, and Reagan and the bushes WERE shit

[FLyellowdog]

2. Yes, but has anybody noticed yet that

he's black. :rofl:

Carry on.

[donheld]

3. W was only president for 7 years

he spend one year total of his 8 year term on vacation

[struggle4progress]

5. 487 Days At Camp David For Bush

... According to CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, today's trip marks Mr. Bush's 149th visit to the presidential retreat. The planned three-day stay, during which the president is being joined by family and former and current aides, will bring his total time spent at Camp David to all or part of 487 days. Yes, that's 487 days. And Camp David is not even where the president has spent the most time when not at the White House: Knoller reports that Mr. Bush has made 77 visits to his ranch in Crawford during his presidency, and spent all or part of 490 days there. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/01/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4728085.shtml

(487 + 490)/8*365.25 = 977/2922 is more than 1/3 of Bush's Presidency: he spent about 2 years and 8 months on vacation, so he was only President for about 5 years and 4 months

[Zoeisright]

7. From the looks of post 5, it seems like he was only on duty for

5-1/2 years, having spent almost 2-1/2 years on vacay.

Of course, that doesn't count the number of days he was drunk and passed out at the WH, like pretzel day, for instance.

[caraher]

11. So Bush was really more like a one-term pResident

it just took him 8 years to do it. Underachiever.

Though given his level of competence, it's a shame he didn't take a solid 8 years' vacation.

[Zoeisright]

15. +1000

If only he had always been on vacation. At least then there wouldn't have been the sham of Cheney being the 'vice' president.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. It sure felt like 49 years though. (nt)

[cutlassmama]

4. The Martha's Vineyard trip was for Kennedy's funeral

[Salmonslayer]

6. Bean counting vacation days is petty

Does anyone believe that any president really gets any vacation? They need to be available 24/7 no matter where they are located. We take vacations, they do not. They may take a vacation from the media, but, not their jobs.

It is a tough job. Clinton and Bush2 aged way more than 8 years during their two terms. Take a look at before and after pictures of either of them. It looks like they aged 20 years. Obama is looking a bit grayer too, but, maybe he is is just letting it go natural.

[GoCubsGo]

12. That's the line the rethugs used with Bush...

"The President is available 24/7/365..." Funny how that no longer applies with them, eh?

[Salmonslayer]

13. Maybe I missed it, but

I have not seen a lot of criticism of Obamas vacation time. When I do i will make the same statement, because it is the truth. I dont care to counter attack with the same petty accusations. My statement is accurate and is the correct response.

[Zoeisright]

16. It sure is the same line.

And those same jerks who refused to criticized Bush when he was slacking now jump all over President Obama when he takes a night off or goes on vacation AT ALL.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Let them have it, it's all they've got. NT

[goclark]

9. Right ~ GW was on vacation for 8 years

That should be an all time record.


The visual of him receiving a 3 am phone call is upsetting.

Did Jack Daniels answer the phone for him?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

10. So what your saying is that all the Republicans took more holiday than all the Democrats?

An interesting statistic, I think.

[bigwillq]

14. K and R

Good info. Thanks

[Arkana]

18. Odd. Republicans all took more, but the other two Dems took less.

[Lord Helmet]

19. Bush Jr. herded dirt in Crawford for a third of his term in office.

It takes a lot of nerve for republicans to complain.