Social Question

digitalimpression's avatar

Does anyone care that President Obama went on vacation?

Asked by digitalimpression (9920points) December 6th, 2011

I certainly don’t mind if the President of the U.S. takes a vacation every once in a while. Why is it such a news story this time?

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57 Answers

zensky's avatar

Obama had lunch is also a news story. He’s the leader of the free world, and it’s a slow news day – for the New York Daily News. It can’t all be Tsunamis.

The Daily News

Supacase's avatar

This happens with every president.

zenvelo's avatar

Because Obama cannot do anything at all right in the eyes of the Republicans, that’s the only reason it’s an issue. The way Romeny flip flops he’ll criticize Obama on Monday and if Obama does the opposite on Tuesday he’ll criticize him again.

G. W. Bush and R Reagan took much more vacation. Bush was gone for a full month at a time.

Berserker's avatar

No. I also don’t care about Michelle’s too short shorts (she’s hot, why do people bitch) or what the fuck they had for Thanksgiving.
The media should let Obama go on vacation in peace, and they should let Tiger Woods cheat on his wife and let her and him deal with it. The media is so damn annoying. Bring me shit that matters, like a hobo slashing his throat with broken glass. Jeez.

digitalimpression's avatar

@zensky I assumed you could deduce that I meant a negative news story. How silly of me to assume.

@Supacase Captain obvious, you’re fired. @Supacase will be taking your spot.

@zenvelo I’m Republican but I still think its stupid to hack on him for this… please don’t lump us all up into one generalized group. Some of us (allbeit a steadily decreasing number) use our noodles.

@Symbeline Michelle is hot? (shudder of disgust)

lillycoyote's avatar

It’s just plain kneejerkery by Romney. Has he nothing substantive to criticize the president for? Obama has take fewer vacations than Reagan or G.W. Bush, as @zenvelo points out and presidents never really vacation anyway. The may leave Washington but they are always on the job.

digitalimpression's avatar

@lillycoyote Again, I agree. I’m embarrassed at Republican radio stations hyping this up.

Berserker's avatar

@digitalimpression I shudder too, but not in the same way.

zensky's avatar

@digitalimpression I answered, and even included a little song. I do not understand your reply: I assumed you could deduce that I meant a negative news story. How silly of me to assume.

However, it is always silly to assume; when you assume you make an ass out of u and me.

Your “question” which wasn’t really a question but rather a critical statement, wasn’t exactly rocket science.

Berserker's avatar

@digitalimpression There was a story a while back though. Michelle and Obama got out of a plane, and Michelle was wearing shorts that, apparently, were inappropriate. Thing is I was making a little joke, but the shorts she had on in that certain case were knee length and baggy. People made a huge deal of it, after it came on the news. I just don’t get this shit. Let em wear what they want.

Disclaimer; Michelle Obama; still hawt.

Jude's avatar

I luff you, @Symbeline.

digitalimpression's avatar

@zensky Actually it was a question.. hence the question mark. I fear I lost you in the corners somewhere. Stick close!

@Symbeline hahaha.. that is pretty funny.. choice of shorts? who gives a %&$? These are pretty important people that affect our nation’s history… and the media wants to talk about shorts? How can we stop these lugheads from spouting their useless blither?

zensky's avatar

Slapping a question mark at the end of a sarcastic statement is ironic at best, poor form at worst. Not a question does it make, right? <<< See?

It’s a fluff piece, but it still wasn’t really a question.

Does anyone care that President Obama went on vacation?

Oh, now I remember what the term in English is I’m looking for; rhetorical. It’s a rhetorical question.

digitalimpression's avatar

@zensky Not sure what you’re on about but your statements aren’t on topic.

TheIntern55's avatar

Obama does go on vacation alot….

lillycoyote's avatar

@TheIntern55 Obama goes on vacation a lot? More than other presidents have in the past? What constitutes “a lot?”

zensky's avatar

Actually CBS has come to Obama’s defense; in August, Obama had taken only 61 days of vacation, whereas Bush had by that time in his administration already taken around 181 days – mostly at his ranch.

Is this on topic enough? I have to go check out some serious questions now. Bye.

Berserker's avatar

@digitalimpression Yeah. Thing is, the shorts WEREN’T inappropriate. They were the most normal looking knee length women shorts I could ever see. And even if they hadn’t been…(I really wish they hadn’t) I’m sure there’s more important shit to go over.

@Jude Let’s create a Michell Obama Love club! :D

Response moderated (Flame-Bait)
CWOTUS's avatar

I wish he’d take more time off. Seriously. And the Congress, too.

Jude's avatar

Just professing my love to @Symbeline. :) Being all social and whatnot. Carry on.

zensky's avatar

It’s all good. Carry on.

digitalimpression's avatar

@Symbeline What’s next? Big news story! Michelle wears clothes today!!??

Anyway, I’m sure the pres is never away from work. Suppose he gets to hit a round of golf in between phone calls… more power to him if you ask me.

saint's avatar

No. Unless he took vacation with my money that I could have used to take my own vacation. Then I would be pissed.

Berserker's avatar

@digitalimpression LMFAO no shit lol. Take that Tiger Woods, you cheating bastard. XD

@Jude You know I appreciate it. :) And appreciate is just the word I use in order not to get banned. :D

Countrybumkin's avatar

No. I do t give a flying rats ass. Is that what’s on the news?

filmfann's avatar

Bush used to take every August off. All month.
Ripping on Obama for this is stupid. That job sucks.

digitalimpression's avatar

@Countrybumkin I heard it on the radio on my drive home and was appalled that such a stupid thing was broadcast over the same air I breathe.

Blackberry's avatar

I’m not sure the validity, but some conservatives are pissed that presidents apparently use taxpayer money. As if the actual vacation is what is breaking their bank.

marinelife's avatar

It is ridiculous.

lillycoyote's avatar

No one should be pissed at a president using tax payer money as long as he is abiding by the law as far as how taxpayer dollars are spent. Who pays his salary? Who pays for Air Force One? Taxpayers. Duh! What is the president supposed to do? Fly coach and take the Secret Service with him?

Blackberry's avatar

@lillycoyote I agree. I was trollin’ a conservative website and debating this person who was actually pissed because he went “all the way to Hawaii” when it would be cheaper to go to Chicago instead. And she was also upset that when he went to Martha’s Vineyard, he stayed in an expensive hotel.

Some people are nuts.

rojo's avatar

@Blackberry actually, it pisses me off that we end up paying for his vacation, etc. I don’t mind picking up the tab when he is working but he gets paid enough to pay for his own pleasure.
As for flying coach, I think all public officials should be required to do so. In addition to saving money, it would actually force them to get more in touch with the rest of us commoners.

lillycoyote's avatar

@Blackberry He and his family should stay at a Best Western, I think, it’s plenty good enough for me. He’s only the President of the Frickin’ United States! The cost of the hotel is nothing compared to the cost of providing security for a traveling U.S. president. I guess some people just don’t get that.

lillycoyote's avatar

@rojo The president of the United States is always working. They get vacations in name only. How exactly do you propose that we provide the security necessary for a president of the United States if you want him and his family to fly coach?

Blackberry's avatar

@rojo We also pay for people on welfare, people on Medicaid, the military, schools, roads, police etc. We all have to pay for something, and presidents on vacation aren’t that huge chunk taken out of our checks.

rojo's avatar

@lillycoyote Semi-serious answer, we, in theory, replace them every four years, how important can they actually be? And, I do not believe that the president is always working.
@Blackberry What I said was that it pisses me off. I did not address the validity of if. It also pisses me off to pay for expansionist wars, border patrols, drug busts, and a host of other things.

Blackberry's avatar

@rojo Paying to spread democracy definitely is costly. Lol. : )

rojo's avatar

You say potato, I say potato. You know, when you write this instead of say it, it does not have the same effect does it?

lillycoyote's avatar

@rojo Disposable presidents, like disposable razors, an interesting idea, I agree. :-) However, they are pretty important during those four years we have them. It might save us taxpayers a few pennies if we dropped Secret Service protection for presidents all together. I don’t have a troupe of dedicated bodyguards, why should they? Who do they think they are, anyway? Better than us? I bet they do think they’re better than us. Cost cutting by getting rid of the Secret Service is certainly worth considering, since presidents are basically dispensable. Why bother having them in the first place, I’m wondering now?

And, no, even presidents are not _always” working, of course not, no one can always work. Sometimes they sleep. What do you think presidents do?

bob_'s avatar

I don’t.

rojo's avatar

@lillycoyote I am willing to go forward with this no-SS experiment. How do we convince the powers that be to follow through? As to what presidents actually do and whether they actually serve a purpose, I have asked myself the same thing. The only reason to keep them I guess is because someone has to serve the “executive” role in this government system we find ourselves in. There has to be a tie-breaker between the legeslative and judicial bodies otherwise we will find ourselves at an impass much like Congress presently finds itself. If only we could have a third party….........

lillycoyote's avatar

@rojo Yes, there is that whole pesky Constitution that constrains us so, with it’s executive, legislative and judicial branches and all. If only we could do away with all that nonsense and have a way of governing ourselves that wasn’t so darn contentious and messy and complicated; something that was efficient, dammit! :-)

rojo's avatar

@lillycoyote or at least more democratic and cost effective,

lillycoyote's avatar

@rojo Democracy is what makes it not cost effective. A democracy is not a business. Democracies are inherently contentious, inefficient and messy. If you want a cost effective system of government your best bet is a dictatorship, I think.

rojo's avatar

Disagree with the dictatorship being most cost effective.

lillycoyote's avatar

@rojo Could be, I don’t really have any numbers to back me up, honestly. You do have to pay for all those secret police and armies of thugs to oppress your people. Dictatorships, if done properly, can be pretty efficient though. :-)

judochop's avatar

Fact: No president in history took as much vacation as George Bush Jr.

To answer your question…
No I do not care that the president takes vacation. Anyone from the two party system already has half of their brain on vacation anyway.

He’s doing less damage by being gone.

wilma's avatar

No I don’t care. This is one of the problems we get when we have news 24 hours a day.

Supacase's avatar

@digitalimpression Yes, it did seem obvious to me. By specifying “this time” in your question, it appeared that you found an overblown news story about a president going on vacation to be atypical.

digitalimpression's avatar

@Supacase My point was that it wasn’t such a big deal when former presidents went on vacation. So yes, I do find this particular time to be atypical and overblown.

ImPaid's avatar

HAHAHAHA I love this site.

filmfann's avatar

Oh, well… Looks like king Neptune got ImPaid…

Supacase's avatar

@digitalimpression You do realize calling someone Captain Obvious means you consider what they’ve said to be so obvious (i.e. clear, self-evident) it needn’t have been said at all, right? And that believing something is obvious means believing it is true, right?

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