In yet another example of how out of touch Republican National Committe chairman Michael Steele is with average Americans, the RNC will be holding a meeting for RNC staff at a beachfront resort in Hawaii next week.
With the nation’s unemployment rate hovering just over ten percent, it certainly says something that Michael Steele’s RNC chose to hold its meetings at a beachfront resort in Hawaii.
Average Americans don’t have conferences in Hawaii, or do they:
http://www.allconferences.com/Regional/Hawaii/
Yes, it’s not at all like President Obama going to Hawaii at least once every year (or NYC for a Broadway Show). The only difference is that the one you mention is all on the dime of the RNC, not the taxpayers.
President Obama has spent very little time on vacation compared to the previous resident of the White House. He was clearing brunch on his ranch in Texas in August 2001… a productive month off from paying attention, I’d say!
Jason, vacation time is not the debate at hand. I have no problem with Obama vacationing in Hawaii or for how long. I don’t think a president is really ever off the clock anyway. Just because you are out of the White House doesn’t mean you stop being the President. (I have a feeling the press will be less inclined to complain about how much time they have to spend in Hawaii vs. Crawford though.)
Sometimes I think we would all be better off if the politicians spent less time in Washington screwing things up!
But my point was, in case you missed it, is that if the RNC is out of touch, as Zach says, for holding a meeting in Hawaii, then so must Obama be for spending a couple of weeks there.
I reject that Obama is “out of touch.” He has been in the loop. Moreover, I think your linkage is fallible.
You assert that one’s being present in Hawaii means one is out of touch. By that logic the RNC is so as well.
Excuse me, *I* am not the one who asserted being in Hawaii means being out of touch. That was Zach’s argument in the original post! I was pointing out that if he says one is out of touch (the RNC), then so must the other one be out of touch (Obama), by HIS logic, not mine.
I do NOT think Obama was out of touch simply for vacationing in Hawaii. In fact I said “I have no problem with Obama vacationing in Hawaii or for how long. I don’t think a president is really ever off the clock anyway. Just because you are out of the White House doesn’t mean you stop being the President.” I do NOT think the RNC is out of touch for holding a meeting there either.
And if the RNC has the money, so be it! Shouldn’t we be encouraging those with the means to spend and stimulate the economy? I guess it would be ok if Democrats were offering discount vacations ala ‘cash for clunkers’.
So, they’re just trying to stimulate Hawaii’s economy. Last time I heard, Hawaii was part of the US. How many tax dollars will be spent on this as opposed to BO’s Hawaii adventure?
As far as vacation time is concerned, as much as I despise BO’s policies, wherever the POTUS goes, Provincetown or Crawford, that is the White House. With AF1 and modern communications, they’re never out of touch.
Helps if they pay attention while they’re out of the office. Obama has been involved; Bush seemed to have checked out while clearing all that brush.
Again, not the issue here. But I guess it’s more a matter of opinion if you think someone can be more “involved” swimming in the ocean vs. clearing brush. How can you tell what went on behind the scenes? As far as I can tell, no matter who the president is, he receives daily briefings, etc. I for one don’t care how they choose to relax. In his first nine months Obama already went golfing as much as Bush did in over two years. Does that make him less involved?
To be fair, the economy has made Hawaii’s resorts desperate for business. There are some real bargains to be had right now. It may be cheaper for the RNC to hold its meeting in Hawaii that at an East Coast convention center.
Politically, though, it would have been smarter for Steele to hold the meeting in Las Vegas. President Obama earned the wrath of Nevada politicians when he chided companies receiving bailout money for holding meetings in Las Vegas. He was blamed for further eroding Las Vegas’ economy (which has already taken the largest hit in the nation from the burst housing bubble). Harry Reid is considered vulnerable in November, and Steele could have made points with Nevada voters who are angry with the President.
And of course President Obama will spend time with his family in Hawaii, especially around the holidays. He was born there, his grandmother lived her last years there, and his sister and her family still reside there.
I wonder why the RNC did not come to Wisconsin?
How did we lose that ballot?