Ben Johnson, Floyd Reports
After well-deserved public condemnation for Michelle Obama’s lavish Spanish vacation, the First Family is trying to change its image with a “vacation” to Florida’s Gulf Coast. And what an affair it is.
Mike Memoli of The Washington Post‘s blog, “The Swamp” reports: “From scheduled arrival of Air Force One Saturday to the time it departs on Sunday, the Obamas will have spent 26 hours and 50 minutes on the ground in the Panama City area.”
That does not quite compare to Michelle and the girls’ four-night sojourn in Marabella, Spain. The First Lady whisked along a small army of 40 friends, costing U.S. taxpayers $75,000 a day.
After the one-day “vacation” in the Gulf, the Obamas will leave for their real vacation: 10 days in Martha’s Vineyard.
It rather reminds me of John Kerry and John Edwards’ campaign stunt in 2004, pretending to have dinner at Wendy’s. While standing in line, Teresa Heinz did not recognize chili. And as soon as the cameras had recorded their face time with the little people, the Kerrys and Edwardses ditched the burgers and feasted on gourmet food.
Obama is trying to pull off another “common man” moment, showing he loves spending weekends with the NASCAR enthusiasts of the panhandle.
After the brief trip, he’ll return to raising money from fat cats and special interests for the Democratic Party. He has a five-state swing through Wisconsin, California, Washington, Ohio, and Florida starting Monday. He recently gushed, “I’m pretty good at politicking.”
You couldn’t tell that by his recent poll numbers.
Maybe Michelle realizes her husband is more popular in Spain than in Panama City? Or maybe the Obamas prefer to vacation in places heavily populated by socialists (like Spain and Martha’s Vineyard) because they are more comfortable around people who think like they do.
