Everyone Is Now Officially Banned From Whining About Presidential Vacations. Forever.

[babylonsister]

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/08/everyone-now-officially-banned-whining-about-presidential-vacations-forever


Everyone Is Now Officially Banned From Whining About Presidential Vacations. Forever.

—By Kevin Drum
| Thu Aug. 14, 2014 10:59 AM EDT


Yes, yes, yes: sign me up as a charter member of the movement to STFU about presidential vacations. Both sides do it. Bush got hit with criticism from Democrats. Obama gets it from Republicans. Clinton got it. Reagan got it. Fine. We're all guilty. Now let's just stop.

No more golf mockery. No more charts showing how many days Bush took off compared to Obama. No more whining about how this week—yes, this very week!—is the worst week ever in history for a vacation because the world is in crisis. You know why? Because there's always a crisis somewhere in the world.

So that's it. Don't argue about it. Just stop. Right now. It is officially the stupidest thing in the world.

[RKP5637]

1. Exactly! It's not like the desk in the Oval Office is the only place in the world a president can

communicate from to others.

[bigtree]

2. yes, it must have been a terrible strain to go before the cameras and speak about his Iraq mission

. . . and to provide leadership needed to halt the police intimidation and violence in Ferguson. That presser took at least 30 minutes, give or take; and that's without answering any questions.

Yes, since this reporter says stop, by all means we should stop our whining as you pretty much told me on that thread where I was asking where the President was and why he hadn't spoken out publicly during the three days of violence there.

Glad he found the time to do that . . . I can't even imagine what a vacation must be like since the last time I visited a beach was during 9-11 - that's right, the last time I could actually afford to be away on 'vacation' was the day of those attacks.

But, many thanks to you and this reporter telling me to stop whining.


(btw, I know what the job of president entails, and I also know that Bush was 'on vacation' when he was supposedly on the job, including the incredible number of days he actually spent away from the job. Reagan was at the ranch a record number of days, but he wasn't really 'all there' anyway, was he?)

[babylonsister]

4. Bitter, party of one.

You shouldn't take everything so personally; bad for your blood pressure, I suspect.

[bigtree]

8. well, thanks anyway

. . . for your concern for my health.

[2pooped2pop]

11. I don't know anyone personally who has been able to afford a vacation either

And I don't think both sides are the same. Bush wasn't even there when he was there. It's not the same. But I sure am glad we have someone to inform us on what we will now think and do from now on, aren't you?

[gratuitous]

6. Well, it's not like people were dying in the streets . . .

Oh, wait.

[Scuba]

3. I suspect President Obama is never "on vacation" regardless of where he is physically.

Reagan and Shrub, on the other hand, were never at work, regardless ...

[mopinko]

9. ^^^this

he didnt just pop up and give a speech. he has, no doubt, been watching and working.
who sent doj and the fbi? boehner?
and who wrote the speech?

[treestar]

13. +1000

There are no real vacations for the President. Maybe for the kids and the FLOTUS, but the President isn't really getting a real break. Maybe from planned events, but not much else.

[conservaphobe]

5. While we're at it, we should also ban whining about optics.

I'm sick of people debating how something looks, rather than what's actually occurring.

[betsuni]

7. Yes, yes, yes: sign me up as a charter member of the movement to make Kevin Drum STFU

about presidential vacations. You know why? Because "okay, you've covered your ass" is among the many reasons why. Kevin Drum is officially the stupidest thing in the world. Just stop. Right now.

[Romulox]

10. I clicked through to read the rest of the argument. That's it? A President's job is to lead. nt

[MissDeeds]

12. I'm all in favor of charts

showing how many days Bush took off compared to Obama. Those charts should be posted every time Republicans whine about Obama taking a vacation or a few days off. Bush outpaced Obama four to one on days off.

[former9thward]

14. Charts are for people who have no understanding of the job.

Presidents get national security briefings every morning no matter where they are at. They never get "a day off". The national security apparatus goes with them wherever they are at. There is a member of the military a short distance away with nuclear codes no matter where they are at. So go put up your "charts".