Blair House

[jellen]

Just who is in the Blair house that they can't be put out so the Obamas can live there for a few weeks instead of going to a hotel with their girls?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. No one

The Bushes are using it as a venue for parties. Yes, they are being rude and mean.

[bdamomma]

26. bushes being their arrogant and jerk selves.

how dare they show such disrespect to a Pres. Elect.

[Phx_Dem]

28. I think that's exactly right. Assholes to the end. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

2. This should have been worked out in mid-November.

Why it is news only now is beyond me.

From a December 12, 2008 article at msnbc.com:

An Obama aide said the family was told that there were previously scheduled events at the Blair House and guests could not be displaced. The aide, who was not authorized to speak about Obama family matters, spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

Sally McDonough, first lady Laura Bush's press secretary, declined to comment on the transition conversations, but said the Blair House would be available on January 15, the traditional date it becomes available for new presidents and their families.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28198496/

[itsrobert]

3. Much ado about nothing

The Obamas are staying in a nice hotel until they can move in.

[emilyg]

12. Exactly. Blair House will be

available 1-15.

[cwydro]

23. So tired of people trying to make issues out of nothing at all.

You are right; they can move to Blair House on 1/15 and in the meantime they are in a fantastic hotel.

[bdamomma]

27. yea, I'm sure Obama is not too concerned about it.

he just brushes it off his shoulders.

[Captain Hilts]

4. This is really not an issue. The Bushes have kith and kin that have been scheduled...

to stay there probably for well over a year.

The Obamas can tough it out at the Hay Adams for two extra weeks.

It's really not a big deal.

Really.

[janx]

38. I agree. n/t

[Olney Blue]

5. The Washington Post was soliciting info on who had rented it.

[Captain Hilts]

6. No one is 'renting' it. They're guests of the Bushes. nt

[firedupdem]

7. That's okay...

They weren't considering Obama would win and need to start his kids in school. They figured it would be another old white guy and whoever the winner was would move to Washington on the 15th. It's cool...you can't hold good people back! The Obama family will be just fine.

[Peregrine Took]

8. I don't understand people who minimize this. Its an insult and it doesn't

matter how nice the hotel is or how many stars it has ("5 stars") - it is an insult.

Why are some of you acting likes its no big deal?

If the shoe were on the other foot and Obama had "booked" Blair House and a rethug president-elect and his family had to stay at a public hotel instead there would be no end to the outcry from the morons on the right.

[Captain Hilts]

9. No way the Bushes could anticipate that the Obamas would want it TWO weeks early...

if they wanted it a few days early, that probably could have been accommodated, but two weeks is a lot of people to rearrange.

[janx]

35. Yep.

One thing that outgoing presidents don't do--no matter how incompetent they are--is to intentionally mess around with a transition. I don't think the Bushes are intentionally snubbing the Obamas; as a matter of fact, it's likely the Bushes want to get the heck out of D.C. just as soon as possible.

[ecstatic]

22. I agree. Laura Bush is now officially on my sh@t list

She is disgusting and could have accommodated, even if only for the girls.

[Dlicious]

32. Couldn't have happened to a nicer woman, oh wait....

Barbara Bush, is SHE on your shit list, too?

She has been on mine since she talked about "Beautiful Minds"

[PatGund]

24. And the "Birthers" are spinning it.

They're claiming the White House didn't release Blair House because the White House knows the Supreme Court will disqualify Obama and prevent him from taking office, so there's no need for Blair House to be available.

Delusion springs eternal.

[emilyg]

31. I'm more worried where the homeless

are sleeping for the next 2 weeks. The O's have luxurious accommodations.

[high density]

40. I agree, it is an insult

Whoever is scheduled to be staying there should be at the hotel, not president-elect Obama and his family.

[Clio the Leo]

10. CNN reported....

.... that it's not just a matter of someone living in the Blair house, but the Bush admin. wanting to be able to throw parties there.

Poo.

[greguganus]

11. Soon they will be gone. Must be a slow news day for CNN. n/t

[emilyg]

13. So what? It;s theirs till the 15th.

[firedupdem]

14. Jeez....is it okay that some people think the incoming first family

should have been accommodated?

[emilyg]

15. They will be - it's not like they

are camping in the backyard. Lovely accomodations in a posh hote.

[janx]

36. And it's not exactly as if they will have to do any heavy moving

themselves. ;-) All that is taken care of, down to the last detail.

[avaistheone1]

16. I think the new first family should have been accommodated.

The Obamas have a real need to get their girls in school the first week in January.

Plus, I am confident that the security measures in protecting the Obamas would be much easier if they were staying at Blair House versus some hotel.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

17. The Hay-Adams ain't exactly a Motel 6 on New York Avenue.

The girls start school on Monday; plus, they *get* to stay in an historic suite that costs at least $5,000 per night.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/31/AR2008123102764.html?hpid=topnews

[FrenchieCat]

19. The transition fund has to pay for the $5,000 per night!

As well, it means that the Obama's have to move to the hotel, then move to the Blair house, and then move to the White House. That's a lot of moving and will be felt by those young girls who will also be experiencing a new school. It would have been much better if they could have moved just twice, instead of three times. Plus, the Blair house belong to the people, and we should be able to know what's going on in there, period. It shouldn't be a mystery, but it seems to be.

[avaistheone1]

20. Good points. I don't understand the mystery either of who is staying at Blair House

either. It should be public record given we are the landlords of the those facilities.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

21. The girls have been in and out of hotels for how long on the campaign trail?

They seem incredibly happy and well-adjusted. It's not like the Obamas are scouring liquor stores for boxes and moving themselves... EVERYTHING is being handled for them. Kids are resilient and are probably viewing this as an adventure, hardly "hardship." Plus, Grandma will be there to provide stability. And the Biden grandchildren to welcome them to their new school.

Haven't there been threads about how it is customary for the Blair House to become available on January 15th, regardless of the administration currently in office? (I haven't been online much over the holidays...) I despise GWB as much as the next person, but believe it's in poor taste to kick out his invited guests. Reverse the situation and imagine the DU outcry if the Clintons had been expected to boot their guests out of the Blair House for the Bushes...

[kiva]

39. $5000 per night for a couple of weeks is a fraction of the amount

of money that was spent campaigning, not to mention the inauguration--I doubt that the money is even a blip on the radar. The Obamas aren't exactly having to pack and repack their stuff themselves. As you noted, they would have already moved twice under the best of circumstances, and will be adjusting to a new school no matter where they spend the next two weeks. And frankly, it's not as though they'll be living in a Motel 6, with nowhere to play, do homework, or relax. Blair House is only one of many properties that belong to the American people--what about the Pentagon? For that matter, do we always know who's staying at the White House?

If * or another Repug wanted a Democratic president to make other arrangements for guests who had likely been invited months before so that the new pres and family could move in, we would be calling them arrogant, pushy, and a whole host of other names.

[firedupdem]

18. It would be and they do have young children to consider.

It's amazing to me on a democratic website that some people act almost giddy about the fact that they weren't. At the end of the day, the Bush's look like assholes. The Obama family hasn't mentioned it...only his SUPPORTERS like me and you think it's a damn shame.

January 20th can't get here soon enough for me. It's going to be a long 8yrs for some folks!

:fistbump:

[janx]

37. The Obamas haven't mentioned it because they are gracious.

It may have been a humble request because of the girls, and they were probably humbly turned down, too--make no mistake, Laura and Dubya are aware that they look like rubes in having to do this (for whatever reason). It's not just a social faux pas, but a historic one.

[Phx_Dem]

29. What's wrong with the huge house they live in, the one with all ballrooms?

They're just assholes. But that's okay. Obama gets the last laugh by taking an entire wing of the super-swanky hotel directly across the street from the assholes. He's going to suck up all of oxygen in DC, garner all the media and the public's attention and Bush is going to look smaller and lamer than he is.

So suck on that, Bush.

[mnhtnbb]

25. My bet is that Laura has been living at Blair House and she's not about to put up with George

for any longer than she has to and that's why Blair House is "unavailable".

[Phx_Dem]

30. LOL. If that's the case, she should fess up. We would all understand.

After all, who could blame her?

[BklynChick]

33. I;m furious about this.

[janx]

34. It's an inconvenience, but a rather trivial one when you consider

that in a matter of days, they'll be living in this, provided by the American people:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8053840

(Yes, I'm pimping my thread...but it's a great article!)

(Frenchie, come back!)

[quakerboy]

41. my 2 cents

The Obamas are taken care of. They will be in a hotel. Not the ideal, but the kids will get to start school and all will be well.

Whether it is just coincidence or deliberate slight, it will be done in a couple weeks, as we will have a new president.

I do wonder how Obama will handle this on the outgoing end. In the grander scheme of things, its not terribly important, but perhaps he can change the "custom". Make Blair available to whoever follows him the day after the election, and show what democrats are about, what he is about. They say the best revenge is living well.