Excuses,
Excuses
White House Offers
Ludicrous Spin On Obama’s Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Events
THE FACTS – OBAMA’S ATTENDED 55
EVENTS IN BATTLEGROUND STATES
It’s No
Secret That Obama’s Visits Are Focused On States Necessary For His Reelection
Obama Has
Attended 55 Events In Battleground States, “Well Ahead” Of Prior Presidential
Travel To Swing States. “When
President Barack Obama jets to Scranton, Pa., Wednesday to promote his jobs
package, he'll log his 56th event in a presidential battleground state this
year, putting him well ahead of President George W. Bush's record-breaking
swing-state travel in 2003.” (Jonathan Weisman And Carol E.
Lee, “Obama Swing-State Visits Surpass Presidential Record,” The Wall Street
Journal,11/28/11)
“‘Obama
Has Certainly Ramped Up The Volume,’ Said Mr. Doherty, Author Of A Forthcoming
Book Called ‘The Rise Of The President's Permanent Campaign.’” (Jonathan Weisman And Carol E.
Lee, “Obama Swing-State Visits Surpass Presidential Record,” The Wall Street
Journal,11/28/11)
While The
Obama White House Emphasized That The Recent Virginia-North Carolina Bus Tour
Was “Strictly An Official Trip,” The Destinations “Leave Little Doubt” About His
Campaigning. “The White House, of
course, emphasizes that this is strictly an official trip — paid for by the
government and focusing on the president’s jobs plan and not campaign politics —
but the destinations should leave little doubt about what the states mean to
Obama, who has made a habit of mixing official business with swing state
visits.” (Aaron
Blake, “North Carolina And Virginia Loom Large For Obama’s Reelection
Campaign,”The Washington
Post, 10/17/11)
“Any
Notion” That Obama’s Bus Tours Aren’t Political “Is Ridiculous.” “When a
reporter asked Carney, ‘it’s certainly a visual, but what are the tangibles?’
the press secretary snapped back. ‘The air of cynicism is quite thick,’ he said.
‘The idea that the president of the United States should not venture forth into
the country is ridiculous.’ But so is any notion that the trip, which occurs
after a deep Obama dip in the polls, is entirely apolitical.” (Carrie Budoff Brown and Glenn
Thrush, “Obama’s Bus Trip Could Hit Potholes,” Politico, 8/8/11)
Despite
Claims Of Transparency, Obama Refuses To Disclose Costs Of Political Travel
Borne By Taxpayers
“Obama Is
Entitled To Use Air Force One For Political Trips” But Must Reimburse Taxpayers
For “A Relatively Small Portion Of The $100,000-Per-Hour Operating
Costs.” “Being president cuts into
a candidate's fundraising time, but it also facilitates travel. As chief
executive, Mr. Obama is entitled to use Air Force One for political trips,
though his campaign must reimburse the government for a relatively small portion
of the $100,000-per-hour operating costs of flying aboard the 747-version of Air
Force One.” (Mark
Knoller, “Obama Seeks To Bring In Big Bucks For 2012 Campaign,” CBS, 4/4/11)
- “For Two-Years, CBS News Has Been Trying To Get The White House To Disclose The Costs Of Political Travel By The President And The Amount The Government Is Reimbursed By The Candidates And Political Committees For Whom He Was Raising Money. For Two Years, The White House Has Declined To Disclose The Data.”(Mark Knoller, “Obama Seeks To Bring In Big Bucks For 2012 Campaign,” CBS, 4/4/11)
An
Official Event Allows The Political Costs Of The Trip To Decrease, But We Don’t
Know By How Much Since The White House Has Not Disclosed Its
Formula. “By doing an ‘official’
event during the same trip as political fundraisers, the costs the DSCC and the
Nelson campaign must pay to reimburse the government for Mr. Obama's trip to
Miami is significantly reduced, although the White House has yet to disclose the
formula it uses to arrive at the amounts to be reimbursed.” (Mark Knoller, “Obama To Raise
$1M In Florida For Democratic Campaigns,” CBS
News, 3/4/11)
Obama Is
All Politics, All The Time
Obama
Ignored His Plans To Stay Out Of The Republican Nomination Contest And Has
Already Gone Negative Against Potential Opponents. “President Barack Obama has sharpened his line of
attack against Republicans during a West Coast swing and injected himself into
the GOP presidential-nomination fight, setting aside his plans to stay out of
the 2012 campaign until an opponent is selected.” (Carol Lee and Jonathan Weisman,
“President Goes On The Attack Early,” The Wall Street
Journal, 9/27/11)
In June
2011, Obama’s White House Senior Staff Met With Historian Michael Beschloss At
“A Secret Retreat” Focused On Obama’s Reelection Campaign. “In June, weeks before the stock market tanked and
the nation got downgraded, White House chief of staff Bill Daley arranged a
secret retreat for his senior team at Fort McNair, a leafy 18th century Army
base near the southern tip of the District of Columbia. Historian Michael
Beschloss went along as a guest speaker to help answer the one question on
everyone's mind: How does a U.S. President win re-election with the country
suffering unacceptably high rates of unemployment?” (Michael Scherer, “Can He Step Up
His Game,” Time, 9/12/11)
“A Year
Before He Faces The Voters, President Barack Obama Isn't Waiting For The
Republicans To Pick Their Candidate Before He Starts
Campaigning.”(Steven Thomma, “Obama Camp
Expects A Close – But Successful- Re-Election,” McClatchy Newspapers, 11/7/11)
Obama's
White House Team Lives In The "Permanent Campaign.” WOODWARD: “But the political staff is -- you know,
it's the permanent campaign.” (CNN's "Larry King Live,"
10/3/10)
Source: www.gop
