Obama's Bus Tour to be financed by Taxpayers

www.examiner.com...

At today's White House Press Conference, Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke about President Obama's Bus Tour which will take place in a couple of weeks. When asked if the event will be paid for by taxpayers, Carney sort of laughed and said, "He IS the President!" Carney went on to say that Obama will be talking about jobs and the economy.

He also said Obama's taking the tour to the Midwest. Many reports indicate that the Midwest is where his approval rating is plummeting the most. Let's face it - it's going to be a Campaign Tour for Obama's 2012 election efforts.

Does Obama's taxpayer-paid Bus Tour bother anyone?

www.examiner.com...

reply to post by ChicagOpinion
Personally, the longer he is on a bus and the less time he spends in D.C. is just fine with me. He can't damage the country when he's tooling around on a bus.

I like how he's gone from, "It's Bush's fault" to "When I said hope and change, I didn't mean hope and change today".

This Magical Mystery Tour ought to provide plenty of humour.

reply to post by beezzer


Wow. I am of the exact opposite opinion as you.

It's kind of neat to know that I cancel you out.

Hey look, a Palin copy cat.

He just raised the Debt Ceiling the day before so obviously he has to start spending our tax dollars too.

Is this any different from previous sitting presidents campaigning for a second term or is this just another one of those things that no one had a problem with until Obama did it?

Of course it bothers me, but let's face it, if he had to raise the funds himself from those that support him, there would be no tour, or on a much lesser scale.

reply to post by Kitilani


I would think other presidents were upfront about it and took expenses out of their campaign funds when they went campaigning in such a manner. The White House refuses to say he's campaigning on this tour. How naive does the White House think we are? We know he's out there to promote himself! and to try to convince everyone that he needs four more years to "do it right."

But I'm wondering... Many of the people who will see him on the tour will likely be out of work while paying $4 per gallon of gas in the Midwest to see him. And he thinks he's going to convince them to give him the job for four more years?

I don't think so...

And they say he's on his way to raising $1 billion to run again. It's not like he needs Americans' taxes to do a bus tour.

Originally posted by ChicagOpinion
reply to post by Kitilani

 

I would think

Guess where I stopped being interested?
I asked about reality.
When I want to know what someone thinks, I specifically ask for that.

reply to post by Kitilani

You're rare on here. A closed mind.

Why engage in a message board if you don't want to read what others think?

Oh, maybe this is your soapbox where you just spout off and don't care what others have to say. Sort of like the guy with the megaphone on a Chicago street corner that everybody ignores... except the police when they come by and shut him down.

At least I read everything you had to say and had the decency to respond. But you've taught me well: I've got you on "ignore" from now now. Your arrogance and rudeness is unsurpassed on this board. .

reply to post by Kitilani


Sure every Prez has done it, but that's not the issue here.
It is the timing of it all, and why announce it a day after he gets an increase on his/our credit card?
It's also about the hypocrisy, it's obvious he has never stopped being in campaign mode even after he got elected.
Everything he says is a lie because he does the complete opposite.
Now he is kicking off his campaign tour bus ride yet he said this just under three years ago.

Originally posted by Kitilani
Is this any different from previous sitting presidents campaigning for a second term or is this just another one of those things that no one had a problem with until Obama did it?

Yes. Other sitting presidents have had bus tours in the run up to their reelection bid. This is the first one I can find that said "Campaign? Oh, no, no, no. This is official White House business so will be funded by the taxpayers" in a nut shell. I have no problem with a sitting president taking a bus tour - knock yourself out. I have a HUGE problem with being the one paying for it rather than it being paid by his, supposedly, massive campaign funds. I'd have the same problem if ANY sitting president was trying to pull this (&^.

The 08/03/11 press conference where it was announced:
www.whitehouse.gov...

The money quote:

Q Is there anything you can tell us about the bus tour the President plans to take -- where he’s going and why?

MR. CARNEY: Well, I can tell you that it will be from August 15th through the 17th, and that it will be through the Midwest. Further details will be forthcoming later. That’s all I have for you now.

Q But in terms of the --

MR. CARNEY: I mean, he will get out -- very happily getting out in the country again, after a sustained period here in Washington. And he will -- he looks forward to talking to folks about growing the economy, creating jobs. And we’ll have more details, again, as I said, about the specifics of the trip later.

Q Oh, in the country. I’m sorry.

MR. CARNEY: The Midwest.

Q I’m sorry.

MR. CARNEY: Yes.

Q Is that a campaign event or --

MR. CARNEY: Negative. It is an official event.

Q Okay, so it will be funded by taxpayers?

MR. CARNEY: He’s the President of the United States. Yes.

Q The bus tour -- it’s certainly a visual, but what are the tangibles?

MR. CARNEY: Again, we’ll have more specifics about this trip itself. The air of cynicism is quite thick. The idea that the President of the United States should not venture forth into the country is ridiculous.

Q I didn't suggest that.

MR. CARNEY: No, but you implied it in your question. And it is absolutely important for the President, whoever that person is, in the past and in the future, to get out and hear from people in different communities. And the President -- this is a trip that we’ve had on our books for quite a long time, and he very much looks forward to taking it.

Q So is it more of a listening tour, then?

MR. CARNEY: Well, again, I don't want to -- I know that people want specifics about what he may be announcing or what proposals he might have. It will be very focused on the economy and jobs. Beyond that, you’ll have to wait for when we’re ready to provide more specifics. But he will be listening and addressing these very important issues."

Now other presidents have gone on bus tours after declaring for reelection. But the were obviously billed as CAMPAIGN tours and were not paid for by the White House travel budget.

Bush 2004 Bus Tour:
www.4president.us...

Clinton 1992 Bus Tour:
articles.baltimoresun.com...

and where is the money from his 35k per head dinner?

total campaign mode.

Originally posted by fooks
and where is the money from his 35k per head dinner?

total campaign mode.

I wonder how many corporate jets will be flying in to attend the 35k meal?
He's been in campaign mode ever since he became a politician.

reply to post by Mountainmeg

Thanks for posting these campaign bus tour items from past presidents and the info you offered with them.

We could find the "rich" for taxing just by checking the guest list at a Obama fund raiser. Not to mention the incurred expenses of this little bus trip being unnecessary, like the local police being diverted for crowd control or the fuel for the obligatory helicopters Had the dubious pleasure of the prez coming to my hometown to visit G.E. Quite the mess it made of local roadways, gotta keep the potus away from the peasants ya know!

After the news of the S&P downgrade, he ought to just cancel the damn bus tour to promote himself... and stay in Washington to get some "work" done.