The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic (47 page)
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Authors: David Limbaugh
BOOK: The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic
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In May, Obama opted out of participating in a yearly commemorative service for the families of fallen law enforcement officers. Instead, he played another round of golf with White House aides and friends. This was the second slight against law enforcement that week, as earlier he had hosted controversial rapper “Common” (a.k.a. Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr.), whose repertoire includes a song lionizing a convicted cop killer.
90
That incident earned Obama a letter from the Fraternal Order of Police’s National President expressing the “profound disappointment” of the organization “over the invitation to a rapper whose body of work includes violent, anti-police lyrics.” The letter reminded the White House that National Police Week was a time to honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifice.
91
“FIVE DAYS OF PARTIES, TOASTS AND SIGHTSEEING”90
That incident earned Obama a letter from the Fraternal Order of Police’s National President expressing the “profound disappointment” of the organization “over the invitation to a rapper whose body of work includes violent, anti-police lyrics.” The letter reminded the White House that National Police Week was a time to honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifice.
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Within a few weeks, Obama had racked up his seventieth golf trip, which he made right after squeezing in a tribute to fallen Americans during a visit to Arlington Cemetery.
92
And a few days later, on June 4, it was reported that he got in his seventy-first round, with his tenth consecutive weekend of golf.
93
Amazingly, his record-breaking streak wasn’t over. With his wife off on an African safari of sorts, he achieved his thirteenth weekend in a row before the end of June, with his seventy-fourth outing.
94
But after his seventy-fifth trip, the poor guy had to miss seven weeks in a row and only got in his seventy-sixth round in August 2011, though he planned to make up for the golf fast during his upcoming vacation.
95
92
And a few days later, on June 4, it was reported that he got in his seventy-first round, with his tenth consecutive weekend of golf.
93
Amazingly, his record-breaking streak wasn’t over. With his wife off on an African safari of sorts, he achieved his thirteenth weekend in a row before the end of June, with his seventy-fourth outing.
94
But after his seventy-fifth trip, the poor guy had to miss seven weeks in a row and only got in his seventy-sixth round in August 2011, though he planned to make up for the golf fast during his upcoming vacation.
95
And so he did, even to the point that when he received a call about an earthquake striking Washington, D.C., he kept on playing. As the
Washington Times
‘ Emily Miller tweeted, “Obama is still playing golf. Not even an act of God can stop him from getting at least 9 holes in today.”
96
Before the vacation was over, Obama played his eightieth round, having played all three island courses, just as he did during his vacations the two previous years.
97
By December 26, 2011, Obama had golfed ninety times—equivalent to three months of golfing in less than three years in office.
98
Washington Times
‘ Emily Miller tweeted, “Obama is still playing golf. Not even an act of God can stop him from getting at least 9 holes in today.”
96
Before the vacation was over, Obama played his eightieth round, having played all three island courses, just as he did during his vacations the two previous years.
97
By December 26, 2011, Obama had golfed ninety times—equivalent to three months of golfing in less than three years in office.
98
It took a long time, but eventually the press began to take notice of the Obamas’ luxurious lifestyle. The
Hawaii Reporter
noted in August that the Obama family’s “pricey vacations are gaining international attention.” The
Reporter
cited the
London Daily Mail
, “one of the top news sources in Europe,” as highlighting the outrage of Michelle Obama taking a separate jet to arrive four hours early. But that—according to the publication—“is the least of their extravagances… . White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money on vacations alone in the past year.”
99
Still, the mainstream media are generally reticent to discuss the Obamas’ heavy vacation schedule. This can largely be attributed to their liberal bias, though it can’t hurt that the administration wines and dines them. In September 2011, Obama invited one anchor from every network to have lunch at the White House—at taxpayer expense.
100
Hawaii Reporter
noted in August that the Obama family’s “pricey vacations are gaining international attention.” The
Reporter
cited the
London Daily Mail
, “one of the top news sources in Europe,” as highlighting the outrage of Michelle Obama taking a separate jet to arrive four hours early. But that—according to the publication—“is the least of their extravagances… . White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money on vacations alone in the past year.”
99
Still, the mainstream media are generally reticent to discuss the Obamas’ heavy vacation schedule. This can largely be attributed to their liberal bias, though it can’t hurt that the administration wines and dines them. In September 2011, Obama invited one anchor from every network to have lunch at the White House—at taxpayer expense.
100
Conservatives, however, took more of an interest in Obama’s detachment from his duties of office. On Sean Hannity’s show, the
Wall Street Journal
‘s Stephen Moore observed, “Yes, look, there had been three big crises in the last few months. First, we have the big budget crisis, we saw what happened to the president’s budget; it was simply a punt. Then we have the speech the president gave last week on energy policy. I mean, we’ve got $100 a barrel oil now, Sean. And what did he say? More green energy, more of the same, no change in policy. And … I think it has been kind of callus to see the president this time, you know, an emergency around the world, to be playing golf and filling out his NCAA [brackets].”
Wall Street Journal
‘s Stephen Moore observed, “Yes, look, there had been three big crises in the last few months. First, we have the big budget crisis, we saw what happened to the president’s budget; it was simply a punt. Then we have the speech the president gave last week on energy policy. I mean, we’ve got $100 a barrel oil now, Sean. And what did he say? More green energy, more of the same, no change in policy. And … I think it has been kind of callus to see the president this time, you know, an emergency around the world, to be playing golf and filling out his NCAA [brackets].”
Dana Perino, press secretary to President George W. Bush, added to the list Obama’s indecision on Libya. “And what he decides to engage on versus not engage on, it’s a moving target, impossible to tell what he actually wants to get across,” said Perino. “On Libya, for example, there’s still deliberating about a no-fly zone. I mean, at some [point] you either are going to try to help the rebels or you’re not, let’s just decide and move on.”
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A few days later, Obama and his family went on a trip that the
Los Angeles Times
‘ Andrew Malcolm described as “five days of parties, toasts and sightseeing across South America.” While he was on what he billed as a diplomatic and trade mission, Obama was under fire for having launched attacks on Libya without congressional approval or consultation. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden had just returned from a fundraising trip to Florida, where he visited the New York Yankees training camp, receiving a cap and jacket, and indulged in photo-ops.
“IT’S HELL. I CAN’T STAND IT”Los Angeles Times
‘ Andrew Malcolm described as “five days of parties, toasts and sightseeing across South America.” While he was on what he billed as a diplomatic and trade mission, Obama was under fire for having launched attacks on Libya without congressional approval or consultation. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden had just returned from a fundraising trip to Florida, where he visited the New York Yankees training camp, receiving a cap and jacket, and indulged in photo-ops.
For her part, Michelle Obama, when not cajoling Americans to eat wood shavings, was self-consciously becoming a style leader, hardly discouraging the media’s incessant focus on her wardrobe.
Shine
reported, “Over the past few years, Michelle Obama has generated about $2.7 billion for the fashion industry, just by getting dressed.” The report revealed how closely “style guru” Ikram Goldman had worked with Mrs. Obama.
102
While some say she dresses modestly, Michelle apparently enjoys her image as a fashion icon and is unafraid to carry a $1,000 Reed Krakoff two-tone ribboned handbag.
103
Shine
reported, “Over the past few years, Michelle Obama has generated about $2.7 billion for the fashion industry, just by getting dressed.” The report revealed how closely “style guru” Ikram Goldman had worked with Mrs. Obama.
102
While some say she dresses modestly, Michelle apparently enjoys her image as a fashion icon and is unafraid to carry a $1,000 Reed Krakoff two-tone ribboned handbag.
103
Despite all the attention and fawning press coverage, reports surfaced that Michelle Obama, though luxuriating at taxpayer expense, was not happy in her position as first lady. Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in her newly released biography, revealed that Michelle told her that being first lady is “hell. I can’t stand it.”
104
104
Michelle later took a little heat for her high-end fashion choices, wearing $2,000 sundresses and other expensive items. As one critic observed, “She claims to be a champion of the poor and a fellow bargain shopper, but yet, here she is, sporting a dress that no unemployed American can afford.”
105
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But the liberal media were not in any rush to expose the Obamas’ hypocrisy, and there was scant press mention of the grandiose jewelry Michelle was wearing at a DNC fundraiser in New York in September. According to a report linked by the Drudge Report, she wore “Katie’s Lotus cuff priced at $15,000 with 2.9 carats of diamonds, her Gothic cuff at $15,350 with 2.17 carats in diamonds and the Quatrefoil bracelet at $11,800 with 1.73 carats in diamonds.”
106
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That $42,000 display of wealth skipped most media attention, but the media establishment was not so quiet when she showed up on the season debut of
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
, an appearance that provoked ABC News anchor Josh Elliott to rave about what a “cool lady” Michelle Obama is.
107
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
, an appearance that provoked ABC News anchor Josh Elliott to rave about what a “cool lady” Michelle Obama is.
107
Michelle wasn’t shy about making fashion something the taxpayers should support. In September 2011, Mrs. Obama joined with TV’s Tim Gunn to honor the nation’s top designers at the White House, celebrating innovations from fashion to floor-cleaning products. Straining to shoehorn the production into a public service template, Mrs. Obama said, “Good design is good citizenship.”
108
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ABC wasn’t the only network swooning over Mrs. Obama. The
Today Show
devoted a segment to showcasing her trip to a Target store in Alexandria, Virginia, showing a series of photos of the event. Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O’Donnell could barely contain her adoration. “Check this out,” she said. “Behind those dark glasses, tucked under that Nike cap, one of the world’s most famous women. Yes, that is the First Lady of the United States at Target.” Other reporters joined in, praising Mrs. Obama for this media stunt designed to appear that she could relate to ordinary people during tough economic times. “It’s great PR for them,” commented
Huffington Post
senior politics editor Howard Fineman, “because they can say, ‘Look, on this trip and others, we know what’s going on outside the gates of the White House.’”
109
“A BETTER PLANE” AND “A BIGGER ENTOURAGE”Today Show
devoted a segment to showcasing her trip to a Target store in Alexandria, Virginia, showing a series of photos of the event. Capitol Hill correspondent Kelly O’Donnell could barely contain her adoration. “Check this out,” she said. “Behind those dark glasses, tucked under that Nike cap, one of the world’s most famous women. Yes, that is the First Lady of the United States at Target.” Other reporters joined in, praising Mrs. Obama for this media stunt designed to appear that she could relate to ordinary people during tough economic times. “It’s great PR for them,” commented
Huffington Post
senior politics editor Howard Fineman, “because they can say, ‘Look, on this trip and others, we know what’s going on outside the gates of the White House.’”
109
As the first lady alternated between showing off $2,000 dresses and slumming at Target, Barack Obama continued trying to identify with the suffering everyman, stoking class warfare’s flames everywhere he went. At a Democratic fundraiser in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts, he bragged about his record, notwithstanding his failure to make a dent in the sluggish economy despite wasting trillions of dollars on bogus stimulus spending, and even apologized to leftists in attendance for not having spent enough and for going along with some proposed spending “cuts.” Obama said that America should not be about the “haves and the have-nots. That’s not the America that I envision for Malia and Sasha. And so we’re going to have a lot of work to do.”
110
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The next day, Obama returned to the White House to host yet another party, this one during midweek, to watch the Chicago Bulls with some of his pals in Congress.
111
He also undermined his common-man shtick during a speech, ostensibly about the tough economic times, at a plant in North Carolina, which he opened by boasting that he had “a better plane” and traveled “with a bigger entourage” than he had when he’d visited the plant some three years ago as a presidential candidate.
112
It’s understandable that big money and hefty benefits would be on Obama’s mind. At a fundraiser disguised as his fiftieth birthday party in Chicago, tickets sold for as much as $35,800 per couple, with the donations going to Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
113
111
He also undermined his common-man shtick during a speech, ostensibly about the tough economic times, at a plant in North Carolina, which he opened by boasting that he had “a better plane” and traveled “with a bigger entourage” than he had when he’d visited the plant some three years ago as a presidential candidate.
112
It’s understandable that big money and hefty benefits would be on Obama’s mind. At a fundraiser disguised as his fiftieth birthday party in Chicago, tickets sold for as much as $35,800 per couple, with the donations going to Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
113
In June 2011, Michelle Obama took her children, her mother, and friends to South Africa and Botswana at an estimated taxpayer cost of between $700,000 and $800,000.
114
The stated purpose of her trip was “youth leadership, education, health and wellness,” which was a controversial allocation of federal funds given the nation’s difficult economic times and the federal debt. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau allowed that the trip was somewhat of a personal pilgrimage for Michelle Obama.
114
The stated purpose of her trip was “youth leadership, education, health and wellness,” which was a controversial allocation of federal funds given the nation’s difficult economic times and the federal debt. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau allowed that the trip was somewhat of a personal pilgrimage for Michelle Obama.
Because the White House again refused to disclose an itemized listing of the expenses associated with the first lady’s trip,
115
on August 19, Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information action against the U.S. Air Force to obtain financial records. According to Judicial Watch’s website, the military aircraft and crew alone cost at least $424,142. The passenger manifest revealed that the Obama daughters were listed as “senior staff.” “This trip was as much an opportunity for the Obama family to go on a safari as it was a trip to conduct government business,” declared Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This junket wasted tax dollars and the resources of our overextended military. No wonder we had to pry loose this information.”
116
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on August 19, Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information action against the U.S. Air Force to obtain financial records. According to Judicial Watch’s website, the military aircraft and crew alone cost at least $424,142. The passenger manifest revealed that the Obama daughters were listed as “senior staff.” “This trip was as much an opportunity for the Obama family to go on a safari as it was a trip to conduct government business,” declared Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This junket wasted tax dollars and the resources of our overextended military. No wonder we had to pry loose this information.”
116
This back and forth between the White House and Judicial Watch turned into its own news item.
U.S. News & World Report
‘s Washington Whispers section reported, “A fight has broken out between the White House, its defenders and a conservative public watchdog group over first lady Michelle Obama’s travel costs and how they are calculated.” The White House was in a snit over Judicial Watch’s tabulation of the costs, but Fitton insisted his numbers were accurate.
117
“THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A PRESIDENTIAL VACATION”U.S. News & World Report
‘s Washington Whispers section reported, “A fight has broken out between the White House, its defenders and a conservative public watchdog group over first lady Michelle Obama’s travel costs and how they are calculated.” The White House was in a snit over Judicial Watch’s tabulation of the costs, but Fitton insisted his numbers were accurate.
117
In a Friday document dump, the White House, hoping to avoid the week’s news cycle, released figures on its staff salaries. Obama pays twenty-one of his staffers the maximum allowable amount of $172,000 a year and a third of all White House employees make at least $100,000.
118
Despite the struggling economy, more than half the employees received a raise, by an average of 8 percent.
119
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Despite the struggling economy, more than half the employees received a raise, by an average of 8 percent.
119
In July, it was reported that the Obamas would be taking another vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. The
Boston Herald
‘s Margery Eagan, a self-described Obama fan, noted that a new Marist Poll showed that 55 percent of American adults would not take a summer vacation in 2011. “The ‘staycation’ of 2009,” she wrote, “has morphed into the ‘Naycation’ of 2011. But Obama, who’s got us panicked over his debt-ceiling stalemate, will soon be off—again—to Blue Heron Farm, Martha’s Vineyard. Check out the pictures of this ‘farm’ online. You practically drool. It looks like the centerfold of ‘Town and Country,’ the magazine for aspiring zillionaires. But unless Obama fixes this fiscal disaster—now—he can’t go. He should have a staycay like the rest of us.”
120
Boston Herald
‘s Margery Eagan, a self-described Obama fan, noted that a new Marist Poll showed that 55 percent of American adults would not take a summer vacation in 2011. “The ‘staycation’ of 2009,” she wrote, “has morphed into the ‘Naycation’ of 2011. But Obama, who’s got us panicked over his debt-ceiling stalemate, will soon be off—again—to Blue Heron Farm, Martha’s Vineyard. Check out the pictures of this ‘farm’ online. You practically drool. It looks like the centerfold of ‘Town and Country,’ the magazine for aspiring zillionaires. But unless Obama fixes this fiscal disaster—now—he can’t go. He should have a staycay like the rest of us.”
120
Again, people were buzzing about the projected price tag, including the mainstream media, some of whom noted that while the Obamas were paying for some of the costs, there would be serious taxpayer funds used for Secret Service and staff housing on the property.
121
The trip was eleven days long and cost taxpayers millions of dollars because of the “dozens of U.S. Secret Service agents, communications officials, top aides, drivers, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel.”
U.S. News & World Report
noted that the vacation “comes at an awkward time because of the economic turmoil roiling the nation and Wall Street. Surveys show that a growing number of Americans can’t afford even small vacations.”
122
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The trip was eleven days long and cost taxpayers millions of dollars because of the “dozens of U.S. Secret Service agents, communications officials, top aides, drivers, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel.”
U.S. News & World Report
noted that the vacation “comes at an awkward time because of the economic turmoil roiling the nation and Wall Street. Surveys show that a growing number of Americans can’t afford even small vacations.”
122
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