Part of the mental gymnastics it takes to be a card-carrying member of the “Blame Obama no matter what” conservative base is finding ways to ignore anything the president does that would be impossible to criticize – like volunteering and charity.
In a now fairly common snipe, conservatives are going crazy over the idea that Obama allowed himself to have a short vacation during the holiday break. The nuttery was so boisterous that even conservative politicians got in on the act, bashing the president for the audacity to take a day off… while they themselves were on vacation.
It also leads to uncomfortable reminders like this one:
Image via CBS News
But in their efforts to lash out at Obama over every little thing, conservatives are forced to do the most uncomfortable thing possible: pretend George W. Bush was a shinning counter-example to Obama’s excesses. It’s no easy task, as we shall see.
In the latest example, conservative website Independent Journal Review, decided to argue that Obama’s vacation showed a lack of presidential poise. Titled “How the Bushes Spent Christmas in Office is One More Striking Difference between Them and the Obamas,” the article went on to describe Bush’s Christmas’ as times of great charity and thoughtfulness, whereas Obama might as well be renamed “The Grinch.”
While [the Bush’s] were in the White House, they always delayed their trip home to Texas until after Christmas.Instead, they’d spend the days leading up to Christmas relaxing in Camp David, a presidential retreat located just 62 miles away from D.C.…When President Bush made Christmas calls to the troops, it was on Christmas Eve from Camp David.
If you’re wondering why that makes Bush sound better, it doesn’t. The author, so confident going into the article, now can’t find any good reason why Bush is a better vacationer than Obama. It would be embarrassing if it weren’t so predictable.
The best thing the writer can come with is this pitiful jab:
In contrast, during President Obama’s 17-day trip to Hawaii (which starts before Christmas and lasts through the New Year) there is no press plane. Any family members wanting to join their loved ones have to pay for it, at a cost of about $1000 per family member.
Obama is worse because he left before Christmas and didn’t pay for reporters’ families to join them in Hawaii (a move that would have obviously been slammed by Republicans as “wasteful spending” had he done so). Good grief.
As for the time with the troops, President Bush literally phoned it in. He stayed in Camp David, relaxing. Obama actually spent the day with active soldiers, veterans, and their families.
The Obamas on Christmas Day in Hawaii (via Twitter)
Late this afternoon, as promised, the Obamas made the quick ride over to Marine Corps Base Hawaii … to say thank you to military families. The President has made this trip an annual event and he was joined by Mrs. Obama.
“So on a day when we celebrate the Prince of Peace and many of us count our blessings, one of the greatest blessings we have is the extraordinary dedication and sacrifices you all make,” he told the troops. “We could not be more thankful. I know I speak for everyone in the entire country when I say, we salute you.”
Wow, what a heartless Scrooge our president is, spending his Christmas with the men and women in uniform. Sitting in Camp David using the speed dial must have been so much more taxing for President Bush then actually having to face the troops he was sending into war.
The conservative critics also fail to mention the day before he left D.C. in which he spent time volunteering with Toys for Tots (and making a powerful statement about gender roles, as well). Obama has spent the season of giving, well, you know, giving.
On the other hand, a viral story about George W. Bush dressing up as Santa this year and visiting sick kids turned out to be (not kidding) just a random guy – which has led to all kinds of awkward tweets from conservatives who were duped.
Ever see Barry do this? Nah…,he has to go to Hawaii for a few weeks. http://t.co/RcUgJaEn5u
— Lil Madam Butterfly (@LiliButterfly) December 21, 2014
Yet another reason I’ll always <3 W. Can’t imagine any other living POTUS doing thishttp://t.co/ocMWOe3mIg #hewitt #tcot — Cathy York (@photog357) December 21, 2014
Hard to imagine, because it never happened. After the story bounced around the Internet a few hundred times, it was quietly debunked by people who were actually at the hospital. Bush was nowhere to be found.
In other words, the conservative article was right about one thing: There are some striking differences between the way Obama and Bush chose to spend their holidays. Bush: aloof and focused on his family. Obama: charitable and focused on everyone’s families.
The economy is booming, Obama’s poll numbers are soaring, and conservatives are beginning to freak out. We should expect to see a great deal more of these petty, poorly-argued hit pieces in the future as the substantive Republican anti-Obama talking points continue to fall under scrutiny.
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