It is thus ironic that this is exactly where Rush Limbaugh is vacationing, something I know because of news reports of his heart attack and subsequent hospitalization. Evidently Rush and Obama were staying close to each other.

I believe there is at least one national park in Hawaii. Never been there, but I hear it's a doozy.

"Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place." -- Kevin Madden

That's what I thought about the previous president's vacation spot. Texas seems like a third-world country to me.

It's only exotic to those on the East Coast because it's like a 10 hour flight there. They go to the beach in Florida instead. On the West Coast, Hawaii is about the same distance Florida is from New York so everyone goes to Hawaii instead. These people need to get out more I think.

Mitt should watch his lip. Those who think Hawaii "foreign" should try a visit to Utah.

Did John McCain secretly win last year since Politico and Cokie Roberts could never be wrong about the "optics" of politics? McCain has been on TV quite a bit this year.

Madden added that "Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place."

They really do celebrate their stupidity. This is the problem. They believe that in politics, stupidity wins the day. And we will never, ever, be able to out-stupid them.

Now that Limbaugh is in a hospital their, I'm sure they will reinstate Hawaii as a state.

Dog-whistle politics: those multi-racials just give some people the willies--so hard to know who's a darkie and who isn't.

Madden added that "Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place."

Yep, it's not as if any Real Americans in the Real United States cared about Hawaii being bombed by the Japanese in 1941...

Since both Alaska and Hawaii became states in the same year, I guess that makes Alaska a "foreign place," too. I look forward to the commentary about Sarah Palin being out of touch with Real Americans since she's from such an exotic place as Alaska...

"Those who think Hawaii "foreign" should try a visit to Utah."

Yup, been there done that. Sidewalks rolled up by dark and no alcohol unless you BYOB. Funny thing though, many mormons doing business in Vegas making money from degenerate gamblers and drinkers. There is a massive temple there too, overlooking the entire valley.

Oh, the irony! Hawaii is the number one tourist destination of Alaskans during the winter months!

LOL Before Florida became the Snowbird capital of the country I recall the hullabaloo over Nixon's fishing vacations on Key Biscayne with his buddy Bebe Rebozo.

Limbaugh probably just went to validate Obama's birth certificate.
Anyone notice that he is back on the pain meds?
That according to report from the hospital.

There are two National Parks and several National Historical Parks in the Hawaiian islands. But you couldn't expect a highly-paid political poobah to know something like that, could you?

In any case, those parks are too "exotic," with volcanoes and such. A real American national park should at least have have grizzly bears or rattlesnakes.

Kevin Madden doesn't know his a** from a hole in the ground.

Talk to any Texan and he'll tell you Texas is a whole other country ... and better.

Take it from a native, Texas is a third world country surpassed only by Lousyanna. Heartfelt condolences to Hawaii. Hopefully there's a local company that can remove dead whales from the beach :)

It's dog whistle racism. When you think of Texas, you think of the Confederacy, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie fighting Mexicans at the Alamo, cowboys... When you think of Hawaii, you think of brown people.

Hawaii doesn't read as 'foreign' to me, but it does read as 'luxurious'. The folks Sarah Palin considers to be real Americans don't get to go there for their vacations. If I was on the P.R. team, I'd probably spinning these trips as 'visits home' instead of 'vacations in Hawaii'.

That said, criticizing the president for going home on vacation shows how deep conservatives have to dig to trash the guy.

1) Saint Ronald Reagan actually did vacation in foreign lands -- Barbados, in particular -- a lot during his first term.

2) "Real American" Sarah Palin went to COLLEGE in Hawaii, of all places, as the first stop on her multi-college journey to her Sports Journalism degree.

But facts don't matter if you are a Republican or a media pundit.

They really do celebrate their stupidity. This is the problem. They believe that in politics, stupidity wins the day. And we will never, ever, be able to out-stupid them.

problem is, they're right. Americans drink up teh stupid....facts, not so much... and oh yea, truth is boring.

Those dumbfucks can only dream of going to Hawaii. It is the greatest place on earth. I have been there at least 10 times and every minute spent there is like being in heaven. Right now I am stuck working in Washington DC where it is 30 degrees. Any moron that would prefer this to the high 70s that Honolulu will see everyday this winter has something wrong with him. My home is Los Angeles and Hawaii is where everybody that can afford it goes for vacation. God I wish I was eating at Duke's tonight.

Talk to any Texan and he'll tell you Texas is a whole other country ... and better.

Texas is really special. All over the country you see bumper stickers with slogans like "Don't mess with Texas".

You never see "Don't mess with Conneticut" or "Don't mess with Tennessee" or "Don't mess with Illinois" or any other state.

Texas is one giant sized ego problem and a symbol of all that's wrong with America. We can't let them secede fast enough.

"The folks Sarah Palin considers to be real Americans don't get to go there for their vacations."

Except Palin herself, who vacationed in Hawaii a few weeks ago.

"Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place." -- Kevin Madden

I guess the attack on Pearl Harbor was not an attack on America, then. You mean we entered WWII for NOTHING?? I am so confused.

Any chance this item and comment thread could be sent to Roberts and Madden to, you know, help them get a clue?

RushBo is holidaying out there too and he's supposed to be a man of the people, my friendssshhhh.

If our elected officials are any indication, reality is a foreign place to many Americans.

Well, it's good to know that Hawaii has become acceptable now that Rush Limbaugh vacations there. Having our duly elected President and his family vacation there only reflected the foreigness of it. What a ridiculous group of people we have as commentators.
I mayself have been to Hawaii several times and not once did I have to use my passport.

My mom and dad loved Hawaii and would save up and travel there every few years so they could enjoy the scenery. They would sacrifice so they could travel there and for their 50th had flowers and stuff sent from Hawaii. Hawaii is cool, millions of people love it and think of it as a wonderful place to visit. Leave it alone.

I live on the West Coast and many people I talk to here look at me in slight disbelief when I say I've never been to Hawaii. In the lunchroom at work, I've overheard conversations where people compare their various preferences for particular island, based on multiple visits. It's cheaper to go there than to my inlaws in Texas.

No one here seems surprised when I say I haven't been to Florida.

BTW, I'm 50, and Hawaii has been an actual state, not some exotic territory, my whole life.

No wonder I have trouble understanding what those Villagers in DC are talking about.

"Those who think Hawaii "foreign" should try a visit to Utah."

"Yup, been there done that. Sidewalks rolled up by dark and no alcohol unless you BYOB."

~~~
I guess those yahoos that were partying and driving their vehicles around the campground like maniacs (which prompted us to leave) at a campground in Utah a bunch of years back did bring their own beer, etc. We later heard that wasn't unusual for campgrounds that weren't too far from towns.

That said, our family enjoys Utah, at least all of the beautiful National Parks & Monuments in the state. And Moab the town isn't too bad.

Is Rush is Hawaii?

So freaking exotic, huh?

The President can't do anything right in the eyes of the Right --- so let it be.

It's related to the idea that Obama is not a real American native because Hawaii is "foreign."

Hawaii is influenced by the vast Pacific Ocean and the steady rays of our star.

When Waimea Bay broke during Pearl Harbor Day this year, the world flocked to Hawaii.

Damn straight it's exotic.

Volcanoes active and ancient, gorgeous world class waves, leys, sunkist beaches, rainforests, hula honeys.

Yum.

Easy Bro' Cool Head Main Thing.

I do not expect any of today's republicans to actually know that the United States of America has 50 states and that Hawaii is one of them. They enjoy wallowing in ignorance and pettiness these days.

When you get right down to it, this is really a slur against the entire state of Hawaii and its citizens, who are no doubt proud Americans. There's no getting around it, when this scumbag talks about Hawaii as somehow "foreign" or whatever, he's saying they're not "one of us" and it's obvious dog whistle racism and xenophobia.

Romney's spokesman is a real fucking asshole and I think someone's got to find a way to ask Romney himself if he feels the same way. It would be unusual for a presidential candidate, even a Repub, to blatantly describe one of the fifty states as somehow foreign or less American than the rest of the country. Sure, you hear them describe cities(where most Americans live) or San Francisco like that, but I don't recall an entire state being singled out really for no other reason than as a way to de-legitimize the president. Fucking scum.

So easy to do a little research. Current prices on Expedia. Price includes roundtrip flights from Chicago (the former home of the President) and a stay from Sun, Jan 24 to Sat Jan 30 in a Hyatt Regency hotel.

Miami, FL (HR Coral Gables): $835
Honolulu, HI (HR Waikiki Beach): $1022

So, even for a couple flying from Chicago -- which is a lot closer to the Atlantic than the Pacific, there's about a $200 difference per person, which might easily be made up for by the fact that you'd be visiting your home state.

And, of course, if you're just a schlub living in LA, the same flight to and hotel in Hawaii's actually about $100 cheaper than the Florida equivalent.

So Rush Limbaugh went golfing in Hawaii. And we still haven't heard from him after the attempted terrorist bombing on Christmas Day.

Does anyone besides me notice the astounding irony of Cokie Roberts promoting this idiocy? This gal was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans, which is at least as "exotic" and "foreign-seeming" as Hawaii, which is why New Orleans (pre Katrina and even to some extent now) was likewise a popular tourist spot, for people who wanted a little taste of tropical scenery and a mix of French and Caribbean culture without needing a passport.

So when can we expect a Republican-sponsored bill restoring Hawaii as the sovereign nation it was before we took it over and handing it back to the Hawaiian people?

Why, yes, I *do* believe in the Easter Bunny. Why do you ask?

Those who think Hawaii "foreign" should try a visit to Utah. - penalcolony @ 9:21

I guess those yahoos that were partying and driving their vehicles around the campground like maniacs... - Me @ 11:01

The first comment had me laughing, the second one brought back painful memories. Try finding someplace to stay for the night with a roll-in shower. Discounting the blank stares, one place volunteered to remove doors and whatnot in the hopes we'd somehow lost our minds and would stay in a place that wouldn't work. They did express considerable outrage at those who work on their dirt bikes in the rooms for the next days activities. Long story short, we drove many miles out of way to find a nice new place with a roll under counter (only). For those in wheelchairs, plan your trip through Utah on a single day.

Foreign, you mean kinda like Alaska? Lord, what I would have paid to be doing the interview

"Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place."

Yeah, so doesn New MEXICO.

Seriously, the guy goes on vacation to Hawaii and is attacked for going somewhere "exotic" and foreign sounding. He goes on vaction to Martha's Vineyard and catches the same sort of crap.

My question is, how many of his numerous, extensive vacations did Dubyah Gump spend at the Motel 6 in Akron?

How Hawaii must have changed since I was last there.

Back in those days, there were white folks, many of them elderly, everywhere. United Air Lines was flying 'em in by the planeload, the Hilton Hawaiian Village was crawling with them.

As Archie Bunker might say, "those were the days".

not for viewers of Dog the Bounty Hunter is it exotic. of course non of the commenters do.

Where is Hawaii's birth certificate?

"Hawaii to many Americans seems like a foreign place."

That may be true, but those are very, very stupid people. And the idea that "real Americans" are very, very stupid has got to end at some point. Ever since Ronald Reagan made stupidity (as opposed to "book learnin'") not just acceptable, but in the rightwing-dominated-liberal-media's eyes, a defining characteristic of "real Americans", the level of discourse on TV and in newspapers has become dumber and dumber.

These same "many Americans" support Sarah Palin, and despite the fact that she lost in a humiliatingly large defeat in 2008, to the media it wasn't real Americans that elected President Obama in a landslide. It's these "many Americans" (ie. morons) who deny evolution, think Jesus of Nazareth was a white guy, are opposed to healthcare reform, and HATE well-read, well-spoken, knowledgeable, sophisticated people.

There are more "real Americans" living in New York than in Mississippi. That's an undeniable fact. Why must we always cater to the mouth-breathing, ass-picking, shockingly stupid dittoheads out there who are naive, ignorant, proud that they don't read (like Sarah Palin), proud they can't speak intelligently (like George W Bush) and are proud that they see our 50th state as a foreign country (like Cokie Roberts)?

We used to correct people when they said something that was wrong. Today, our media defers to these shockingly stupid "many Americans" and mocks those Americans who don't have their head's up their arses.