Nature and the 'news' abhor a vacuum, so the right throws chaff into the wind, hoping that some of it appears on the ever vigilant radar screens of the MSM.

-besides, cruising the internet in air conditioned comfort beats the heck out of wearing out shoe leather looking for Deep Throat. . .

Don't they know the prez has TV -- it's not like we're in the Dark Ages. He also has two young girls... What about time with them? Where's the party of family values when you need them?

Since when is a weekend trip a vacation?

"Since when is a weekend trip a vacation?"

Since when do blacks have the right for a weekend?

Yes, and Michelle Malkin (!) was quoted as proof that the Obama's short vacation was "controversial" in the NYTimes article (July 17th) by Sheryl Gay Stolberg. What, Stolberg couldn't find a Holocaust denier to quote on this important topic? Oh, wait....Also mentioned was the canard that GW Bush had 'given up golf' for the duration of the Iraq war.

It's one thing for Republicans to complain and criticize -- that's what they do. It's quite another for the dumbass media to treat their criticism as a legitimate story.

No one should casually dismiss this as "It's OK If You're a Republican." When Republicans aren't aggressively trying to suppress "the wrong people" from voting - through lies, intimidation, inadequate numbers of voting machines in low-income high-density districts - they try to suppress the vote passively. And they've learned one of the most effective ways to suppress voters from coming out is to make them think both sides are equally awful. They don't really give a crap if you don't think they can solve the nation's problems, as long as you think Democrats can't solve them either. So a non-issue (President takign a weekend off with his family? HANG HIM!) becomes a major issue. A minor issue blows up to a MAAAAAJOR issue. And major issues are grounds to draw and quarter him, burn his carcass and salt the earth so nothing grows on that spot again.

I'm as disappointed as many that Obama hasn't taken a more aggressive approach to not only fulfilling his agenda, but fulfilling as he promised. No public option, no push to end DADT, not doing enough to keep Congressional Dems' oars in the same direction, etc. But this sort of "news" is only meant to make low-info voters - the oens who already think ill of Republicans - also think ill of Obama. t least, think poorly enough of him that they don't bother voting for him or for other Dems or believe in a Democratic agenda. They're all just as bad as each other, the Republicans on the TV just said so! If they can keep you voting, they win. Because they never stay home on Election Day.

Since when is a weekend trip a vacation?

01-20-2009

I just quiver with sympathetic excitement when I read Michelle Malkin is keeping the country safe for the insane .

Frustrating as it is, keep in mind that the media - and therefore the American public - are only able to retain 6 months (or less!) worth of history at a time. That means Bush's record-breaking vacation tally no longer exists, and pointing it out would be tantamount to "blaming the previous administration".

The simply answer to why the RNC makes these demonstrably absurd claims (as I'm sure all of WM's readers know) is that they consistently work due to the overwhelming ignorance of the public and the MSM's utter failure to point the reality any context would provide.

Bush took so much time off that when he had friends over he showed them slides of work.

You're assuming that Americans have any kind of memory, and aren't easily confused. That's the fundamental flaw with this blog.

Yes, but how many days has he spent in the Oval Office without wearing a tie or a jacket? There is the true outrage. What has happened to our country?!?

People are right that this isn't a matter of logical equivalence. It's about illogical equivalence. We keep hitting back with reason, but that puts Democrats on the defensive, which is entirely the point. Republicans don't want to talk about their record, don't want to talk about what they will do once in office—so they have us trying to defend the defensible, which is fine by them. We lose by winning.

That said, the logical response is pretty simple: Obama has had the most successful 18 months since Ronald Reagan took office (and, I'd say, far more successful since he was largely just tearing things down, not remaking them).

What, exactly, had Bush done to earn his days off?

According to Malkin, every day Obama's not out pickin' cotton should count as a vacation day.

This is NOT a minor frustrating quirk, but an obnoxious and successful strategy. When the Republiscum attack Democrats for Republiscum failings, it diminishes their own reprehensibility in the public's mind to confused thoughts of "they all do it", "it's all just talking points", and "there's no real difference between Obama and Bush or D's and R's, so it doesn't matter who wins".

Did anyone say 'shiftless'?

Yet?

Slappy Mango you are whack and out of touch if you think Obama hasn't been agressive enough. He never presented himself as a flaming Liberal. How many times does this man's accomplishments have to be listed before you acknowledge all that he has done. What he accomplished is real, it wasn't easy stuff like school uniforms, these were serious issues that needed to be addressed. And the out of touch comment refers to the fact that most people are over the public option and aren't exactly going to the mat for DADT. Those two issues aren't even in the top 20 of what most Americans want. Do/did they want it? sure. Are these deal breakers? no.

65 days over 18 mos. is less than one day per week (65/78=0.83). 216 over 18 mos. is almost three days per week (216/78=2.77).

Then again, considering how awful W was as president, maybe it's a good thing he didn't work much.

If anything, Obama needs to take more time off considering how tough the job has been. Has anyone else noticed how gray he's gotten?

Someone needs to tally the number of days Bush spent away during and in the aftermath of Katrina for the same period of time. I'm pretty sure the numbers would be much, much higher.

While the response is perhaps justified, this smacks of "I know you are but what am I?"

"65 days over 18 mos. is less than one day per week (65/78=0.83). 216 over 18 mos. is almost three days per week (216/78=2.77). "

that's not a plausible number. no way bush took 216 vacation days in 18 mos. Benen got suckered.

It's also noteworthy that GWB spent his off time at time at (A)the private estate of his wealthy forebears B)secluded on his private photo-op faux ranch and (C)sequestered in the secure Presidential Compound at Camp Dave. President Obama has taken his family to National Parks. Such different visuals!

There have to be more interesting lines of attack for the GOP. This is mind-numbing.

republicans are insane

the corporate media legitimizes there insanity because its good for the plutocrats' agenda of thievery and malfeasance.

it is foolish and a waste of time and energy to spend time pointing out republican insanity - its by design.

Yes, but when Bush went on vacation, it was still hard, muscular, athletic *work* -- brush whacking, bike racing with Lance and such. The wussy (and shiftless, as someone mentioned above) Obama OTOH, goes sightseeing with his girls... I ask you, is that presidential behaviour?

considering how awful W was as president, maybe it's a good thing he didn't work much.

On the flip side of that...

A) Obama is a nincompoop and has the reverse Midas touch. everything he does is crap.
B) Obama should get personally involved with every problem our country faces, never taking a break until all our problems are solved.

Conservatives, do the words "mutually exclusive" mean anything to you?

Pick a meme, and stick to it.