Today, President Obama headed off to Martha’s Vineyard for his now annual August vacation. Throughout the media questions continue to be raised about Obama’s vacationing while the economy is stagnant, unemployment remains above 9%, and still there is no plan from the White House to address these issues.
In response to this newest round of criticisms of the President, White House spokesman Jay Carney responded that “There is no such thing as a Presidential vacation.” He continued to state that the job follows the President wherever he goes.
In truth, Carney is correct, particularly with today’s telecommunication technology, most working professionals – the President included, are more than capable of working remotely from anywhere they have access to a telephone and an internet connection. I have no doubt that in a practical sense, President Obama is just as incapable of doing his job from the White House as he is from Martha’s Vineyard, however the President’s constant vacationing sends the American people a message and projects an image. In this case it projects a lack of concern for the difficulties being faced by the American people and a lack of leadership.
When discussing the needs for a jobs plan this week in Iowa the President reiterated that he would propose new legislation and policies as soon as Congress gets back to Washington next month. A real leader would announce his plan and demand that Congress come back and act on the plan immediately. Instead he is out playing golf.
This is just one more example of how out of touch the President is with the realities that Americans face every day. It is no wonder that his approval numbers continue to find new lows.
