Sigh. Barry, Barry, Barry. TheHill.Com is reporting that President Obama, at a town hall today in New Hampshire, said this:
"When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college."
Sound vaguely familiar? Maybe that's because Obama took a licking for months over LAST February's invocation of Las Vegas as an example of inappropriate travel in a speech in Indiana. That time, he said that banks who take bailout money from the government shouldn't use the money for junkets and stuff. The exact quote was:
"You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take that trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers' dime."
The first time, he was taken apart by Mayor Goodman and others for allegedly implying that all business travel by everyone to Vegas should be a recessionary no-no. Goodman took the remarks out of context and the media allowed him to do so and out of context remains where they've stayed.
Justified or not, that's the history. So for Obama to get up again and make discouraging remarks about travel to Vegas is quite ill-advised. His point, that people shouldn't indulge in luxuries they can't afford could be stated in many other ways without directly referencing a specific place, especially one that's in so much economic pain right now. Trust us, Mr. President, people have already cut out their Vegas visiting.
So Obama is about to nailed for it. In spectacular fashion. I'm surprised R-J Publisher Sherm Frederick hasn't gotten to it yet, but maybe he tripped on a puddle of his own drool.
Irony: This was supposed to be a good day for Obama in Las Vegas. By most accounts, today he and Sen. Harry Reid killed the Yucca Mountain nuke dump project. Oh well.
