Posted on 08/08/2010 7:59:21 AM PDT by Schnucki
What the great French historian Alexis de Tocqueville would make of today’s Obama administration were he alive today is anyone’s guess. But I would wager that the author of L’Ancien Régime and Democracy in America would be less than impressed with the extravagance and arrogance on display among the White House elites that rule America as though they had been handed some divine right to govern with impunity.
It is the kind of impunity that has been highlighted on the world stage this week by Michelle Obama’s hugely costly trip to Spain, which has prompted a New York Post columnist Andrea Tantaros to dub the First Lady a contemporary Marie Antoinette. As The Telegraph reports, while the Obamas are covering their own vacation expenses such as accommodation, the trip may cost US taxpayers as much as $375,000 in terms of secret service security and flight costs on Air Force Two.
The timing of this lavish European vacation could not have come at a worse moment, when unemployment in America stands at 10 percent, and large numbers of Americans are fighting to survive financially in the wake of the global economic downturn. It sends a message of indifference, even contempt, for the millions of Americans who are struggling just to feed their families on a daily basis and pay the mortgage, while the size of the national debt balloons to Greek-style proportions.
While the liberal-dominated US mainstream media have largely ignored the story, it is all over the blogosphere and talk radio, and will undoubtedly add to the President’s free falling poll ratings. As much as the media establishment turn a blind eye to stories like this, which are major news in the international media, the American public is increasingly turning to alternative news sources, including the British press, which has
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
The only reason Michele and Barak campaigned with such intensity is the unlimited entertainment they would have. They can now put on airs beyond their wildest dreams.The Obamas only complain about public scrutiny when such scrutiny places them in a bad light.
Well said, and bears repeating.
It could have been anyone of his group that got elected and we would have the same results. Obama would probably in their cabinet.
Obama was picked precisely because he is half black - half white. I would not be surprised if his mother and father did it on purpose knowing that in the future such a mix of races would be, at some point, impossible to question knowing that the race card could be thrown no matter which side did the questioning.
With all that we have learned through Beck's continuing exposure of the progressive movement I bet there are several constructs of Obama running around out there just waiting for the opportunity to come to the fore.
Nutty conspiracy theory? Maybe. Maybe not. They have been quietly absorbing every institution in the U.S. for decades. Who says they didn't plan something like this.
“Let them eat cake.” And use it for shelter. And currency. And then get taxed to death for being so greedy with the darn cake!
“The Obama(o) presidency increasingly resembles a modern-day Ancient Regime: extravagant and out of touch”
Socialism has always been a trip backwards, and Obamao is heading for the stone age. Of course this seems ancient, pre enlightenment, pre reformation, back to a time when the ruling class didn’t worry about what the serfs thought. Michelle has no sense of our history, no sense of her duty to America, no sense of right and wrong. She is an ignorant pop star. Let her eat cake.
I forgot about her and her old man. You make a better comparison, or perhaps Emelda "I don't have enough shoes" Marcos.
Yes. And, even apart from the Marie Antoinette angle, which is considerably, just on the personal level, there seems to be something unsettling about this trip.
Why would the First Lady chose the President’s birthday week to go to Spain — it’s not as if her schedule was driven by any official events? This also is an “image” problem, it seems to me.
I agree.
I noticed how most of the articles on this subject point out that every year Laura Bush also took a vacation apart from Dubya. Ever hear about those vacations? I didn’t.
Turns out Laura has a group of long-time girl friends she gets together with regularly. Her vacations consisted of meeting these friends at U.S. National Parks for camping or hiking trips.
What a difference.
And I’m pretty sure Laura never planned to be out of town for Dubya’s birthday. Just sayin’.
I think this is some good insight.
Wasn’t the Obama Presidency a 1970’s sitcom named The Jeffersons?
Yes, I don’t see how they can change their announced vacation schedule now — at least not without attracting even more criticism. But they’re pretty poor politicians, so I have every expectation it’ll be full-speed ahead anyway.
That’s the thing about this Spain trip. The furor won’t even have a chance to die down. When M gets back, she and the fam will deign to do a token trip to the Gulf of Mexico — whatever symbolism they hoped that trip would provide, M just screwed it up by pointing out that the *real* beach vacations are in $3,000 a night rooms on the Med — and then ten days in . . . wait for it . . . Martha’s Vineyard.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Obama: The Ultimate Liberally-Used Black Man.
And, yes, Bob Parks happens to be black.
They sure are whole heartedly trying to revive an old sterotype that had long since fell away. They seem to enjoy greatly spending lavishly like they have a money tree to pick from. I will remember in November.
I do have to agree......I would not be away from my husband on his birthday unless it was completely unavoidable. Good point!
And it’s even worse for a public figure, I think. It seems to me a wife is trying to send some kind of message to do this when she knows it will be reported on over and over again all over the world.
Agree. Apart from everything else, Marie ANtoinette was beautiful and charming.
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