Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Vacation backlash: Blue collar Dems jealous, angry at Obamas
Washington Examiner ^ | 04/26/2011 | Paul Bedard

Posted on 04/26/2012 1:39:25 PM PDT by MissesBush

Blue collar Democratic voters, stuck taking depressing “staycations” because they can’t afford gas and hotels, are resentful of the first family’s 17 lavish vacations around the world and don’t want their tax dollars paying for the Obamas’ holidays, according to a new analysis of swing voters.

“They view everything through their own personal situation and if they can’t afford to do it, they can’t enjoy it, they don’t like Obama using their tax dollars to benefit himself,” said pollster John McLaughlin. “In this case, they see him as out of touch. While they are struggling he’s not sharing in that struggle and he’s basically doing what they can’t do on their tax dollars,” added the GOP pollster.

He and several other top-tier Republican pollsters, organized by Resurgent Republic, traveled to 11 battleground states to host focus groups of independent and swing voters, mostly Democrats, who voted for President Obama in 2008 but who are now on the fence.

McLaughlin handled blue collar and Catholic voters in Pittsburgh on April 3 and Cleveland on March 20. He found that they are very depressed about the economy and feel that their tax dollars are being sucked up by both the rich and those living on government assistance.

During the focus group discussions about debt and spending cuts, many in his group volunteered criticism of the presidential vacations as something that should be cut. Among the lines McLaughlin wrote down was one from a Democratic woman who said, “Michelle Obama spends $1 million to take the kids to Hawaii,” and another who said, “President Obama was the only president to take so many trips.”

The theme, said McLaughlin, is that the first family “is out of touch” with working class voters.

He added that the president’s attack on the rich and GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney’s wealth is working, but the voters were also lumping in the president’s vacation spending in with the General Services Administration’s Las Vegas scandal and federal spending for those who aren’t looking for work.

“There really wasn’t a real dislike for Romney. It was just that he is too rich. But on the other hand there is a start of resentment of the government,” he said. “What surprised me is that these were Democrats back biting on their own president,” added McLaughlin.


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 17vacations; 2012; 2012election; bho44; bhocorruption; bhoeconomy; bhofascism; bhogolf; bhoicecream; bhoparty; bhopie; bhovacation; corruption; democratparty; democrats; election; elections; fraud; fubo; golf; nobama2012; obama; obamadepression; obamatruthfile; obamavacations; obamavoters; partypresident; presidentdowngrade; remembernovember; taxes; vacationformenotthee; youpayforthis
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last
This is why I have to laugh when the Obamabots and their media organ grinder monkeys say the public can't relate to Romney because he's wealthy. They can related to the Obamas and their 17 vacations since taking office including the $4 million Hawaii extravaganza and Michelle's $467K vacation for her and her buddies in Spain?? I hope the Obamas take a really extravagent one this summer. Maybe a cruise of the South Pacific on a private yacht or something really ostentacious to drive home the point that we have a play baby as president, not a leader.
1 posted on 04/26/2012 1:39:33 PM PDT by MissesBush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

How dare this rabble question the actions of “The Won”. They must be made to understand the Obama NEEDS these vacations as it is a very hard job deciding how best to run our lives. Have the people no compassion?


2 posted on 04/26/2012 1:48:19 PM PDT by Drill Thrawl (The United States of America, a banana republic since 1913)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

All animals are equal, but some Democrats are more equal than others.....

“Comrades!” he cried.

You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples.

I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health.

Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig.

We pigs are brainworkers.

The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us.

Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.

Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back!”


3 posted on 04/26/2012 1:49:28 PM PDT by tcrlaf (Election 2012: THE RAPTURE OF THE DEMOCRATS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

I believe most average people (this of course precludes leftists, class warfarists, stupid envious people who know in their hearts that they’re less intelligent and/or industrious than others) don’t envy wealthy people for merely being wealthy. But they know the difference between a Carnegie or an old-money family who lived quietly and on their own dime, and people like the Obamas who not only neglect their noblesse-oblige (not that they’d ever understand that concept) but do it on the tax-payer dime while telling everybody else to put more air in their tires.


4 posted on 04/26/2012 1:50:35 PM PDT by mrsmel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

Obviously, these “blue collar dems” are RAAAAYYYYSSSSISSSStSSS.

Everyone knows that black democrat politicians are ENTITLED to use their offices to “live large” due to the legacy of slavery. To protest that entitlement is raysssist.


5 posted on 04/26/2012 1:54:06 PM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

Hey these disgruntled Democrats need to zip their lips and just accept that their betters are deserving of a few rewords. After all, the Obamas are doing what Lenin and Stalin failed to get accomplished.

I’m not sure what their motivation in being unhappy with Obama could be, but I suspect racism.


6 posted on 04/26/2012 2:00:12 PM PDT by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush
Liberals are so mental and stupid, they actually think their leaders care what the hell happens to them. Their guru's of socialism/communism only want equal squalor for the peons - not themselves. It's to the Ritz for them. Pelosi and her AF jet/trips etc. The liberal peons just don't get it.
7 posted on 04/26/2012 2:05:11 PM PDT by Bitsy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

this is what comes to mind when I hear of the Obamas’ excesses:

Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.


8 posted on 04/26/2012 2:05:38 PM PDT by Archytekt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Archytekt
this is what comes to mind when I hear of the Obamas’ excesses:

Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.


George Jeffereson earned his way to the apartment in the sky by owning and operating a chain of dry-cleaning shops. He didn't have his life handed to him. Everything he had he came by honestly with his own work, time, and sweat.
9 posted on 04/26/2012 2:13:41 PM PDT by Nepeta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush
RACISTS!!

(There. That put an end to the "angry at PRESIDENT! Obama (Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmm)" story.. on to the NBC-cherry-bomb journalism's spin.)

10 posted on 04/26/2012 2:22:25 PM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush
I never understood those who were hostile to wealthy people just because they were wealthy. I always look at the source of the wealth. Those who inherited their millions never impressed me at all e.g. JFK but those who came up from either middle class or below and managed to acquire wealth - honestly - I could admire even if I couldn't necessarily emulate them.

The class warfare and 'hate-the-rich' game Obama and the left are playing is not only divisive but dangerous. That many of the leftist proponents of class warfare, such as Barack Obama, are, themselves, rich, is simply ironic. It's unfortunate that so many Americans, living in the 'land of opportunity' are fooled by Obama and the left. His 'hate-the-rich' meme is simply a way to deflect his abject failures that have badly damaged the American economy. His attempt to, in effect, shift the blame for that to those who have been financially successful is transparent. With multimillionaire Mitt Romney as his opponent, Obama is pursuing a campaign strategy that has double benefits - if it works. I can only pray that, like his Marxist policies, it fails.

11 posted on 04/26/2012 2:23:49 PM PDT by Jim Scott
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nepeta

oh, I agree with you, completely, but the tune still comes to mind


12 posted on 04/26/2012 2:27:29 PM PDT by Archytekt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

The similarly nouveau riche Clintons took extravagant vacations, too, and no one cared because anyone who wanted to was working. For the Obamas to live it up while so many are involuntarily unemployed, and watching their costs of living go up daily, is showing a tin ear.

I expect them to enjoy a very low key vacation this summer. By Christmas it won’t matter one way or the other, they will go to town on the taxpayers’ dimes.


13 posted on 04/26/2012 2:33:35 PM PDT by EDINVA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nepeta

Definitely agree !


14 posted on 04/26/2012 2:48:53 PM PDT by CORedneck
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: MissesBush

I’ll bet that the fact that they never seem to go home - to Chicago for vacation is part of their problem with voters. Theoretically, that location is set-up for the Obama’s, e.g. secret service stuff, etc. It seems like every other POTUS has a home to go too, including W, but not the Obama’s.


15 posted on 04/26/2012 2:52:17 PM PDT by unique1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Nepeta; Archytekt
He didn't have his life handed to him. Everything he had he came by honestly with his own work, time, and sweat.
Actually that was just a TV sitcom and he was just an actor but still a positive portrayal - sort of ... ;-)
16 posted on 04/26/2012 3:09:15 PM PDT by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: tcrlaf


17 posted on 04/26/2012 3:12:50 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Tunehead54
Of course he was fictional. He started out as one of Archie Bunker's neighbors, but moved out of the old neighborhood.
18 posted on 04/26/2012 3:13:48 PM PDT by Nepeta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Nepeta

All you needed was an understated “tee hee” ... not even an LOL.

What really made me mad when I was young was to see Scrooge McDuck rolling around in his vault full of gold coins and wads of currency when I couldn’t buy a candybar ... ;-)


19 posted on 04/26/2012 3:46:03 PM PDT by Tunehead54 (Nothing funny here ;-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Jim Scott

“It’s unfortunate that so many Americans, living in the ‘land of opportunity’ are fooled by Obama and the left. His ‘hate-the-rich’ meme is simply a way to deflect his abject failures that have badly damaged the American economy.”

Hillary’s “hardworking white people” will not be voting for the Kenyan Pirate in the fall.

Are they racist? Who cares?


20 posted on 04/26/2012 3:47:15 PM PDT by kearnyirish2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-30 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson