# Is President Obama giving up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 19, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301 "2011-08-19T10:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/21 "2011-08-20T09:13:45Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I think Noonan’s point isn’t the the number of days on vacation, but the defiant note he seems to be taking in taking a highly visible 10 day vacation (1) now and (2) at that particular rich peoples’ resort. If he needs a rest, he could spend time at Camp David and call it a policy retreat or something. But (IMO) he gives off a bit of a sour note of “stuff it, I’ve earned some ‘me’ time for having to put up with all this shit.” “Defiant note”? It’s defiant to take some R&R? “Now”? If not now, when would suit your peculiar notions? “Rich people’s resort”? It’s not. 'sour note of “stuff it, I’ve earned some ‘me’ time for having to put up with all this shit.” '? Huh? He has earned a little time off. Congress is taking a month off. And as mentioned above, it’s not like a President of the U.S. gets to go away for two weeks and not check his email. > [@](#): > > Noonan’s point was maybe he just doesn’t care anymore. Since all the evidence is made up out of thin air, the conclusion has no support. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/22 "2011-08-20T16:07:42Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Since when is MV a rich person’s resort? I’ve stayed there. I’ve stayed there as a grad student. It’s a bit pricey in a tourist-trap sort of way, but we’re not talking otherworldly expense. Yeah, there are million dollar estates on the island, but basically it’s a middle to upper middle class summer getaway. Well, there’s Martha’s Vineyard and then there’s Martha’s Vineyard. You and I only get to go to the former. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/23 "2011-08-20T16:34:44Z")
Koxinga, politics is a language. You either learn to speak it or you miss 99% of the nuances. Peggy Noonan was a speechwriter in the Reagan and Bush1 White Houses. She’s a committed conservative and political operative. She is writing for the Wall Street Journal, whose editorial page, in the popular Washington saying, is to the right of Attila the Hun. She wrote _The Case Against Hillary Clinton_ - back in 2000 just as a preventive measure. Everything she writes is code for “Obama is failing and the Republicans can beat him.” Sometimes she varies this by writing code for “Obama is evil and we should not respect him.” If you are part of the base, then you can consider her columns as multivitamins that improve your health and your outlook on life. They are not essential, but a little extra to get you through your day. If you are not part of her base, then you shouldn’t swallow her columns whole, or any other way. Think of them more like a bad herbal concoction that promises extra vitality but just make you sicker. Worse, swallowing one makes you more susceptible to swallowing others. Your believing Noonan, even though she is quite deliberately lying to make a political point, is identical to your believing Rick Perry in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617879), who was deliberately lying to make a political point. Lying is the language of politics and is not restricted to any one side. You have to learn how to read these statements and get past the code to what is really being said underneath. ---
**Author:** ![tracy1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@tracy1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracy1963)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/24 "2011-08-20T17:28:51Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’m sure all presidents have those moments of thinking “I don’t need this crap”. That’s what vacations are for. And there’s never been a particularly good time for Obama to go on vacation - there’s always some crisis or another going on these days. But he’s got a long way to go before he comes close to the last president’s number of days “clearing brush” and I’m not going to begrudge him a little time off. > > Ever since the right-wing talking heads had a go at him for taking fifteen minutes to fill out his March Madness brackets I pretty much ignore any talk of “he’s shirking his duties!” in the media. That’s quite true…I live within the “No Fly” area where planes couldn’t go whenever Bush was in Crawford. It sure did seem like he was there way too often. Now,I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of Obama but I can’t even imagine being president. I’d never want that sort of pressure or responsibility…I would imagine that he needs a break from time to time. Besides,he inherited…by choice of course…a real mess and cannot be blamed for a lot of the junk he’s dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/25 "2011-08-20T19:03:55Z")
Quoth **Koxinga** : > [@](#): > > I think Noonan’s point isn’t the the number of days on vacation, but the defiant note he seems to be taking in taking a highly visible 10 day vacation (1) now … What’s wrong with now? Yeah, it’s kind of a busy time for the President right now, but that’s only because it’s _always_ a busy time for the President. You want he should never get to take a vacation? The debt deal is secured, bin Laden is dead, and none of our enemies are currently engaged in a major offensive, and besides, Congress is out of session right now, too. If he’s ever going to take any vacation at all, now seems like a pretty good time for it, comparatively speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Bri2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/48db29/32.png) [@Bri2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bri2k)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/26 "2011-08-20T19:12:22Z")
> [@Bri2k](#): > > That breaks down to just about 28 days a year. Hardly excessive. Heck as a small cog in a corporate machine, I get 25 paid days off year, counting holidays. > > Bri2k > [@gonzomax](#): > > At this point means in his 3rd year. Redo the math and get back. > \ > . My post was regarding Obama’s time off, not Bush’s. The math is correct dividing 70 days by 2.5 years in office, the mid-point of Obama’s “year” being late July since he was inagurated in late January. Granted, my number isn’t exact, but close enough for discussion purposes. Apologies if I confused you. Bri2k ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/27 "2011-08-20T20:21:28Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I think Noonan’s point isn’t the the number of days on vacation, but the defiant note he seems to be taking in taking a highly visible 10 day vacation (1) now and (2) at that particular rich peoples’ resort. If those are Noonan’s points, then Noonan is a fucking moron. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/28 "2011-08-20T20:49:10Z")
I’ve heard several lefty commentators note that the choice of MV was not a good one. That particular idea is not unique to Noonan or the right. Vacation at Camp David, or some downscale locale. But not “the Vineyard” as it is properly called. But criticizing him for taking a vacation at all is just loony right-wing talk. I always liked Nantucket better than MV. But that might invite some: _There once was a prez on Nantucket…_ ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/29 "2011-08-20T23:13:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’ve heard several lefty commentators note that the choice of MV was not a good one. Then they’re nuts too. What is wrong with vacationing on Matha’s Vineyard? Because it’s expensive? We pay him a fair piece of change; he can afford it. What if he vacationed in Hawaii? That’s fairly expensive too, yet lots of middle-class 48ers seem to make it there. I don’t get it. I really don’t. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/30 "2011-08-20T23:30:34Z")
There are people who still read Peggy Noonan? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/31 "2011-08-20T23:37:46Z")
But the Black Dog Bakery’s in Nantucket. That alone makes it worth it. Really, on the East Coast, I think it’s probably one of the better choices. Nice and small, good police presence, crazy people trying to kill the President won’t get far. Plus, I’m pretty sure he’s meeting with god knows how many east coast moneypeople to set up 2012, and this is probably the best place and time to do it. As opposed to Camp David which is way the hell and gone. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/32 "2011-08-21T01:37:36Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > But the Black Dog Bakery’s in Nantucket. That alone makes it worth it. We’ve already determined The Man knows how to eat. A couple weeks of this could ready him for a full campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/33 "2011-08-21T01:54:11Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > We’ve already determined The Man knows how to eat. And if there’s no bread to eat, there’s always cake. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/34 "2011-08-21T02:04:52Z")
Not that it matters, but as an FYI: No part of MV, including where Obama stays, is on the order of Aspen, Sun Valley, Nantucket, or the half dozen other elite rich enclaves in the country. It’s all relative, I suppose, but the Vineyard isn’t even in the top ten poshest vacation locales. It’s a bunch of organic farms, froofy craft stores, and houses like you find all across America. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/35 "2011-08-21T02:11:55Z")
He’s just going through the motions, IMO. He _knows_ he won’t be re-elected, so he’s getting all he vacation time he and his family can. Don’t mean to offend, but that’s the way I see it. Q ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/36 "2011-08-21T03:05:26Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Let’s also remember Presidential vacations aren’t the same as vacations you or I may take. They are still connected 24/7 and if something goes down that requires their attention, they will definitely be able to address it. Really, does he get an actual vacation? Come on. He probably has to do as much work during a “vacation day” as I do in a regular day. When I go on vacation, my phone’s off and I will return no calls from my employer for any reason. When Barack Obama’s on vacation, dozens of his staff go with him and make him do stuff. That’s not a vacation. George W. Bush spent a huge fraction of his Presidency on his ranch “clearing brush.” People bitched about that too and I thought the same thing; he probably had an office waiting for him at his place there. His trips to Crawford were no more vacations than it would be if I went to one of my company’s branch offices. The President gets no real rest until the day after his Presidency ends. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/37 "2011-08-21T03:46:58Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > He’s just going through the motions, IMO. He _knows_ he won’t be re-elected, so he’s getting all he vacation time he and his family can. > > Don’t mean to offend, but that’s the way I see it. > > Q He’s going to be running against Mitt Romney. The former governor of Massachusetts. Who wondered why Democrats always come to Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard, for those who don’t know, happens to be a nice part of… Massachusetts. You’d think the ex-governor would have a nice word to say about it. But he wouldn’t make fun of a place in his own home state, would he? Well, I guess he would if he weren’t worth over $100 million dollars himself. But as an incredibly rich former governor of Massachusetts, he’d certainly know better than to compound the hypocrisy by going to such an elite playground for the idle rich himself, where all the photographers could take pictures of him mingling with the exact same evil bunch as Obama has. Right? This is obvious, right? He’s a major politician who would never fall into a trap that huge, right? Right? What’s that? Mitt Romney will be holding a $2500 a head fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard [next week](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/8712163/Barack-Obama-criticised-by-Mitt-Romney-for-holidaying-on-Marthas-Vineyard.html)? While Obama is still vacationing there? Making his remarks particularly idiotic? I think you meant that Obama knows that his re-election is foreordained, so he can afford to relax and take it easy whenever he wants. Otherwise it’s hard to understand what you could have meant by that. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/38 "2011-08-21T09:12:15Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Who wondered why Democrats always come to Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard, for those who don’t know, happens to be a nice part of… Massachusetts. Wow, Obama’s been planning to run against Romney by making annual vacations to Martha’s Vineyard for the last three years? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/39 "2011-08-21T09:22:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I think you meant that Obama knows that his re-election is foreordained, so he can afford to relax and take it easy whenever he wants. “Foreordained,” huh? I knew there must still be some True Believers of The One out there. On the other hand, I guess Martha’s Vineyard is a convenient place to check on how the rise of the oceans has begun to slow and the planet has begun to heal. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301/40 "2011-08-21T11:54:43Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > “Foreordained,” huh? I knew there must still be some True Believers of The One out there. On the other hand, I guess Martha’s Vineyard is a convenient place to check on how the rise of the oceans has begun to slow and the planet has begun to heal. :rolleyes: “The One”; not this right wing propaganda again. Looking at “their” President as a messiah is a tendency of the Republicans, not the Democrats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-president-obama-giving-up/593301.md?page=3)