This morning, during a well-deserved water break from a grueling set of bench presses, one of the other Gym Goddesses asked me how much taxpayers have spent on vacations for the One, the First Klingon and their spawn. I said this latest one cost $7 million, which is what is pretty much the consensus, but the overall figure is much, much more, probably closer to over $20 million. From The White House Dossier:
The $20 million figure is based on estimates of the cost of the four Hawaii vacations the Obamas have taken during Christmastime 2009-2012. According to a detailed breakdown by the Hawaii Reporter, the annual excursions in 2009, 2010, and 2011 cost about $4 million, much of it attributable to the expense of taking Air Force One, at an hour rate of about $180,000, on an eighteen-hour roundtrip journey to Honolulu and back.
New Year’s Day, 2012
But $4 million almost certainly underestimates the true tally, as it does not include many miscellaneous items like the cost of flying advance teams out to Hawaii and separate flights Michelle Obama took in 2010 and 2011, when she left ahead of her husband, who was forced to stay in Washington to finish up work with Congress.
This year, Obama returned from Hawaii to complete a deal on the Fiscal Cliff and then jetted back to Honolulu, where he is now engaged in Part 2 of his vacation. The second roundtrip flight added about $3.24 million to the tab this time, bringing the cost of the 2012-1013 vacation to well over $7 million.
If we assume the estimates are probably quite low, then it’s likely to the bill for the combined vacations is more than $20 million.
As the publisher of The White House Dossier, Keith Koffler, notes times are tough all over this country, and most American families have cut way back on, if not completely eliminated, vacations. But that sort of thing is for the little people, the ones who pay for all this luxury, not for Barack and Michelle.
It’s good to be the king.
Remember, as we frequently note in this space (please check out this FLASHBACK, which I know you will enjoy!), Barack and Michelle figure that reparations for all the evil perpetrated by racist Amerika for centuries, which they learned about from Rev. Jeremiah Wright, have to start somewhere, so why not with them?
Actually it’s $0. But if we DID pay for the President’s vacations then Bush 43 rang up the highest total days so he would be the most costly, right?
How do you go from over $20 million to $0, Garnet? We could use that skill at many federal departments, so you should volunteer. I don’t think it costs more to fly to Crawford TX than it does to fly to Hawaii do you? Or are they making this up about Obama flying? Does he actually, as many of us have suspected based on media reports about him, walk?
Whee does $20 M come from? Since when is the transportation on Air Force One something we charge to the President? If it is, then Bush’s frequent trips to TX would exceed Obama’s annual trip to Hawaii.
Garnet, as the post from WH Dossier states, the $20 M comes from an estimate using the published data about the expenses such as security and transportation, including the $180,000/hr for AF 1. To know whether Obama or GW Bush spent more, we’d need to look at the number of trips, and of course, if GW spent more, that would have been in 8 years v. 4 of course. That being said, please answer these questions: Assuming GW Bush spent the same or more in 8 yrs, is it your position that presidential vacations to a ranch owned by one president are the equivalent of trips to Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii, and in the case of her Royal Wideness (and I’m not even mentioning the extra cost of hauling that ass around the planet, BTW–oh wait–I just did), to Spain, Botswana, Aspen and Paris? Same diff by your lights?
Teri O’Brien: as usual, your rant is illogical and unbalanced. What was the cost of protection and transportation during Bush’s first four years?
Better yet, why not count up the total cost of transporting and protecting the President now, in the White House, and for the rest of his life? Why not add in the cost of the White House itself and all the household staff? The maids, cleaning people, cooks, porters etc who we the taxpayer pay for so the President can live like a King.
Don’t worry that NONE of those things are the choice of the President or that we provide them to every President. Bitch and moan that Obama takes too many vacations (he doesn’t) or that he is somehow responsible for the costs to keep him safe. Your hypocrisy knows no end you shrew.
Garnet, why are you avoiding my question? Pls answer. We are all curious.
Why don’t you just block that guy. He ignores facts and just wants to rant his leftist drivel.
Teri, what is your question?
Assuming GW Bush spent the same number of days in his first 4 yrs, and even the same amount of money (which he didn’t because it does cost ALOT less to fly to Crawford than it does to fly to Hawaii) is it your position that presidential vacations to a ranch owned by one president are the equivalent of trips to Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii, and in the case of her Royal Wideness (and I’m not even mentioning the extra cost of hauling that ass around the planet, BTW–oh wait–I just did), to Spain, Botswana, Aspen and Paris? Same diff by your lights?
@Angela, Shush little lamb, let the grownups talk.
Briefly, it doesn’t matter. For all the reasons I laid out above there is a cost to the Preaidency that he has no control over. The natural conclusion one could draw from your statements is that the President and his family should never take a personal trip from the White House. Surely it would cost less to have the kids homeschooled and have Doctors brought in with the food and everything else – just like a prison. But if I were to buy into your flawed reasoning I would say guess that the numerous trips to Texas each year by Bush 43 cost more than Obama’s annual trip to Hawaii.
You didn’t mention any Mooch’s trips. Are her trips to Spain, Botswana, Aspen, etc. etc. also essential presidential travel? PULEEZE! As I said, reparations for the first affirmative-action assisted 1st family. The only thing bigger than Mooch’s sense of entitlement is that giant caboose that she drags around while trying to masquerade as a fitness and nutrition expert. When you have an ass large enough to park an aircraft carrier on, you probably shouldn’t be lecturing others about fitness and nutrition, IMO.