Barack Obama Joins 2.5 Million Fellow Americans In Vacation Elitism

In this photo, Oliver Willis does his best to demonstrate just how elite a vacation in Hawaii is. It isn't just any blue blood that can make a face in a pineapple cutout.

So, the idiot meme du jour (aka, its summer time and air time/newspaper columns must be filled!) is that Barack Obama is once again going back to the well of elitism by going on vacation to Hawaii. Really. Well, first of all, as has been noted before, Obama had a middle class upbringing and married a woman from working class Chicago. Sen. McCain's father was an admiral and after McCain ditched his first wife, he married a heiress beauty pageant contestant. Until his book topped the charts, Sen. Obama had student loans he was still repaying. Sen. McCain lives on a multi-acre family compound with numerous other homes across the country.

Now, speaking specifically about vacations, Sen. McCain spent his downtime earlier this year on his palatial ranch (including a man made pond), entertaining the mainstream media with barbecue in an event catered by his family's personal assistant. Sen. Obama is on vacation in Hawaii, where his sister (among other members of his family) lives. On Sunday Cokie Roberts - the very definition of the blue blood Washington elitists who have so much wealth and power in this country - called Hawaii "exotic" and "foreign" (and used that as a reason for why Sen. Obama shouldn't have gone there). Granted, I would expect maybe for Sen. McCain to make this mistake since Hawaii became a state when McCain was 22 (!) and as such he finds the concept that Hawaii is now a state something of a new novelty, but while it is in the Pacific, Hawaii is in fact one of our states. They've got a governor, two senators and everything.

That same Hawaiian government - a government elected by the AMERICANS who live in THE STATE of Hawaii - has some statistics on the amount of people who travel to the state. So far this year Hawaii has had 2.596 million domestic visitors. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that that number is far smaller than the amount of people who visited the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine (how many of you have a "family compound"?), or the amount of people who vacationed at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas (I don't know about you, but the Willis family does not have a ranch, not even in southern Maryland or in the rural areas of Jamaica), and 2.5 million is way way more than the amount of visitors to Camp McCain, where a professional staff saw to the needs of the assembled journalists (themselves often on the receiving end of an elite lifestyle far beyond the average middle class American).

Like Senator Obama, I went on vacation a few years ago to Hawaii. And I can assure you I'm not anywhere near the net worth of the elite with notable names like Kennedy, Bush... and McCain.

More coverage at OliverWillis.com

Comments

[TEAQUEEN]

Re: Cokie Roberts on Obama's exotic & elitist Hawaii vacation.

Prior to Face the Nation& NPR statements made_on August 9th she was interviewed by Chris Matthews on lovely Nantucket with beautiful yachts in the background_speaking of how Hillary or any other woman might become President_they would have to be the VP_then cleared her throat_saying AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THE PRESIDENT!What does that mean? Check it out:
http://nantucket.plumtv.com/videos/cokie_roberts_chris_matthews.

I'm not surprised at her ATTITUDE_Cokie's roots are in the South_New Orleans_brought up under the influence of a father_HALE BOGGS_who won an election with the help of Alabama's Gov. George Wallace supporters in 1968;sighed the "SOUTHERN MANIFESTO" 1956 condemming desegregation & opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.Imagine a family dinner conversation cooked by some African-American woman!Cokie long standing relationship with Bill & Hillary_ Bill as a young Democrat took her father to the airport on a flight which disappeared with him on it_as President appointed her mother Linda Boggs to an Ambassadorship.

Hawaii is a state.Sure ,it's different from the New Orleans WARDS &" BRUNSWICK PLANTATION" where her mother is from.Obama's family lives in Hawaii_that's where he grew up_so why would he visit Myrtle Beach,S.C. on vacation to see his family? COKIE THEY DON'T LIVE THERE!_DUH!

She is the ELITIST that has lived the life since childhood.NO Wards, setting for her next interview_PLENTY of WATER there,MISSY!

[kathyg61]

Did Cokie Roberts really refer to Hawaii as 'exotic' and 'foreign'? And she's a broadcast journalist? So where was he supposed to go on vacation - back home to Hawaii or to perhaps Idaho, or Nebraska (also states in the union like Hawaii). So what exactly is wrong with going home for vacation? Does that make me an elitist every time I go home for a visit? Some people just stay stuck on stupid.

[geneven]

I have known Cokie Roberts to say things tongue in cheek. The quote doesn't capture her tone of voice very well.

[ariney]

Really? Even Karl Rove has Obama ahead in electoral college votes.

[wendynyc]

Let's see - why don't we all start a campaign and start calling out Cokie Roberts for her obnoxious remarks. Let's write to the channel she was on and to the advertisers - if we don't speak up - we will have to continue to put up with this nonsense!!

[aaronr2000]

A lady called C-Span's Washington Journal and made the point better very well.

"Republicans are at it again. In the 2004 election, they took a decorated war hero like John Kerry and made him out to be a fraud, and a fraud like George W. Bush and made him out to be a war hero. Now in 2008, they're taking John McCain, a man born of privilege and a mulit-millionaire, and making him out to be the common man while taking Obama, a man born of modest means and went to school on student loans and made him out to be an elitist.".

This just in. They're taking John McCain, a man born in a US territory in Panama, and making him out to be a 'true American" while coloring Barack Obama, a man born in one of 50 states, and making him out to be "un-American". Does anyone else see a pattern? What's pityful is not only do people buy this stuff, but they also vote.

[CamJam]

Yea, a bit about that was also mentioned on Olberman last night here (McCain born in Panama etc)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26165762

What I also found interesting last night was what Chris Kofinis said along the lines of:

"It's not a question of experience - but a question of who has good ideas and solutions.
To choose between an inexperienced candidate that has GOOD ideas and good solutions
Or the experienced candidate that has BAD solutions and bad ideas. Guess what?
They are going to choose the candidate like Senator Obama to lead this country in a better direction.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26165785

Excellent article Mr Willis!

[eudaimoniac]

seriously?

my husband and i went on our honeymoon to hawaii. we spent $3500 on a package that included airfare for the both of us, a 9 night hotel stay, transportation to and from the airport, breakfast every day, a luau, snorkeling, a submarine ride, pearl harbor, a cirque show, and a dinner cruise. we're hardly wealthy, but then again, we both have college degrees and student loans-- guess that makes us elitists too.

[tedbear]

It is about time someone made sense of all this "elitism" nonsense about Obama. I went to Hawaii when I was 20 years old with money I had saved for three years by working in an office job. He was raised there. I could see the elitism charge if he'd gone to his own ranch where he had entertained droves of media types and political types. Now that is elitism the likes of which the Obama's have never even dreamed.

[ObamaLover]

Obama certainly deserves a vacation.... now Nancy Pelosi is a different story.... GET BACK TO WORK NANCY... WE NEED A VOTE!

[Jakealoper]

I'd go there in the winter, if I had any money

[4today]

he's not going to win, and this country is kidding themselves if anyone thinks this will happen - so very quickly it won't matter where he vacations. And who cares!!

[kimbari]

Who? McCain?

>:)

[roshni]

Mccain is certainly not going to win and he can vacation in one of his 9-10 houses like the rest of the commoners.

[ariney]

Truly? Even Karl Rove's forecasts show Obama ahead in Electoral College votes.

[obackarama]

Let's see...

Branson or Hawaii...
Branson or Hawaii...
Branson or Hawaii...?

[dawlishgal]

Branson, Hawaii or Sturgis!

I

[Electraglide]

Rather than criticizing where he vacations, when not make fun of his shoes?

[dawlishgal]

Apparently, in the Republican mentality, multi-hundred dollar shoes are not a sign of elitism. Neither is having expensive homes all over the country. What gets the Republicans' elitism-detector clicking? Somebody who did well in college and graduated somewhere higher than the bottom of his class.

[kimbari]

There ya go!

Elite = Intelligent, Learned, Well-Read

That makes me and my husband "elite" although we barely clear $50K/year between the two of us.

[sharonh]

When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.

[genia]

"On Sunday Cokie Roberts - the very definition of the blue blood Washington elitists who have so much wealth and power in this country - called Hawaii "exotic" and "foreign" (and used that as a reason for why Sen. Obama shouldn't have gone there). "


I didn't see this....so I'm wondering ...did anyone say anything to Cokie?
I'm betting no...................sigh
I don't get this. IMO this had to be very carefully worded...deliberate
Cokie didn't know that his grandmother and sister live in Hawaii ?
Obama publicly said ...that he wanted his daughters to see their grandmother.....

you know......there should be a law...where every time someone in the media says something that is just boneheaded...they must endure 2 min. of on air public humiliation from one of us...Obama supporters.

[kellygrrrl]

the only public humiliation for these people is if we refuse to watch their programs and we write to their advertisers to tell them why.

[JulieKay]

Cokie was absolutely obnoxious. Even though she recognized Grandmother lived in Hawaii, she thought Obama should have gone to Myrtle Beach.

No one said anything in defense of Obama. For the average tourist, Hawaii is not an expensive place for a vacation, although the airfares have gone up since the gas price increases.

Obama is not paying for 8 houses.

Later she made more negative statements about Obama's experience.

A Critical Examination Of The Experience Question

August 11, 2008 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-vogels/a-critical-examination-of_b_118154.html

[claudiam]

No, not really. The other gal - sorry I can't remember her name. Quickly said - "there is still plenty of time (for campaigining).

[gwt301]

Maybe it's Cokie that needs a geography lesson. Hawaii is part of the good ol US of A and is not foreign. It's funny how it's McCain that wears the $500 shoes, owns 9 different properties and is married to a beer heiress but Obama gets labeled the "elitist." Or is that "uppity?"

[kellygrrrl]

going home to visit the parents or grandparents

It's not a Vacation

It's just a Trip

[Exhaust]

Yeah...Last trip I took, I didn't have my own 757. How much did that cost? Plane, secret service, vehicles, police and more. Some paid by the campaign and some paid with tax dollars and we can't even get a gas tax holiday.

[TheNuff]

Wow...give me your name. I'll send you $25. That is all you will get from a gas tax holiday.

[Leota2]

Uh--Obama does not own a 757.

But McCains wife owns a jet.

But that's why so many people contribute to Obama's campaign and pay taxes; so we might get a president who does not hand our money over to Halliburton to the tune of 100s of billions of dollars--then have someone like you complain about services that are going to BOTH the candidates.

And you must be pretty desperate to need that imaginary gas tax holiday money . . . .

[unity08]

Yeah what ever happened to that summer gas tax holiday scheme? Isnt summer almost over? When is Mc Cain going to start pushing that through? Oh wait...he hasnt been on the job lately..how many votes has he missed now? What a load of BS!

[mawrm]

The Obama _campaign_ is LEASING a jet for a few months. The McCain _family_ OWNS a jet outright. Do I need to explain the difference to you?

[klmebane]

mccain has his own jet as well, ya know. the secret service are necessary because too many americans are still psycho when it comes to the issues of race and progress. and a gas tax holiday really won't help you much. make sure your tires are at the right pressure (mario andretti), keep up with oil changes, tune ups, and fill-in-the-blank miles service. that will save you more money in terms of gas than any stupid holiday.