President Obama has a rather fascinating political instinct, and it’s kicking in once again: when the going gets tough, he gets going — and keeps going.
During the Gulf oil spill, he jaunted off on several vacations.
When he launched us UnWar on Libya, he started it while on a junket in Brazil.
And now when the shutdown of the federal government is looming, he’s off to Williamsburg for a family vacation.
Apparently, the shutting down of the federal government will not affect the White House’s travel, entertainment, and social budgets. And that’s OK. The whole idea of “shared sacrifice” is overrated, anyway.
It would be too much to ask that those budgets get frozen and shut down while he’s away from the White House, but a fellow can dream…
Actually, as I think about it, Obama being away from the negotiations is probably for the best. The more he gets “hands-on” with a situation, the worse it tends to turn out. His greatest “successes” are when he makes his big speeches, talks about how important something is, and then goes off for some R&R while other people do the hard work and hammer out a deal. Then he can parachute back in and take all the credit. The less involved he actually is, the more he can brag about the results.
And as I think about it more, why am I so concerned about a government shutdown? The more I think about that, the more the phrase “please don’t throw me in that briar patch, Br’er Fox” comes to mind.
In the meantime, Mr. President, go and enjoy your vacation. And try not to think of all the people who will be seriously boned by the federal shutdown while you and the family enjoy colonial Williamsburg.
