Michelle Obama Gets Funding for Gulf Visit; Republican Members of Congress Not So Much
**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers
Suck in your guts, Gulf residents, because FLOTUS is on the way down with her BMI calipers and celery stalks to check out a disaster her husband’s been working tirelessly to solve via endless golf, countless fundraisers and concerts.
This month, the government will spend an untold healthy sum of money on Michelle Obama’s visit to the Gulf region to view the effects of the oil spill, where M.O. will presumably look for ways to link BP’s tar balls to childhood obesity.
As Warner Todd Huston pointed out, Democrats will have no problem with spending a fortune to send someone in no official government capacity to decide anything to have a look around, while almost simultaneously denying funding for some Republican members of Congress who wanted to get a first-hand look at the cleanup efforts in the Gulf.
Huston sums it up:
So, actual lawmakers, people actually elected to represent us, people whose job IS to come up with solutions to our national problems are denied funds to visit the disaster area, yet a mere wife of an official is handed millions to go gallivanting?
Come on 2010.
Friendly advice for the First Lady: Do not wear your Lanvin sneakers on any oil-soaked beaches. And don’t wear these shoes ever again… anywhere.
**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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Categories: Gulf Oil Spill,Michelle Obama,Politics
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Just when you think you have seen it all….another day starts with this administration in charge.
Not only do you have FLOTUS getting the money to go down to the guld while actual ELECTED reps have to sit on the sign lines just look at who the (in)Justice department has working on their lawsuit against Arizona:
Somehow I have a feeling this guy was pleading with Holder to have the case.
Why do you think the ass is sending her out of town?
A couple more posts like this Doug and you’ll be on “the list”.
I really doubt that mo will get her shoes dirty with oil. I have seen and heard tapes of bp hauling in sand to cover up the oil. I hope those in the gulf states mo visits, give her an ear full on how hubby is ‘not plugging the hole’ and cratering jobs and the states! Please lets have another Joe the plumber ask mo a question.
L
“Mommy are you going to plug the hole for Daddy?”
::snort:: Good one.
I hope those in the gulf states mo visits, give her an ear full on how hubby is ‘not plugging the hole’
—————————————
Maybe that explains the look on her face in the above picture.
Is she going to clean oily birds?
“Why do you think daddy is so grouchy?”
Since she is not on the government payroll, how can her trip be funded at taxpayer expense?
rambler,
What oily birds? None will be within miles of where mo shows up.
L
Michelle O: We got enough oil to really toss the salad now!
Or those gawd awful shoes.
Nothing like taxpayer funded photo ops.
Those are ‘feet’? Those are ‘shoes’? Gracious me, for $600 I could’ve found her some darling shoes. And they would’ve covered up the duivel’s voete.
au contraire. They’ll import them or oil up a few themselves if they can’t find any. Gotta have those props.
Rogue–where’s your Emily Post?!
I can hardly wait to see the outfits mo wears for her visit. Her taste in outfits need a really huge makeover. The 4th at the wh was a real dandy!
L
Flyoverman -#10
She should just ask ‘Bambi to dig into his stash for some mad money. I’m sure this trip will require AF1 and a chase plane to carry limos/suvs/staff/secret service/and a slew of ladies in waiting. When AF1 is carrying thunder butt what do you suppose they call it?
Miz Sow’s Ear: Look at my expensive clothing!
Mrs. Silk Purse: Sweetie, with taste like that you’ll never be me.
Is that Dutch for camel toes?
Flotus erroneous
What are you talking about, my pinkie was extended when I posted that!
!?!?!?600 BUCKS FOR A PAIR OF FLIP-FLOPS!?!?!?
It’s Afrikaans, but close enough, Rogue.
The only taste either one of them have is in their mouths….back to the sow’s ear comparison.
747-Heavy.
Can no Republicans fly anywhere either, without having us pick up the tab? Use your office-holder account to fly down there if it’s important enough for you. The whining of our representatives is disgusting.
I don’t see why the Republicans don’t go anyway? Don’t they have money?
She’ll no doubt fly in a government jet, with a complement of Secret Service agents, hotel rooms and meals for her and said Secret Service agents, maybe a separate flight for an armored limousine.
ON the other hand, the fancier Gulf coast hotels, the kind fit for a demi-queen like the First Klingon, will have vacancies because of the oil soaked beaches, so this will be at least as stimulating for some hotel workers as adding to the 99 weeks of unemployment checks.
Off topic but I just saw this over at National Review and thought it interesting:
Heh… Use MO to plug the darned hole…
I do not see how she is authorized to fly in a government anything. She’s as much employed by the U.S. government as I am.
If she wants to go to the Gulf she is welcome to at her expense.
She could wear a pair with the image of Chairman Mao on the soles. Might make up for the Mao Christmas decorations.
Feh.
The fact that RI is a blue state is, coincidental.
Meh, let her go. After all, schmaltz attracts schmaltz.
I wonder if they will bring a tar ball to one of the numerous luncheons, teas, and dinners that M. will be honoring with her presence, so she can inspect it and offer her sage advice? One thing the Obama clan has surely proven that it knows how to do is keep those cash registers ringing. It is amazing that anyone has the time to clean up oil with all the VIP visits (junkets) going on and all the supposedly very important people that have to be attended to.
SHoward – #26
747-Heavy
Just wondering if they’ll need to carry an full load of jet fuel? If ‘Bambi and MO had any idea where jet fuel comes from they might reconsider how much they burn
Ugh!
Agreed.
Say, do ya think that the wonderful O. J. Simpson would call those shoes “ugly-a$$”?
I can’t wait for the photo op of her holding up a tar ball fresh from the WhiteHouse garden!
Geeez, Repubs. Grow a spine. Get down to the gulf and make a whole lot of noise. You can’t AFFORD IT? Oh, please. Stop your sorry whining and find a way, like a lot of us have to do when something important needs to get done. And, be sure to be there when Queen Obeyme is there so you can confront her face to face. You are trying to get re-elected in Nov? Start by earning your salary.
Is she going to “draw” a smiley face with tarballs on the beach?
At least for my $1200.00 I got a pair of boots. Much more leather.
Maybe she can do a flyover of NYC in Air Force One on her way down there. Makes for a great photo op I heard and the pilots needs the training.
Good Grief!
Compare and contrast the various junkets that Congress approves for itself.
Nope, not saying the First Lady’s visit is justifiable. I am simply asking why take this to task and not other wasteful spending that allows our Representatives and their spouses to go shopping in Paris? Spending three days in any number of countries for an one hour meeting with it’s leaders.
I suspect a level of ODS, not unlike the demonstration of RNC Chair Steele, who looked to take Pres Obama to task for a policy that 99.9% of America (and the world) agreed with, with regard to Afghanistan.
“Early in July Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) wanted the House to fund a trip for 10 lawmakers to visit the Gulf, but the House Democrat majority leaders denied the funds for the trip.”
OK, then buy a bus ticket on your own dime if you are truly interested in seeing what is going on. Why should the taxpayer always be on the hook for Congressional travel?
Does anyone really think that Adm Allen or Gov Piyush Jindal will not meet with ten Congressmen who want to see what is going on? Even if they arrived by bus, payed for by themselves?
BTW, like it or not, the WH has it’s own budget, and does with it what they will, no matter the economic circumstances.
Avoid the ODS.
If there is an issue with junkets, then speak to all junkets. Credibility is at stake when consistency can be too easily challenged.
Reconsider? You’re forgetting: Elitists aren’t concerned with how much they’re using. It’s just us peons that are supposed to skateboard around.
Remember: the pigs needed the apples and milk because what they were doing was soooo much more important to the farm than what the other animals were doing. We’re not the pigs.
careful there, grasshopper.
Yes, you must do as I say. Do not have your own ideas or opinions. Mine are superior.
How things should be, and how things are, for our wanna-be dictator and his consort, not the same thing.
Maybe first adjust heading to the NE (again)?
I hear there’s a mosque in progress.
Everyone is sick and tired of the antics of these self-absorbed criminals. Get them out of office and into a prison cell before they can do any more damage.
It is galling to know that the hard earned money of honest Americans is going to pay for their tedious extravagances. The time for these thieves honoring themselves is coming to an end.
Junket? Going to the Gulf in the summer to see how the largest ON-GOING oil spill in memory is being addressed is a junket? Really……..
That’s not Paris Z, so your entire premise is false. Try again.
The First Lady is just that. Nothing more…. As such, she serves no purpose being there. You’re the one who is always asking questions, so start asking?
What is her mission?
Who is she visiting? What is the purpose of each visit?
What is she authorized to tell the people she visits?
What is the President expecting in the way of the report?
Since we are paying her way when we she share her findings?
What information is she to gather?
What information is she to share?
What will her visit do to stop the oil spill and/or the cleanup effort?\
Wow, only 1/10th of a percent disagree with The One—worldwide! Do you enjoy reading Ann Coulter and Ralph Peters columns? They hold some sway with conservatives.
+1
However, to add to that:
That doesn’t make the White House immune to scrutiny from the public on how they spend money that was received from that same public, especially in tough economic circumstances.
The President works for We the People. FLOTUS just happens to be married to him.
First, comparing the millions it will take for the first lady to make a useless trip to Congressmen who have an actual purpose is ridiculous at best.
Second, perhaps it’s time to trim the White House budget if they have enough money to jet off for date nights and purposeless trips.
Third, in the interest of bipartisanship, why doesn’t she offer the 10 Congressmen a ride to the Gulf?
Fourth, Mark Twain said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Please stop proving him right.
Fear the arms, which can probably pull YOURS out of their sockets if she loses.
Really not sure of your point. I am entitled to my opinion as you are. I did not use the word ‘superior’ in my post. You wanting to believe my opinion is ‘superior’ is your opinion.
You’re kidding, right? All Congressional travel paid for by the taxpayers is called a junket.
Do you disagree that if those Congressmen truly wanted to see what was going on with the ‘largest on-going oil spill in memory’ they could buy their own bus fair? Or, do you agree that all Congressional travel should be paid for by the taxpayer?
Nope. The issue I raised is about taxpayer funded travel for Congressmen. Do you expect that the Congressmen will spend thier entire time ‘to see how the largest ON-GOING oil spill in memory is being addressed’ or, would you hazard a guess that they would also spend some time on Bourbon Street . . . looking for beads?
Like it or not, First Ladies are looking for thier own portfolios and make appearances to support the positions of their husbands. Would you take the same tone and position knowing that First Ladies visit Walter Reed? Delivering commencement addresses?
Very well, though it requires speculation. I avoid doing so, but you raised the issue.
I don’t know.
Speculating, it would be to support her husband’s position that he cares. I would prefer if Cabinet Secretaries went to the Gulf. Oh, many have already been there.
I don’t know.
Speculating, the people who have been impacted by this accident.
I don’t know.
Speculating, it is just to hear and listen to the concerns of the people who have been impacted and take that information back to her husband, the President of the United States of America.
I don’t know.
Speculating, that her husband, the President of the United States of America, wants the people impacted by the accident to know that he is acting on thier behalf.
I don’t know.
Hopefully, the truth and another perspective.
I don’t know.
Though, I hope so.
I don’t know.
We will find out if and when she does gather any information.
I don’t know.
Though, any information she does collect should be shared.
Not much.
I’ve got no problem addressing questions.
*P-BO + MO; Put those two together and what do you get?:
OneBigAssMistakeAmerica
They don’t call it a jumbo-jet for nothing.
Are you freaking kidding me?
Do you remember 9/11?
That is the reason we went into Afghanistan in the first place. And yes, 99.9% of America supported getting the (expletives deleted) who perpertraited the horrendous events of 9/11.
Please, please, please . . . do not allow your ODS to get in the way of doing the right thing. RNC Chair Steele insulted Pres Bush’s actions with his statements in an effort to dimminish Pres Obama. Steele stepped into it without boots.
The right thing to do was to go into Afghanistan. A decision initially made by Pres Bush.
OK. Point well taken.
Yes, the WH should be subject to scrutiny. Yet, my point is and remains, why take WH spending to task and not so many other Congressional trips to task? Doing so suggests ODS. It is kind of like calling out Democrat earmarks, and not Republican earmarks. They both do it. Money spent on all travel should be scrutinized.
True and true.
Z, your answers confirm the obvious. She has no mission, there is no plan, there is no substance. It is nothing but campaigning.
The Democrat National Committee should pay for this joke.
I offered an alternative suggestion for the Congessmen. They should pay for their own bus fare. Do you agree, or disagree?
Should those Congressmen feel that strongly about wanting to see what is going on in the Gulf, why should the taxpayers have to pay for it? And no, I want to compare and contrast FLOTUS’s trip with all Congressional junkets. Scrutinize both.
OK. Though ‘purposeless’ remains a matter of opinion. Moreover, this discussion is not about ‘date night’. Avoid conflating and confusing the issues.
Great idea! Not sure how she is traveling . . . Airforce 1.5? Absolutely, invite the Congressmen along.
Advice you should take for yourself despite your great idea that FLOTUS should invite the Congressmen to travel with her. Eventhough one of the Congressmen is from La.
Or, the Congressmen could travel on their own dime if they truly believed they shoud see what is going on.
OK. Though my hope is that you realized I have addressed your questions. My hope is that when I ask you questions, you will address them.
And note, those questions were hers, or the WH’s to answer, and I was only speculating.
Nope. The WH has a budget for FLOTUS travel and it is up to Congress, who controls the purse strings, to make that determinination.
ZZZZzzzzz…(snork!) Wha? What I miss?
If your goal is to prolong the crisis in the Gulf so you can use the disaster as a springboard to fundamentally transform energy policies in this country, you would want to give the impression that your are working hard to solve the problem while in reality you are doing virtually nothing. With that in mind, Michelle Obama is the perfect choice to send down to the Gulf.
You get a big hell yes from me here!
What I would give to see many of these losers doing the perp walk with BHO leading the parade! Orange jumpsuits for all of them!
But then I woke up!
Your telling me that if there is an issue with junkets, I need to speak about all junkets. I am telling you to pound sand. This blog was about Michelles junkets, not ALL junkets. Therefore I don’t need to speak about all junkets. I know you don’t get it. You never will.
Z,
If you want to know how Congressman can get to the Gulf read “Marvin K. Mooney” by Dr. Suess. The same holds true for Michelle Obama who is NOT, repeat, NOT a member of the U.S. government.
She is nothing but clutter and a hinderance to the effort there. Just like gawkers at a housefire.
This pig of a woman….and I’m speaking of her personality, not her appearance….is the epitome of arrogance and misplaced elitist self-image.
She is a gold digger and America is her sugar daddy.
LOL!!! I was gonna say, Mommy, did Daddy plug the hole yet?
gee, that sounds almost nasty, eh?
Sure. And soldiers should pay for their own bullets and cops should pay for their own gas. Oh, those are job related expenses!
Because it’s the taxpayer’s business. Exactly how altruistic do you expect Congressmen to be?
How is spending millions on a trip for a person with no authority conflating and confusing the issue? How does the country benefits from MO’s Gulf trip? How did the country benefit from date night?I suggest that MO go on her own dime and the Congressmen who are acting on our behalf get their expenses paid.
She doesn’t need to be there anymore then the rest of those Washington DC politicians. Whoever had that idea the the politicians job is to solve problems has got it backwards. Politicians create problems, then blame others for them. The only reason I can see that Michelle Obama is going down there is to add to the obstruction caused by the rest of the bureaucrats, nothing more nothing less.
Hell, every time Spud Butt walks she kicks her own ass.
Yes, all junkets should be discussed, because as I said, it looks like ODS.
Why discuss and take Dems to task over earmarks and not Reps? It is about credibility and consistentcy. Do you really have issues with credibiltiy and consistentcy?
Yes, this blog post was about FLOTUS’s junket, and the credibility of the post is suspect because it lacks consistentcy.
With regard to credibility and consistentcy you don’t get it, and you never will.
Credibility and consistentcy is what RNC Chair Steele missed when he tried to take Pres Obama to task for what Pres Bush also did. Steele was overwhelmed with ODS. Steele realized he had an ‘oops’ and retracted his statement. (See post #45)
Avoid allowing your ODS to take charge of your consistentcy and credibility.
Unfortunately, your reference is unavailale to me. And yes, FLOTUS is not an elected member of the US Government. However, FLOTUS’s have represented US interests, and/or have advanced the agendas of their spouses. Whatever the line is, the WH has a budget to do such things.
Your ODS is palpable.
Support your assertion that she is a ‘hinderance’ or ‘clutter’ to the effort in the Gulf. Do you believe her ‘gawking’ will stop the efforts to stop the leak, or stop the cleanup?
This is ODS at it’s best.
Yep, taking a First Lady to task on this issue is absurd. How many past First Ladies have made such trips on behalf of thier husbands?
Don’t answer that question because there are too numerous occaisions to mention. But, your ODS allows you to challenge Michelle Obama’s trip.
Be consistent, your credibility is at stake.
My first thought was, how absurd and the lack of equivalence. Then I recall that many soldiers in Iraq modified there transports to deal with IEDs and also sought out resources to secure proper body armor, because we (the US) did not provide them with those items.
So yeah, when push comes to shove the individual troop will pay for and/or ask for what they need to perform thier mission.
My expectations are that they should put thier money where thier mouths are. Have you forgotten the Founders. They risked thier lives, fortunes and reputations for what they believed. I have no less expectations for current representatives that I do for the Founders. Do you?
Introducing date night and using it to take FLOTUS to task over a visit to the Gulf is conflation.
Yes, she has no authority, howevr it has been the tradition to have FLOTUS represent the interests of the President and the Nation on various ocassions. Yes, or no?
Why do you want me to speculate about the benefits of a FLOTUS trip to anywhere? It is part of the traditional role of the FLOTUS. Nothing more nothing less.
I’ve got no problem with FLOTUS traveling on her own dime, and I have got no problem with the Congressmen traveling on thier own dime. Especially, when those Congressmen believe they are doing the right thing.
The Founders risked far much more than having to pay for thier own bus tickets as these Congressmen will have to do.
Unless M Obama is there for clean-up duty 24/7, she does not have any reason to go. What? soil her $540 Lanvin sneakers?
Why spend another $100K of taxpayers’ money to go to the Gulf for another photo op? We are sick of seeing her face.
Coming home after a trip to SE Asia, B.H exits AF1 at AFB carrying a couple of Vietnamese potbellied pigs. The poor O5 assigned to greet the POTUS salutes and asks BHO about the porkers.
“I got ‘em for Michelle!” he responds.
The officer responds “Great trade, sir!!”