President Obama’s Purple State Tour
EmailThe New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny points out that, with the exception of Arizona yesterday, the states President Obama has been barn-storming in the last couple weeks have been ones that tended to vote Republican in presidential elections but opted for Obama in 2008.
"A trend is emerging in President Obama’s out-of-the-gate travel itinerary: Top billing has been given to states that turned from red to blue in the fall," Zeleny writes. "So far this year, Mr. Obama has visited Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Virginia and Colorado…"
A White House spokesman says of this trend that "it is a coincidence."
But that doesn’t seem right.
Truth is, the economic decline has hit these states hard. That’s largely what helped turn them blue.
And it makes sense that the President Obama would visit states that illustrate his economic message of the day.
Why deny that?
Curious.
– jpt
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hmmmmm, it’s interesting that BHO flies around the country in his big jet and NO problem, but the auto chiefs (who deserve no help in my opinion) need to drive in their hybrids to make us happy.
Posted by: Mitch in NC | February 19, 2009, 8:00 am 8:00 am
It is just a coincidence. Those are the states hardest hit by the Economy crisis and during the elections, he lost Fort Myers and Ekhart, so there is really no relationship anyway apart from the fact, he ended winning those States.
Posted by: vuzous | February 19, 2009, 8:17 am 8:17 am
Obama didn’t win Arizona yet he went there so the theory is a little off.
I think that the point that the reason why most of these areas are purple that Obama won is that the economy really hurt these places hard and that’s why they turned blue.
Obama needs to come to California. We would love to see him there!!!
Posted by: Sara | February 19, 2009, 8:26 am 8:26 am
More interesting is that Obama and Biden took separate jets to Colorado for the signing of Porkulus – which was done at a country that operates as a socialist entity.
Posted by: Plumber | February 19, 2009, 8:29 am 8:29 am
slow news day?
Posted by: hmmm | February 19, 2009, 8:31 am 8:31 am
Obama flying in Air Force 1 is not an issue unless said use becomes excessive. It’s more than a little ridiculous to think we should empty a passenger plane so that the President (of either party) can travel safely on public airplanes.
Posted by: jan | February 19, 2009, 8:31 am 8:31 am
Habit.
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 8:32 am 8:32 am
OBAMA DOESN’T NEED TO COME TO TENNESSEE
Posted by: MJ | February 19, 2009, 9:10 am 9:10 am
“Obama didn’t win Arizona yet….
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Hence the need to campaign there.
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 9:32 am 9:32 am
Hmmmm! Obama doesn’t need to come to North Carolina. The NC voters are mad already.
Posted by: anonymous | February 19, 2009, 9:51 am 9:51 am
“When I inquired with the office of a Democratic senator, one who is a big fan of inspectors general, I was told the RAT Board was “something the Obama administration wanted included in this bill.” When I asked the White House, staffers told me they’d look into it.”
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The DCExaminer finds another interesting contradiction from the White House.
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 9:54 am 9:54 am
Mitch in NC:
Please try not to put Auto Chiefs and the President at the same level. Let us all be realistic!
Posted by: Rosie | February 19, 2009, 10:05 am 10:05 am
All h@ll is breaking out on the Mexican boarder. Texas governer says Texas ready to protect itself even if Obama and the federal government arn’t. Shouldn’t Obama focus on that problem a little instead of flying all over to states he already won. The election is over. Lets start working on protecting America from not only terrorist but the Mexican drug cartel. Mexico is ready to break out in a civil war and we should be worried about hundreds of thousands of people coming over the boarder. Every boarder state is at risk. Oh wait, this can’t be true because no news media is reporting on it except Fox News. What was I thinking. Never mind, let Obama continue his traveling and campagining. We’re safe. Mexico poses no problem.Also, N. Korea is not a problem either. guess I better just listen to abc news to keep me informed on world news like Obama visiting the American people just to see how things are going.
Posted by: notafan | February 19, 2009, 10:06 am 10:06 am
How long has he spent in each state, Jake? Is he just flying in, doing the speech, and then flying out again?
Posted by: MayBee | February 19, 2009, 10:18 am 10:18 am
Obama labels some Americans bitter and clingy and separates the country into privileged vs. regular people. Reid complains that regular Americans who visit D.C. smell bad. Wright cursed Americans in his publicized sermon. Pfleger screeched about the necessity of hating an ‘entitled white woman’. Holder now accuses Americans of being cowards, presumably even those Americans who have fought and died in wars for our country, including the Civil War. This is a concerted effort to demoralize and to demonize the American population. Why? If the politicians mentioned here have such contempt for citizens of the US, they should resign their positions, stop working as “public” servants, and stop collecting salaries from taxpayers they evidently despise.
It is clear that this administration and its associates are invested in fostering racial, class and gender warfare. It is also clear that the working and middle classes, especially women, have been identified as the moving targets in an increasingly hostile and vicious economic environment. The Obama Administration is not projecting racial equality; rather it is projecting the face of treason. This is what treason looks like and every citizen of every race needs to sit up, take notice, and protest, protest, protest.
Posted by: colormelivid | February 19, 2009, 10:47 am 10:47 am
notafan – so you are “notafan” of Obama or facts. Homeland Security and Senate Foreign Relations have been working on this problem. Great article in the El Paso paper last week. Gov. Perry’s hypocrisy on the stimulus bill which would positively impact that region doesn’t help either.
The U.S. has the Merida Initiative which has allocated 1.4 billion dollars ($500 million already spent) in equipment and border technology to bust the drug cartels, but I’m guessing you aren’t too interested in that – just looking for a way to bash the President.
Posted by: Ranger | February 19, 2009, 10:50 am 10:50 am
ABC has no news to report. This is a none issue. All of these ANGRY people, writing here, has Misplaced anger, be it that he’s our President or be it that he’s black. I would be “MAD” at my miserable self too! Good in the MIRROR and figure out What/Who Is It You”re Mad At.
Posted by: sngeorgia | February 19, 2009, 11:45 am 11:45 am
It is strangely amusing that the hypocrites here criticize the President for travelling on Air Force One. What do they expect him to do? Drive? Were these same concerns expressed every time Bush travelled somewhere? Of course not. These are the same critics who complained that Obama should not have had an innauguration celebration. It just shows them up for the small-minded people they are, Limbaughbots swilling down the Neo-Con koolaid.
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | February 19, 2009, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
“The DCExaminer finds another interesting contradiction from the White House.”
Right wing birdcage liner finds nothing from White House but will sensationalize it anyway.
What’s next a link to Newsmax?
Posted by: Ryan C | February 19, 2009, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
Ryan, The Rat Board story was reported several days ago in the Washington Post.
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
“Ryan, The Rat Board story was reported several days ago in the Washington Post.”
And the reporting was very different from York’s who gave it the veneer of being stuck in when it was part of the bill since at least mid Jan.
See since the right wing doesn’t have anything of substance to say, they have to either take true things and misrepresent them to gin up outrage or they make them up.
York opted for the former including calling it the RAT Board when it should actually be called the RAAT board.
Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board.
Hmmm wonder why they wanted the other acronym
Posted by: Ryan C | February 19, 2009, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
“…it was part of the bill since at least mid Jan.”
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Then the WH shouldn’t need to wait to comment on it.
Do you have a source for that provision in a mid-January version?
Regardless of when it was put into the bill, a provision for a board that tells IGs what to investigate or refrain from investigating has potential for trouble.
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
The Washington Post:
The bill sets up a new panel, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, which has the authority to request “that an inspector general conduct or refrain from conducting an audit or investigation.”
“Any new limitation on the independence of inspectors general is dangerous,” Grassley said.
Staff writers Alec MacGillis, Shailagh Murray and Amit R. Paley contributed to this report.
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The Washinton Post used the same Words to describe the RAT Board as did Byron York: Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.
RAT Board
Posted by: mad | February 19, 2009, 9:23 pm 9:23 pm