White House Elite and the Obama Family Extravagant Lifestyle

Obama Family Extravagant Lifestyle – the Belated Campaign Drag

April 27, 2012

Patricia Campion | Yahoo! Contributor Network – President Barack Obama is in serious re-election trouble.

Despite his claim Wednesday that he has "added more than 4 million jobs over the past two years," the Labor Department reported Thursday new claims for unemployment benefits rose 6,250 to 381,750. The figure from the previous week was revised up to 389,000. This marked the highest number of new unemployment benefits claims since the week ending Jan. 7.

Then, in spite of Obama's 2009 vow to cut government waste, there's that whole Las Vegas-General Services Administration thing. Of course, the White House has made sure to clear itself of any connection in the Secret Service/prostitution scandal.

Now there's the Osama bin Laden embarrassment to contend with.

In the17 minute mini-movie "The Road We've Traveled," Obama's campaign used former President Bill Clinton to argue Republican front-runner Mitt Romney would not have launched the raid to capture bin Laden.

But a memo obtained and released by Time Magazine -- written by then-CIA head Leon Panetta -- confirms Obama didn't launch the raid either.

In the interest of protecting himself from making a decision -- which might have backfired and cost him politically if the raid failed -- Obama handed the "timing, operational decision making and control" of the raid to Adm. William McRaven.

Still, even as Obama struggles to keep his re-election nose above the general election waters being churned by these and a host of other problems, there is a serious undertow surging beneath the surface. The riptide of negative public sentiment -- over what the U.K. Telegraph described in August 2010 as "the extravagance and arrogance on display among the White House elites that rule America as though they had been handed some divine right to govern with impunity" -- is threatening to drag him under.

In September 2010, The Daily Mail reported of Carla Bruni's book revelation that Michelle Obama said being first lady is "hell" and she "can't stand it."

On Thursday, Real Clear Politics quoted her saying her fantasy "is to walk right out the front door" of the White House "and just keep walking."

Apparently, when it comes to the extravagant lifestyle she shares with her husband at taxpayers' expense, a growing number of Democrat voters are beginning to share her vision.

The Washington Examiner reported analysis of swing voters in 11 battleground states shows blue collar Democrats are "depressed about the economy" and resentful of their tax dollars "being sucked up by both the rich and those living on government assistance."

Above all, they are angry at the Obamas in knowing their tax dollars have been used to foot the bill for 17 lavish family vacations around the world while they continue to settle for disappointing "staycations" because they can't afford gas and a hotel room.

Remember the first lady's luxurious vacation to Spain in 2010? Back then Politics Daily reported White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs assuring the public that, while the first lady was "on a private trip," the Obamas picked up much of the tab on their own.

But analysis of government records released by Judicial Watch reveals her "private mother-daughter trip with longtime family friends" cost taxpayers at least $467,585.

A survey by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press showed the Obama-led government received the lowest positive rating score of the past 15 years.

While the majority of Americans remain satisfied with the performance levels of their local and state governments, only 33 percent have a favorable opinion about government on the federal level.

The factor in this survey that should give Obama great concern is that only 27 percent of those key independent voters have a favorable opinion of his government.

Of course, 51 percent of Democrats surveyed view the Obama-led government favorably and, as expected, only 20 percent of Republicans approve.

Then again, the approval disparity can be easily explained. Another Pew Research Center survey a month ago found that when tested on their level of political knowledge "Republicans fare substantially better than Democrats."