{"id":76333,"date":"2017-06-27T16:35:04","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T20:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=76333"},"modified":"2017-06-27T16:35:04","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T20:35:04","slug":"obama-like-a-drunk-soviet-apparatchik-living-high-on-the-hog-after-oppressing-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=76333","title":{"rendered":"Obama Like A Drunk Soviet Apparatchik Living High On The Hog After Oppressing The Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Obamas under fire from the left for never ending, sizzling ultra-luxury vacations<\/h1>\n<p><!--more-->By Christopher Wallace<br \/>\nFOX News<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic base is growing increasingly frustrated with former President Barack Obama\u2019s actions after leaving office, including a seemingly endless tour of millionaire and billionaire luxury retreats, according to Democrats and activists contacted by Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>Ex-presidents, understandably and un-controversially, go on vacations immediately after leaving office. But the level of luxury the Obamas enjoy on their\u00a0vacations\u00a0is unprecedented for a modern-day president, say travel experts.<\/p>\n<section class=\"related-image\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"m\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/images.foxnews.com\/content\/fox-news\/politics\/2017\/06\/27\/obamas-under-fire-from-left-for-never-ending-sizzling-ultra-luxury-vacations\/_jcr_content\/article-text\/article-par-2\/embed_image_0\/image.img.jpg\/612\/344\/1498574939128.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Former United States President Barack Obama waves during a visit to Tirta Empul Temple while on holiday with his family in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia June 27, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto.  Antara Foto\/Wira Suryantala\/ via REUTERS  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. INDONESIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN INDONESIA. - RTS18SZ9\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<h5>Former President Barack Obama waves during a visit to Tirta Empul Temple while on holiday with his family in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia June 27, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. \u00a0<span class=\"copyright\">( Antara Foto\/Wira Suryantala\/ via REUTERS)<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Since leaving office in late January, Obama has visited late actor Marlon Brando\u2019s private island; the Four Seasons in Bali &#8212; where rooms cost upward of $2,000 per night; a Palm Springs estate;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2017\/02\/07\/obamas-join-richard-branson-for-private-island-getaway.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sir Richard Branson\u2019s Necker Island<\/a>;\u00a0the exclusive Mid Pacific Country Club in Oahu; the 13<sup>th-<\/sup>century Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany; and the Rising Sun, Hollywood studio mogul David Geffen\u2019s private yacht.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2017\/06\/23\/obama-begins-nostalgic-vacation-in-indonesia-with-his-family.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>OBAMA BEGINS NOSTALGIC VACATION IN INDONESIA WITH HIS FAMILY<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These are some of the most luxurious travel destinations in the world. Many of our clients spend tens of thousands of dollars or more to stay at these resorts, which cater to the most discriminating and demanding guests,\u201d said Kendra Thornton, travel expert and owner of luxury travel agency Royal Travel. \u201cFor example, Necker Island has a nightly price tag of $80,000. Anyone who stays at these properties does so because they want the best of the best.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media youtube\"><span class=\"video-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"vm-9E9JceumG\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vqhw8kxVd2o?enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com&amp;widgetid=1\" width=\"612\" height=\"342\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Fox News contacted the Borgo Finocchieto hotel. It\u2019s actually not\u00a0<i>really\u00a0<\/i>a hotel, at least of the kind ordinary travelers come to expect.\u00a0It\u2019s a restored medieval hamlet with five villas and 22 bedrooms that can only be rented for a three-day minimum, in its entirety. Obama touched down at a nearby airport in a private jet escorted by six Eurofighter jets from the Italian Air Force.\u00a0Presumably, the former president scored a deal on the stay since the Borgo Finocchieto is owned by one of his appointees, the former Italy Ambassador John Phillips.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-quote\"><p>&#8220;These trips are like the lifestyles of the rich and famous.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"quote-author\">&#8211; Pat Caddell, Democratic strategist<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThese trips are like the lifestyles of the rich and famous,\u201d said Democratic strategist Pat Caddell. The former adviser to ex-President Jimmy Carter believes that President Obama\u2019s vacations are unprecedented, and a far cry from how Carter spent his first few months out of office.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2017\/02\/07\/obamas-join-richard-branson-for-private-island-getaway.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>OBAMAS JOIN RICHARD BRANSON FOR PRIVATE ISLAND GETAWAY<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, when they see President Obama, whom they instinctively want to defend being the corporatist president, I think it makes the base uneasy,\u201d said Caddell.<\/p>\n<p>Left-wing activists told Fox News they are troubled by what they see as a trend by Obama to distance himself from the base of the party.\u00a0It\u2019s not just vacations.\u00a0The president also has enjoyed hefty fees for speeches to prominent Wall Street firms.\u00a0It\u2019s all part of a trend, they say, of Obama trying to join the fabled 1 percent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media instagram\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BRkOCnylhLY\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=7&amp;wp=610#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1001.525%7D\" width=\"300\" height=\"766\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cObama is not as wealthy or as conservative as Trump, George W. Bush, or George H.W. Bush, but he enjoys what used to be called \u2018the lifestyle of the rich and famous,\u2019\u201d said Dr. David Michael Smith of the Houston Socialist Movement. \u201cI am not surprised by Obama\u2019s several recent foreign vacations. As president, he disappointed millions of supporters who hoped he would be a strong advocate for working-class people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2017\/04\/27\/obama-spokesman-defends-reported-400000-wall-street-backed-speech.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>OBAMA SPOKESMAN DEFENDS REPORTED $400,000 WALL STREET-BACKED SPEECH<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The left-wing media is also worried about Obama\u2019s luxury vacations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll tell you who should kick back a little less,\u201d said HBO host John Oliver in an interview with Seth Meyers on Late Night Monday. \u201cThis might be controversial \u2013 I\u2019m a little sick of seeing photos of President Obama on vacation with Richard Branson.\u00a0Just tone it down with the kite-surfing pictures. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s having a nice time \u2013 America is on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oliver then pointed out that President Obama was accused of being out of touch with the American people during his presidency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure he\u2019s ever been more out of touch than he is right now,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n<p>Those comments were made in February. So Oliver\u2019s advice apparently didn\u2019t slow down the Obama vacation schedule.\u00a0He\u2019s in Bali this week.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media twitter\">\n<div class=\"SandboxRoot env-bp-350\" data-twitter-event-id=\"0\">\n<div id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"EmbeddedTweet EmbeddedTweet--mediaForward media-forward js-clickToOpenTarget js-tweetIdInfo tweet-InformationCircle-widgetParent\" lang=\"en\" data-click-to-open-target=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/NerdyWonka\/status\/879352768129097728\" data-iframe-title=\"Twitter Tweet\" data-dt-full=\"%{hours12}:%{minutes} %{amPm} - %{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-dt-months=\"Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec\" data-dt-am=\"AM\" data-dt-pm=\"PM\" data-dt-now=\"now\" data-dt-s=\"s\" data-dt-m=\"m\" data-dt-h=\"h\" data-dt-second=\"second\" data-dt-seconds=\"seconds\" data-dt-minute=\"minute\" data-dt-minutes=\"minutes\" data-dt-hour=\"hour\" data-dt-hours=\"hours\" data-dt-abbr=\"%{number}%{symbol}\" data-dt-short=\"%{day} %{month}\" data-dt-long=\"%{day} %{month} %{year}\" data-scribe=\"page:tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"879352768129097728\" data-twitter-event-id=\"2\">\n<article class=\"MediaCard\n           MediaCard--mediaForward\n\n           customisable-border\" dir=\"ltr\" data-scribe=\"component:card\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"MediaCard-mediaContainer js-cspForcedStyle\" data-style=\"padding-bottom: 50%\">\n<div class=\"MediaCard-mediaAsset\n                ImageGrid\n                ImageGrid--3\n                ImageGrid--roundedTop\n                \"><a class=\"ImageGrid-image\n                  ImageGrid-image-0\n                  CroppedImage\n                  CroppedImage--fillWidth\n                  \" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/NerdyWonka\/status\/879352768129097728\/photo\/1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"CroppedImage-image js-cspForcedStyle\" title=\"View image on Twitter\" src=\"http:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DDQWj_0UAAIloOF.jpg:small\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\" width=\"668\" height=\"1013\" data-srcset=\"http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWj_0UAAIloOF.jpg%3Alarge 668w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWj_0UAAIloOF.jpg 668w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWj_0UAAIloOF.jpg%3Asmall 448w\" data-style=\";\n                    top:-6%;\" \/><\/a><a class=\"ImageGrid-image\n                  ImageGrid-image-1\n                  CroppedImage\n                  CroppedImage--fillWidth\n                  \" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/NerdyWonka\/status\/879352768129097728\/photo\/1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"CroppedImage-image js-cspForcedStyle\" title=\"View image on Twitter\" src=\"http:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DDQWlKxVwAUafuM.jpg:small\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\" width=\"470\" height=\"739\" data-srcset=\"http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWlKxVwAUafuM.jpg%3Alarge 470w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWlKxVwAUafuM.jpg 470w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWlKxVwAUafuM.jpg%3Asmall 432w\" data-style=\";\n                    top:-107%;\" \/><\/a><a class=\"ImageGrid-image\n                  ImageGrid-image-2\n                  CroppedImage\n                  CroppedImage--fillWidth\n                  \" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/NerdyWonka\/status\/879352768129097728\/photo\/1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"CroppedImage-image js-cspForcedStyle\" title=\"View image on Twitter\" src=\"http:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DDQWl2DUMAINX6U.jpg:small\" alt=\"View image on Twitter\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" data-srcset=\"http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWl2DUMAINX6U.jpg%3Asmall 650w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWl2DUMAINX6U.jpg%3Alarge 650w,http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FDDQWl2DUMAINX6U.jpg 650w\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The president\u2019s press team didn\u2019t want to go on the record since Obama is a private citizen and it doesn\u2019t comment on his personal schedule or private outings with his family.<\/p>\n<p>But a former Obama White House official did tell Fox News that the president dedicated his entire career to working to \u201clevel the playing field and provide ladders of opportunity for those hardest hit by the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the first actions after leaving office was to mentor young men from Chicago&#8217;s south side who are in a job training program called \u201cCRED,\u201d led by former Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The president also donated $2 million recently to help young people in Chicago get apprenticeships and summer jobs.\u00a0The president is an avid supporter of the My Brother\u2019s Keeper initiative that aims to improve life outcomes for young men of color.<\/p>\n<p>The Obama team also told Fox News that the president most recently released a Facebook post about the current debate in Washington around the future of health care.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media facebook\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbarackobama%2Fposts%2F10154996557026749&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill,\u201d Obama wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Caddell, the Democratic strategist for former President Carter, said that\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think every time Obama opens his mouth, the fair question is: Which billionaire\u2019s paradise island did he do it from? When is he going to do anything to help people other than enrich himself?\u201d Caddell said. \u201cHow can he possibly be doing things? How do you do things from Marlon Brando\u2019s island? It\u2019s in stark contrast to Carter.\u201d<span style=\"font-size: 12px;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Challenged <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarackObama?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@barackobama<\/a> to a kitesurf vs foilboard learning contest \u2013 here\u2019s what happened <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5hwjOvy2TK\">https:\/\/t.co\/5hwjOvy2TK<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wEGSjL2TAr\">pic.twitter.com\/wEGSjL2TAr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Richard Branson (@richardbranson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/richardbranson\/status\/828939842990067713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 7, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And to former President George W. Bush. Asked how the 43<sup>rd<\/sup>\u00a0president spent his first year after office, a person close to President Bush told Fox News: \u201cHe spent the first month in Crawford, Texas, where he started writing \u2018Decision Points.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, once their house in Dallas was ready, the Bushes settled there and started fundraising for the Bush Center and setting up policy programs of the Bush Institute. President Bush went on some speaking engagements handled by the Washington Speakers Bureau.\u00a0And he and Laura vacationed with their family in Kennebunkport, Maine, and at the ranch in Crawford.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObama has a right to do whatever he wants,\u201d Caddell said. \u201cBut these trips really are a little bit rich.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2017\/06\/27\/obamas-under-fire-from-left-for-never-ending-sizzling-ultra-luxury-vacations.html\">http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2017\/06\/27\/obamas-under-fire-from-left-for-never-ending-sizzling-ultra-luxury-vacations.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Obamas under fire from the left for never ending, sizzling ultra-luxury vacations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76333\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}