Live-stream discussion (TJ Walker and host) about media criticism of First Lady Michelle Obama's vacations and alleged lavish spending. Walker argues the tabloids' portrayal (Daily Mail, National Enquirer) could damage President Obama's standing with liberal and Democratic base amid high unemployment, potentially harming re-election prospects; he advises changing visuals by vacationing at more middle-class locations.
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Week since President Obama got elected, there have been popularity polls and attacks on his record, on his citizenship, calls for his resignation, Hitler comparisons. But now it looks like the real attacks have launched the first major battle in what will no doubt be a long, vicious war. The attacks on the first lady, Michelle Obama in the form of a string of articles and criticisms on her, well, lifestyle. The most notable perhaps coming from the Daily Mail, a British tabloid and the US tabloid, the National Enquirer, and reports that Michelle Obama is, quote, a vacation junkie that has been indulging in a five star in five star hotels where she splashes out expensive massages and alcohol, spending $10 million of U.S. taxpayer money and had been going on wild shopping sprees, according to the article, much to the distress of her husband who is absolutely furious at his wife's, quote, out of control spending. Well, let's talk about this and what this could mean. Joining me from New York, our New York studio is T.J. walker, Daily national managing editor of the DailyNational.com Good to be with you. Hey, T.J. i know that your specialty is very much in sort of PR and shaping the message. Do you think that what we're seeing here, and you know, I should mention that very few people are actually talking about this, it's not a big story, but we want, we want to just kind of explore this a little bit. And is this a PR disaster?
Yes, it is a disaster. Now when it came to all the trips two years ago, a year ago, you could just write off all that criticism as right wing ranting. The same sort of people who were talking about that, were talking about the whole birth certificate nonsense. But now we have a serious problem for Obama. We're three years into the presidency, unemployment is sky high. You've got so many liberals and progressives very angry at Obama for giving Wall street everything it wanted in the bailout, for not really regulating banks, for extending Bush tax cuts to the rich. And now to see him spending so much time in posh areas like Martha's Vineyard and wife vacationing around, it's really starting to cut a lot of liberals and progressives his base. That's going to hurt.
But I mean, in terms of these pictures and what we're seeing, I mean, certainly a camera always follows Obama and the first lady wherever they go. I mean, these are people who, let's be honest, whichever party you're in, these are hard. This is a hardworking family who has to deal with the wrath of, you know, a public that, you know, could put them in danger. At points, do they not deserve to vacation? Should they be, you know, staying in trailer parks? What's the deal here? I mean, are they just going to too nice of places or should they be staying in the White House all year long? Which, frankly, you know, I think when people work too much, they don't work as well. But, you know, what should they be doing? What should the message be showing?
First of all, this president has taken a lot fewer vacation days than Bush or Reagan. People sometimes forget that, but the visuals are important. When Ronald Reagan was on vacation, you saw him physically clearing brush, smacking with his axe, chopping away. It wasn't just hobnobbing with rich, famous Hollywood celebrities. So there is a.
So you're saying then they should just go somewhere different? If so, then where should they be going?
Instead of Martha's Vineyard, how about, how about Gatlinburg? I mean, when I grew up, we went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we played Goofy Golf, we went on water slides, we went to the arcade. Something a little more middle class. We're in a nation where everyone seems so fixated on wealthy and everyone's trying to be Donald Trump. I think you have a huge, huge base of people in this country. Tens of millions of unemployed for one. Democratic voters, number two, who feel like the whole national debate is all skewed around, should we cut the wealthiest taxes, you know, 10% or 50%? No one's really looking out for average income people. And Obama does not help himself when he and his wife seem to just love jet setting around with the rich and famous.
But T.J. i mean, the Obamas did it. The Obamas are not now, nor were they before they were in the White House. Middle class, average people. They have always been successful. They've worked hard. Why would they go to Myrtle beach, you know, which from what I know is strip clubs and trailer parks, you know, maybe some nice beach areas. You know, why would they go there when it seems like that would be a harder area as well to secure with all the, you know, security detail they have to bring with them?
Well, but, but you only have to go back a couple of years. And the Obamas were not, in fact wealthy, they were in fact middle class. They were upper middle class. But when they were in, you know, living in Chicago, presumably they occasionally went to, you know, maybe perhaps Lake Mackinac or Mackinac island or places that were a little closer. The problem with this particular location, Martha's Vineyard, is it is known as just the hotbed of the wealthiest people. The biggest named celebrities and hey, you could say I'm jealous because I didn't get invited to go this summer. But still it is not good symbolism. When you are a Democratic president and you have unemployment at approaching double digit level, it just doesn't show a lot of sympathy. Again, two years ago you can make the case a year ago but, but.
Two years ago it was just after the 2008 financial collapse. And I will say the leading contender right now in the GOP presidential race is Mitt Romney, who as we know is extremely wealthy. But let me take this a step further, TJ because I want to talk about this. What is the result of this? I mean you say this is a PR disaster. Do you think that this could happen, have an impact on the campaign, on the Obama campaign that is detrimental to his becoming re elected?
Well, it does not help. It's not a disaster in the sense that this is the one thing that's going to cause implosion. But as you've seen with Obama's poll numbers, they steadily go down, down, down. I think the big worry he has right now is not with the so called independents and certainly it's not the Republicans. They're never going to vote for him, which is why a lot of Democrats wish he'd stop wasting time trying to placate them. Obama's real trouble right now is he is in tremendous danger of losing support among actual Democrats party activists. You saw Jim Hightower of Texas earlier this week really coming out very forcefully attacking the president and he's a very partisan Democrat. Jim Hightower, I think if his poll numbers continue to go down, you may in fact see a primary challenger to President Obama.
Well, I don't know how, how likely that would be. Certainly interesting in one sentence or less. TJ how could they reshape the message here?
Go to vacation in Tennessee. Tennessee. Go to Rock Mountain. Go to Branson, Missouri and mix it up with the common folk.
All right, TJ Walker, Daily national managing editor of DailyNational.com thanks so much. And that's going to do it for now. But for more on the stories we covered, go to rt.com.
