Fox News claims that Obama has taken more vacations than any recent president. After a LOT of effort, we have finally found a way to prove them correct.
We have to admit, it was tough. After all, during Obama’s first term he was on vacation 131 days, while George W. Bush averaged 510 vacation days per term while in office.
| Days Vacation per term (ref) | |
| Ronald Reagan | 242 |
| George HW Bush | 543 |
| Bill Clinton | 76 |
| George W Bush | 510 |
| Obama (Term 1) | 131 |
But as good conservatives, we have a strong interest in proving that Fox News is always right about everything. So we started to dig.
ARGUMENT 1: Obama shouldn’t be vacationing when the economy is bad! He should be working!
It is true that the GDP growth under Obama has been much worse than it was under George W. Bush. When GDP growth is low, Presidents deserve less vacation time. That’s just common sense.
So we can create a weighting system that takes this into account. Let’s look at the number of vacation days each president took per term per the annual percent GDP growth during that term.
| Days Vacation per term |
% GDP Growth (ref) |
Vacation Days per % GDP Growth |
|
| Ronald Reagan | 242 | 3.3 | 73.33 |
| George HW Bush | 543 | 1.9 | 285.79 |
| Bill Clinton | 76 | 3.7 | 20.54 |
| George W Bush | 510 | 1.7 | 300.00 |
| Obama (Term 1) | 131 | 0.8 | 163.75 |
As you can see, this raises Obama’s “effective vacation days” (from 131 to 163), and lowers George W. Bush’s (from 510 to 300)
However, it isn’t enough. George W. Bush still took more vacation days than Barack Obama.
ARGUMENT 2: Obama shouldn’t be vacationing when the debt is so big! That’s wasteful spending!
The Federal Debt is six trillion dollars more under Obama than it was under George W. Bush. That’s got to be taken into account somehow.When the debt is higher, presidents should take fewer vacation days. That’s just common sense.
So in addition to dividing the vacation days by the percent annual GDP growth, we can also multiply our “effective vacation days” calculation by the federal debt at the end of the president’s term.
| Vacation Days per % GDP Growth |
End Of Term Debt x 10 trill $ (ref) |
Days x Debt per GDP Growth |
|
| Ronald Reagan | 73.33 | $0.27 | 19.80 |
| George HW Bush | 285.79 | $0.42 | 120.03 |
| Bill Clinton | 20.54 | $0.57 | 11.71 |
| George W Bush | 300.00 | $1.07 | 321.00 |
| Obama (Term 1) | 163.75 | $1.64 | 268.55 |
This helps a little bit, but unfortunately it is not enough. Using this new adjusted “effective vacation days”, Obama (268 days) is now getting closer to George Bush (321 days), but George Bush still has more vacation days than Obama.
ARGUMENT 3: I’m a constitutional originalist. Which is really code for…
Look, we’re not proud of this. Really, we’re not.
But we’ve got to find some way of proving that Obama has taken more vacation days than George W. Bush. Otherwise, we might have to admit that Fox News spews completely false B.S. on prime time television.
We tried all kinds of other factors, even beyond the two mentioned above. Nothing seemed to work.
Even when we took into account the debt, the economy, unemployment, number of golf games, and even approval ratings, nothing was able to make Barack Obama seem to have taken more vacations than George W. Bush!
But luckily, there is the constitution.
Conservatives love the constitution: the original constitution. And in the original constitution there is a very specific number associated with people like Barack Obama. That number is three-fifths.
The number appears in Article I, section 2 of the constitution, and although it was superseded by the fourteen amendment, most conservatives know that that’s totally the least important amendment.
In the interest of delicacy we will simply call this number, three-fifths, the “Constitutional Coefficient”, or C-Factor.
We can include the C-Factor into our calculation of “effective vacation days”. After all, if George Washington only wanted Barack Obama to be counted as 3/5 of a person in the census, we can only assume he would only want him to take 3/5 of a regular president’s vacation days, as well.
| Days x Debt per GDP Growth |
Constitutional Coefficient (“C-Factor”) |
10 x Days x Debt per GDP Growth per C-Factor |
|
| Ronald Reagan | 19.80 | 1 | 19.80 |
| George HW Bush | 120.03 | 1 | 120.03 |
| Bill Clinton | 11.71 | 1 | 11.71 |
| George W Bush | 321.00 | 1 | 321.00 |
| Obama (Term 1) | 268.55 | 0.60 | 447.58 |
Eureka! This solves the problem: using this calculation, Barack Obama has taken more vacation days than George W. Bush.
CONCLUSION
Fox News is correct: Barack Obama has taken more vacation days than any president of anything ever in the entire history of time. The above graph and table prove this point.
When liberals say that George Bush has taken more vacation days, that is because they are not using the special, adjusted “effective vacation days” measurement, which has been corrected to take into account important factors like GDP growth, Federal Debt, and–of course–the Constitution.
And if they aren’t willing to include important things like the economy and the constitution, well… that can only mean one thing: they are guilty of liberal bias!!!
I’m not opposed to President Obama taking a vacation. As for all Presidents take vacations. But, $100,000 million dollars when we are now in sequester? It does not make sense.’When Most Americans struggle to pay their taxes, the president takes a vacation that is the most expensive vacation thats ever been taken;I am angry when he does this stop, but at congress who stands by like a group of insipid boy scouts. I think Americans should call for a halt to this expenditure.
I think maybe America should start dealing with the purveyors of misinformation who bandy about such frankly bizarre figures as this. This is not “freedom of speech”, this is “gain through fraud”.
This is not costing anywhere near what they say it is costing. It is hardly a “vacation”. Notice he’s actually working whilst there. So, yeah, it does not make sense because it is not true.
They made the same claim last time about Obama’s vacation, they were wrong then. Quite why people believe the claims now I’d like to say I don’t know. But I do know: ‘Murrica… That’s why.
Really Larry? $100,000 million? Isn’t that, like, eleventy-billion or something?
No facts posted here. Way too many vacation days by a long shot! Don’t be mad that bush took more than a 3 term president JFK!!
JFK really Andrew, you confused with your initials man. Only US President to hold more than two REAL terms (elected) was FDR, during WW2
Of course, George W Bush usually vacationed at his ranch in TX where Obama vacations mostly in Hawaii …. big difference
I agree with Andrew Livingston The purveyor of misinformation are the real problem. According to the stat. Bill Clinton was the best president ever. Highest GDP growth and lowest growth in Debt. And yes bush the worst ever. Look at the % gain in in GDP and % gain in National Debt. I don’t care about parties I’ll give Ronald Reagan his kudos for coming in second. However, take a good look at what the Bush’s did, and be real. Get off the Democrat/Republican thing or the race thing and look at what is best for the country..
Bush “usually vacationed at this ranch in TX”?! Usually?! Make that FREQUENTLY, as in SEVENTY-SEVEN (77) Crawford trips at a cost of $226,072.00 per trip. That’s $17.4 million in travel alone and, as far as I can tell, that’s not even in today’s dollars. Plus, there was the cost of turning the Crawford ranch into the Western White House. How many trips has Obama made to Hawaii (his home, BTW)? Two per year tops? And he pays personally for the family’s accommodations. Yeah, big difference. http://www.politicususa.com/2011/12/23/cost-obama-christmas-vacation-bush.html
George W. Bush spent 879 days at his Crawford Ranch. This doesn’t mean this was a vacation for him, he constantly flew in staff members, held press conferences, and met with 18 world leaders at the ranch. So what does Obama do on his vacations or his wife? Goes to Hawaii, Martha’s Vineyard, and Spain to Golf, Basketball, shopping, etc. Where as Bush’s wife and sometimes with him went on goodwill missions in places like Africa. So one president works in his house generally where as the other travels all over to relax and unwind when the country is such horrible shape though one can argue that his doing anything to fix the country has the opposite effect so he should just stay on vacation till his replacement comes in.
What everyone seems to be missing is Yes, GWB did take more vacation days but he took them at his ranch. In other words GWB paid for the majority of his vacation costs out of his own pocket. But Obama, he’s jet-setting all over the globe, and so is his family. In March 2012 his daughter Malia took a spring break in Mexico with 12 of her friends and 25 Secret Sevice Agents while leaving the parents behind. What’s up with that one. Since when ae “We The People” susppose to pay for a 13 year old girls “play time”. Actually, I don’t give two hoots if he spends every single day he has left in office on vacation, AS LONG AS HE PAYS FOR IT!
He’s does far less damage when he stays away from Washington. He really dose not know what he’s doing anyway!
Agreed!
It’s a hypocrisy thing. Obama says he is for middle to lower income Americans, and he crys foul to income inequality and economic justice. All while enjoying elaborate vacations in the Hamptons and Martha’s Vinyard.
It’s hypocritical for someone who has money to care about people without money?
Why? Because you’re only allowed to care about poor people if you’re poor yourself?
Liberals are slaves to their Democrat masters promising them the world day in and day out. Republicans are slaves to a system of rigidity that promotes independence and freedom while preaching how they should live. The people are slaves to sites like these and other media that create a wedge in our society using polemics (that’s Po Lem icks you you uneducated folk). Who cares what POTUS took what vacation? What does pointing it out or defending the person in your corner have to do with anything? Nothing. It’s a stupid device used to keep the people divided. And as you know, DIVIDED WE FALL. Don’t be a shill for parties. Our government is corrupt through and through. Supporting either party is failing America, election by election.
Your tone seemed very pointed right now.
Bush spent 1020 days on vacation during his 8 years in office. Almost 3 Full Years! More than any President since the 1920′s
In 2005, Bush took the longest single vacation — 5 weeks — of any President in 36 years. President Bush spent 32% of his presidency on vacation.
Of the 77 total “vacation” trips the former president made to his Texas ranch while in office, nine of them — all or part of 69 days — came during his first year as president in 2001. Bush made 25 trips — a total of 78 days — to Camp David in 2001.
Holy 9/11!
Bush spent 487 days at Camp David, 490 days at his Crawford ranch, and 43 days in Kennebunkport.
At 1,020 days, Bush was close to being on vacation more days than President John F. Kennedy’s total days in office (1,036).
Presidents Clinton and Carter vacationed the least of any of the last seven chief executives.
http://politic365.com/2012/05/08/obamas-vacations-of-any-president-bush-racked-up-the-most/
http://www.crewof42.com/uncategorized/the-most-vacationing-president-in-u-s-history-george-w-bush/
I think the biggest thing is…President’s don’t go on vacation. They don’t turn off the blackberry or put an out of office on. These are working vacations in which they are still in the loop. So in defense of both sides, lets be honest that the true vacation days is probably about 0.
You do know that Obama was the first president even allowed to have a Blackberry or any other similar device, don’t you?
Well, I’ve finally found a website with ZERO real facts and the people that comment are more ignorant than the original authors.
The world just gets dumber and dumber.
[...] don’t bring up presidential vacation days before 2009 because, like all members of the Tea Party, I can’t remember anything from that period except [...]