As he signed off emergency legislation today to prevent the government defaulting on its debt, President Obama spoke of the need to work together for Americans who cannot 'make ends meet'.Worry not though - when it comes to golf and his own fundraisers, the manchild is quite the trooper: President to Pivot to Real Job - Campaigner-In-Chief
So, with hindsight, rushing off for a lavish 50th birthday party in his honour - starring Dreamgirls singer Jennifer Hudson - was probably not very sensitive.
There has been speculation for days as to whether the President was going to make it to his own fundraising 50th birthday party - a plush affair at a $40,000 a night ballroom in Chicago.
Plus this great vid from Rb Kraft: Millionaires, billionaires and corporate jet owners to attend 50th birthday bash for President Obama
From The Chicago Tribune via memeorandum: Obama to head home for 50th birthday fundraiser
Obama is scheduled to attend a 50th birthday gala on Wednesday at the Aragon Ballroom, an event featuring Jennifer Hudson and Herbie Hancock. There’s also a dinner fundraiser planned for some special donors to go with the show at a cost of $35,800 a person.How many calories each meal?
UPDATE: Obama Reflects On Debt Fight: Didn't Need This "Manufactured Crisis"
"In the last few months, the economy has had to absorb an earthquake in Japan, the economic head winds coming from Europe, the Arab Spring and the rise in oil prices, all of which have been very challenging for the recovery. But these are things we couldn't control. Our economy didn't need Washington to come along with a manufactured crisis to make things worse. That was in our hands. It's pretty likely that the uncertainty surrounding the raising of the debt ceiling for both businesses and consumers has been unsettling and just one more impediment to the full recovery that we need and it's something we could have avoided entirely. So, voters may have chosen divided government but they sure didn't vote for dysfunctional government. They want us to solve problems, they want us to get this economy growing and adding jobs," President Obama said in the Rose Garden Tuesday afternoon after the debt ceiling deal passed in the Senate.If he and Democrats would only stop overspending there would be no crisis. Speaking of, from Dob Calabrese: Debt deal game-changer
...if Democrats were serious about dealing with the deficit, they could have done things in 2009 when they had complete control of Washington. If they really believed the Bush wars and tax cuts were the problem, they could have ended the wars and raised taxes. They didn't. They could have refrained from passing $862 billion in pork barrel spending disguised as "economic stimulus." But they spent it anyway. They could have passed a responsible budget. Instead, they neglected to propose any budget.
What that proves is that they really don't believe their own arguments about wars and tax cuts - and that they want to spend much more than they want to deal with the mounting debt problem.