NYC Letter: On The Fail Trail -- Balancing Act

Day 1,148 of CHOPE

And I promise that I won't rest until America prospers once again.

Mr. Obama,
pledging sleeplessness 108 presidential fundraisers ago
WASHINGTON November 6, 2009 (White House)

America isn't prospering, so it's a certainty Mr. Obama is wide awake somewhere working on that.

OBAMA TO HIT RECORD NUMBER
OF FUNDRAISERS IN A SINGLE DAY:

FIVE*

BLOG March 16, 2012 (Weasel Zipper)

Q: You have the Vice President out today giving a campaign speech. The President is traveling to -- continuing to travel to a number of swing states. There were a number of bundlers who were invited to the state dinner last night, and you have him giving increasingly fiery speeches. Do you still maintain that this White House is not in campaign mode?

I still maintain that the President is still spending the vast preponderance of his time on his official duties, as is everyone who works here. There is a campaign, of course, and it is active and doing the things that it does in preparation for the time when there is a general election nominee for the other party and there’s a debate to be had more directly. ... Well, he certainly has been having political events, and we’ve been clear about that. And he is participating in that way in his campaign, but as a share of time it is still fairly minimal. But I’ve been very clear, and others have been very clear, that that percentage will increase as the year progresses, and especially once there is a Republican nominee.

Q: What about the preponderance of his public time? Would you admit that is increasingly political?

No. I would admit that there is -- there will be a gradual increase in the amount of his time that he spends on political events. But we are a long way from the point where that becomes a significant part of his schedule. We're just not there yet.

Jay Carney,
WH press secretary, maintaining that averaging a fundraiser
every 3.2 days leaves plenty of time for being president
PRESS BRIEFING
WASHINGTON March 15, 2012 (White House)

Mr. Obama often economizes by mixing his campaign with his office. As an appreciation for such economy, the taxpayer picks up the considerable tab of Mr. Obama's travel and expenses. It's just our way of saying, "Thank you, Mr. President, for taking the time out of your schedule to be president."

The President gave an energy speech today. He gave a speech that addressed the fact that when we're trying to get the country moving in the right direction, adopting an all-of-the-above approach, that, unfortunately, we have some folks who, by the nature of our system, are charged with the task of governing along with us, who seem not to believe, or seem to think -- seem not to believe that we need to have anything but fossil fuels to secure our energy future, and seem to think that even talking about alternative energy sources is funny. And I think calling them "flat-earthers" is appropriate.

Q: Isn't that a campaign message?

No, it's a policy message.

Jay Carney,
WH press secretary, explaining that policy based on
political cant isn't political cant but serious policy
PRESS BRIEFING
WASHINGTON March 15, 2012 (White House)

For those who have been waiting for Mr. Obama to show improved performance, we point out his current 3.2-day average per fundraiser is a 64% advance on his 5-day average per fundraiser for 2011. According to Mr. Carney, look for more such improvements once a Republican opponent emerges.

CHOPE.

Balanced between having been elected and trying to be re-elected.

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* UPDATE: Mrs. Obama makes it SIX in one day.