From Jodi Kantor’s The Obamas, page 90-91:
Even the president made uncomfortable jokes about why his wife needed so many things. Behind the scenes, aides said, the Obamas were concerned about money: the president’s books could only sell so many copies, and it would be years until he could write more and the first lady could write her own. From vacation rental homes big enough to accommodate the Secret Service to all the personal entertaining they did at the White House, their lifestyle had grown fearsomely expensive.
Lest someone claim the book is an anti-Obama smear job, Kantor began covering the Obamas for The New York Times in 2007 and based the book on multiple interviews with 33 different White House staffers.
Some further perspective:
President and Michelle Obama’s combined adjusted gross income in 2009: $5,505,409.
President and Michelle Obama’s combined income in 2010: $1,728,096.
President and Michelle Obama’s combined income in 2011: $789,674.
The Obamas’ combined adjusted gross income for 2008, their last year before moving into the White House, was $2,656,902.
Then there’s the Christmas at the White House: Here are are some excerpts from the blog: ulsterman report.
“Her spending habits are well documented and legendary – but Michelle Obama has perhaps managed to outdo herself yet again with the most lavish White House holiday decorations ever. Nearly 40 Christmas/holiday trees decorate the White House – most of those being live trees cut down at the bidding of the First Lady. (Perhaps the Obama’s no longer bother to even pretend to care about global warming?)
As for that 400-pound White House gingerbread house she so recently boasted about – yes, it’s real. And, according to an Investors Daily report, the Obama’s lavish spending habits didn’t stop there – they just had to include the family dog as well:
Virtually every room has also been decorated for the holidays with some kind of a replica of the Obamas’ dog, Bo, who’s being made into a kind of first family Christmas canine symbol.
The Bo’s are made of all sorts of materials and come in all sizes. There are Bo’s made of pom-poms (750 of them), Bo’s made from about 2,000 pieces of licorice, Bo’s made from some 35 yards of wool felt and Bo’s made from nearly 7,000 feet of plastic trash bags. There’s even a nine-inch Bo made from hundreds of buttons.
Perhaps sensing potential backlash from her “can never spend enough” ways, Mrs. Obama has indicated the reason behind the posh White House decorations at a time when the country remains struggling to survive the Obama economy is to make people feel good – especially military families during the holidays. (Ah – remember that HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS theme Insider said would be such a major component of the Obama’s holiday season?)
Mrs. Obama took another tack, however. She said the massive holiday displays in her White House are designed to make others feel better, especially military families.
“I know for some of you, this holiday season will be tough,” she told some visitors. “But hopefully, it’s times like this that make you know that you live in a grateful nation, and that we are just so inspired by your sacrifice. And hopefully, this is a memory that will stay with you every holiday season.”
Interesting thing those words from the First Lady. The American military has been sacrificing for this nation since its inception – fighting and dying during such conflicts as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II, Korea, Vietnam and most recently, Afghanistan and Iraq. Remember though how Michelle Obama publicly declared in early 2008, only after American voters were indicating support for her husband’s presidential campaign, that it was the first time she was proud of her country? Where was the First Lady’s awareness of living in a “grateful nation” prior to 2008? Where was her inspiration for the soldiers’ sacrifice during the Bush administration – or any other administration prior to her husband’s?”
Spending your tax dollars like it’s her own personal Black American Express card no past White House occupants have chosen such tacky displays of excess, whether it’s vacations in rooms like warehouses, holidays, trips to NYC for date nights, etc. than the Obama’s.
I suspect Obama will be hedging that campaign warchest fund. If he loses he will need several millions to draw on to maintain his new lifestyle.
