New documents disclose $500,000 tab Michelle Obama left for taxpayersVoters sour on Obamas' lifestyl...

1. Michelle Obama's Spanish vacation cost taxpayers $500,000
New documents disclose $500,000 tab Michelle Obama left for taxpayersVoters sour on Obamas'
lifestyle that critics call 'tone-deaf' and 'hypocritical' New video reveals First Lady's 'fantasy' to
sneak way from Secret Service
Mrs Obama mulls political future and possibility of Presidential runByDaily Mail Reporter
Published: 00:19 GMT, 27 April 2012 | Updated: 21:31 GMT, 27 April 2012
The First Lady's whirlwind tour of Spain in http://www.mensfitness.com/ 2010 better have been a
once in a lifetime trip, because her getaway cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars.
The highly controversial and lavish trip drew ire at the time, but the White House assured the public
that the Obamas picked up the tab on their own.
But new information from Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates government
corruption, detailed the extensive security costs to the United States Air Force and Secret Service.
The Obamas' highly publicized and polarizing vacations may cost the First Family even more, as
voters appear to be disheartened by their extravagance.
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Inquisition: New documents revealed that Michelle Obama's trip to Spain in 2010 cost taxpayers

2. $500,000
'The American people can ill afford to keep sending the First Family on vacations around the globe,'
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.
'There needs to be greater sensitivity to the costs borne by taxpayers for these personal trips.'
In 2010, Mrs Obama visited the Spain's picturesque coastal towns, shopped, toured and even had a
lunch date with the countrys King and Queen.
Her every move was highly documented and scrutinized by the press, which called her trip 'tone-
deaf' during tough economic times.
'It is hypocritical for President Obama to fire GSA officials for wasteful conference spending, while
his family went on a luxury vacation in the Costa del Sol Spain that cost taxpayers nearly half a
million dollars,' Fitton said.
The New York Times previously reported that Mrs. Obama brought along her daughter Sasha, 'two
friends and four of their daughters, as well as a couple of aides and a couple of advance staff
members.'
Shopper's Paradise: The five-day trip included loads of shopping and sight-seeing. In this photo,
Michelle Obama, left, visits the Alhambra and the Palace of Charles the 5th
The five day trip cost at least $467,585, according to Judicial Watch.
The total cost of flying Michelle Obama from Camp Andrews to Malaga and then to Mallorca and
back to the United States was $199,323.75.
That tab is based on just 17 hours and 15 minutes of total flying time.

3. The White House said that the First Lady would reimburse only the equivalent of first-class
commercial tickets for herself and her daughter Sasha, since the rest of the seats were occupied by
Secret Service.
Her friends flew on separate commercial flights, the New York Times reported.
Royal Excursion: While on the trip, the First Lady met with the King and Queen of Spain for a lunch
date
The
Gang's All Here: Mrs Obama brought along her daughter Sasha, two good friends and four of their
daughters, as well as a few aides and a couple of advance staff members
The 15-member flight crew stayed at Tryp Guadalmar, a nearby motel where group's lodging cost
was $10,290.60 and car rental costs were $2,633.50.
In addition, their food cost was $876.30, which included an American indulgence of $57.68 for four
bottles of maple syrup and a package of pancake mix.
Secret Service records, meanwhile, show that the costs to the agency for the vacation were
$254,461.20.
This total includes $26,670.61 for a chauffeur tour of Costa del Sol and $50,078.78 for a travel
planning company SET P&V, S.L.
Though her trips may cost taxpayers money, they could also cost President Obama his job.

4. High Price: New polls conducted by Republican
researchers reveal that the First Family's extravagant lifestyle makes undecided voters sour
Top-tier Republican pollsters, organized by Resurgent Republic, traveled to 11 battleground states
to host focus groups.
The spoke to independent and swing voters who were Obama supporters in 2008, but are now
undecided.
'They dont like Obama using their tax dollars to benefit himself,' pollster John McLaughlin said to
the Washington Examiner.
The lesson from the sessions, McLaughlin said, is that the first family 'is out of touch' with working
class voters.
And they well may be - the First Lady revealed today that one of her secret 'fantasies' is to sneak
away from the Secret Service's watchful eye, a move that would no doubt cost taxpayers a pretty
penny.
'It is hard to sneak around and do what you want,' Michelle Obama said today at a 'Take your child
to work day' event.
'I have done it a couple of times. But you know one fantasy I have, and the Secret Service they keep
looking at me because they think I might actually do it, is to walk right out the front door and just
keep walking.'
She also revealed her political future, or lack of one, depending on how you read her response.

5. When asked if she would ever go after her husband's job, the First Lady responded with a
resounding 'Maybe.'
'Being president is a really hard job and its an important job,' Mrs Obama said.
'I think one of the things you learn about yourself as you get older are what are your strengths and
what are your interests. And for me its other stuff that is not being the president. So I probably wont
run. But thats a great question.'
IS THE TAXPAYER FUNDING PRESIDENT'S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN? FURY AS OBAMA USES
$180,000-AN-HOUR AIR FORCE ONE TO FLY TO FUNDRAISERS
By Toby Harnden

6. Flight Plan: President Barack Obama disembarks from
Marine One on the South Lawn. His use of official vehicles for fundraising trips has caused concern
President Barack Obama has already held more than twice as many re-election fundraising events
than President George W. Bush did in his entire 2004 re-election campaign.
According to Mark Knoller of CBS News, unofficial keeper of presidential statistics, Obama has held
124 fundraisers - about one every three days - since he launched his re-election bid last April
compared to the 57 Bush held to raise cash for his re-election bid eight years ago
Obamas frenetic fundraising schedule had prompted the Republican National Committee (RNC) to
lodge a formal complaint with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about misuse of taxpayer
money.
The Obama campaign dismissed the complaint as a stunt and the White House said that it would
follow the same rules as previous administrations and refund the appropriate amounts.
According to the Pentagon, the Boeing 747 that normally proteins in wheat roti serves as Air Force
One costs $179,750 an hour to operate.
In the complaint, Reince Priebus, RNC chairman, wrote: Throughout his administration, but
particularly in recent weeks, President Obama has been passing off campaign travel as 'official
events,' thereby allowing taxpayers, rather than his campaign, to pay for his re-election efforts.'
John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, today demanded that Barack Obama pony
up and reimburse the Treasury for what he said were are campaign trips to battleground states
dressed up as presidential travel.

7. He accused the Obama campaign of manufacturing a phony fight about student loans and then using
Air Force One to hold what amounted to re-election rallies in swing states.
Frankly, I think this is beneath the dignity of the White House for the president to make a campaign
issue about it and then travel to three battleground states, he said.
'This one does not pass the straight-face test. You know it, and I know it. Its time for the Obama
campaign to pony up and reimburse the Treasury.
He added that the president keeps trying to invent these kind of fake fights because he doesnt have
a record and the emperor wears no clothes.
Priebus said that the Obama campaign has been cheating the American taxpayer by using taxpayer
dollars to fund their general election efforts and had held more campaign events in three-and-a-half
years than any other president did in their full term.
'Its time for the Obama campaign to pony up and reimburse the Treasury.
John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives
He pointed to Obama's current trip to North Carolina, Colorado, and Iowa, all key battleground
states, to discuss extending lower interest rates on student loans as examples of this tax-payer
funded campaign travel.
One might imagine that if this were genuinely a government event he might have stopped in a non-
battleground state like Texas or Vermont,' his complaint said.
Priebus told reporters: This President and Air Force One seem to have a magic magnet that only
seem to land in battleground states in this country.
He added that a trip to Florida a fortnight ago, when an official speech was added to a days
programme of fundraising, was suspect. This speech was high on class warfare, slogans, and divisive
campaign style rhetoric. It was low on substance that would benefit the populace at large.
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