COMMENTARY | Is President Barack Obama arrogant or simply ignorant about how his lavish habits irritate common Americans? Perhaps a little bit of both. The hoopla surrounding the secretive "Alice in Wonderland" Halloween party in 2009 clearly illustrates not only anger over the extravagant spending at taxpayers' expense, but the inability of the White House to live up Obama's lofty goal of transparency.
White House press secretary Jay Carney stated the White House did not attempt to keep the party or the appearance by major Hollywood stars secret, according to the Washington Post. Carney also stated the press attended the Halloween gala, but press pool access was brief and limited to specific areas of the party, according to the Post.
Not one White House journalist has yet to mention seeing actor Johnny Depp, according to the Post. The downplaying of the star power at an event has been uncommon during the Obama administration. The struggling economy and upcoming vote about universal health care likely influenced the decision to cloak the bulk of the party in secrecy.
Many journalists have tried but none has succeeded in getting a detailed report about the party or the cost the affair. Concerns about the party sticker price would have subsided long before the 2012 primary season if the White House had simply answered questions honestly and issued the standard level of media access to the event.
President Obama promised a new approach to governance filled with increased public access and ample spoonfuls of hope and change. The hope has devolved into hype and the change feels more like chains for millions of American struggling to pay for the unsustainable spending policies of the ultra-liberal commander in chief.
Hosting a gathering for military families and local school children is a thoughtful gesture and one which has been commonplace at the White House for decades. President Obama should have adhered to the first rule of public relations, appearance is everything. All presidents enjoy vacations or the occasional round of golf, but the excesses of the president and first lady during a time if extreme fiscal uncertainty will not win the coveted Independent vote.
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