President Obama just flew to Chicago via AF1 to vote. He has a right to travel via AF1 and other Presidents before him have done it — but it is very pricey.
Imagine if he had instead voted absentee and made known that he elected to do something special and save some dollars by voting absentee and not detour the AF1 to Chicago for the sole purpose of voting. It would have been a great photo op for the President and a great message that taxpayer money matters and that he pays attention to it.
If I had advised the President, I would have suggested he do something more notable and never done before: eg sign on AF1 as he travels between two campaign rallies. He would have gotten a good photo op as he signed, done a ‘first’ (signing on AF1) and sent a message to the taxpayer (I care about the taxpayer dollar.)
It is indeed true that in the grand scheme of things the cost of his detour to Chicago can seem small — but the message would seem big.
Yes….I know…with all the trillions that is spent by the Federal Government it hardly seems worth noting one AF1 flight but we need someone, sometime, to begin setting an example in Washington.
What do you think?
(by the way, while I am on the topic of President Obama, I think it silly that some are giving him hell for using the term ‘b-s’)
And PS – this posting does not mention him traveling to campaign rallies. He has to do that — you can’t campaign remotely (you need to see the voters) and we want our Presidents safe.
