Anyone else think having state dinners during a recession is not right?

[RB TexLa]

They are wasteful at any time but particularly now just seems not only wasteful but in bad taste. I wouldn't have expected the bush white house to have cared but I thought maybe this administration would.

[arcadian]

1. Agreed

[Stephanie]

2. your concern is duly noted

[TheDebbieDee]

46. +1

[abelenkpe]

3. No it's fine. nt

[Frances]

4. If Obama did not entertain India's leaders as

leaders are usually treated, then people would complain.

I am old enough to remember how the media treated Carter when Carter decided not to carry on business as usual during the Iran hostage crisis.

Reagan depicted Carter as negative and campaigned on the theme of optimism vs pessimism.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. 1939 there was a dinner for the Queen

and that was the most famous of those events...

This is a tradition going back 200 + years... and not even during the Depression did they stop.

[Art_from_Ark]

34. The Queen? Which one?

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands?

[Libertas1776]

39. I do believe you mean

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. And by dinner, I think they had hot dogs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. Yes they did and the social pages were horrified

But it was still a state dinner.

[Lisa0825]

6. No, not unless they were having them every other week.

There are traditions and protocols, and if the Obama admin did not participate properly, then much ado would be made about his lack of experience, understanding of the world, etc. He's damned if he do, damned if he don't.

I for one actually enjoy seeing a bit of pomp... as long as it is not overdone.

[elleng]

7. No, I disagree.

Life goes on, and we shouldn't pretend that it ends or stop our normal lives and our attempts to improve things.

[anonymous171]

8. Obama should publicly flagellate himself every day on the Whitehouse lawn.

[Rowdyboy]

9. I could not possibly disagree with you more....

Barack Obama is the personal representation of the American people. I am proud that he can offer first rate hospitality to foreign dignitaries. Under Bush, the White House stagnated because Dubya liked to be in bed by 9pm. Thank God class has returned.

[RKP5637]

26. I agree with you, and the pictures are elegant!

[qazplm]

10. not even a little bit

the money saved is a drop. Should he get rid of the staff too? Stop having a chef prepare his meals? Take a cab instead of Marine One?

[Luciferous]

11. Agreed nt

[tabatha]

12. Well they trimmed some of the costs by eating

vegetables from the White House garden.

[burning rain]

13. Can't agree with you on this one, buddy.

State dinners don't account for a notable part of the federal budget, and asceticism on the part of the president does not play well--if you recall the negative reaction to such simple things as Jimmy Carter schlepping his own bags, and turning down the White House thermostat in winter and going about in sweaters. Giving up state dinners would go far beyond that, obviously.

[MrModerate]

14. Nah. Diplomacy goes on. n/t

[sohndrsmith]

15. Actually, I don't understand that - except in an overly-simplified

black-or-white argument.

If you've lost your job should you never have an ice cream, go to a neighbor's party, spend money driving to Thanksgiving dinner, or do anything that isn't purely functional and practical?

There are tons of areas where I have a problem with massive wasteful spending, but this state dinner isn't one of them (and it's not just a frivolous party thrown on a spontaneous whim).

What is wrong about it? What about it is in bad taste? If there was a new protocol that said State dinners should be held every night, I'd likely have a problem with that... although given the diplomatic/political aspect of State dinners, having them more often might be more useful than not.

Just because the media focuses on dresses and menus doesn't mean the more political components of such a formal event isn't more important.

[Lisa0825]

17. Good point....

When I got my layoff notice (2 months' warning), I did start saving more money, but I budgeted a certain amount for going to happy hours, because they were networking events where I made a lot of good business contacts. Sure, I could have stayed home and saved $10 in gas and $15-20 in drinks and tips, but I got some benefit from being there. There was a practical side to the social functions, but they were also fun, and that didn't make them wrong.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. No. Of course not.

[Deja Q]

18. Do you know how much this state dinner had cost?

It's a diplomatic thing, so to serve rice and beans would be unsavory, pun intended.

Though given the cozy state of relations between both countries, it could be a bit needlessly extravagant.

I'm on the fence regarding this issue.

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. It's part of the duties and the job of the Office of the President.

Nothing wrong with it at all.

[cliffordu]

20. Nope.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

21. Only if they grill wieners on sticks over oil drums and dumpster dive for desert.

Or they could just give the Indian head of state some coupons for the early bird buffet at Dennys.

I think government and diplomacy carries on despite the economy. Must put up a good front. A state dinner is about the least of our worries.

[bluestateguy]

22. Here

Typical victimology.

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N66FzKFa7Y

[HuckleB]

23. I think it's just fine.

[tranche]

24. Wasting time on the internet during a recession is worse.

Do something.

[Zomby Woof]

25. I don't have state dinners with you

[Zoeisright]

27. No.

President Obama didn't get us into this mess. And it's part of the history and trappings of the job.

[HipChick]

28. I enjoy having a family that brings this much class to the White House

[Stevenmarc]

29. Nope don't have a problem with it, and if you were invited neither would you.

[Bitwit1234]

30. The Bush Administration

didn't let up during the war he caused. So the republicans better damn sight say anything about this. I think they are a joke at any time, but if one administration gives one, why not another.

[RB TexLa]

31. Because one can show class where the other one didn't.

[Bigmack]

32. We need to impress the world...

while we still can.

Soon, a State Dinner might be a burrito and a beer.... on the Visa card, of course.

[Merlot]

33. All that "wasteful" is money spent on peoples wages

Everyone involved gets paid, so you could say it gives a boost to the local economy.

And it would be in bad taste to not treat foreign visiting dignataries with respect.

A perfect example of bad taste was looking under the desk for weapons of mass distruction. See the difference?

[FrenchieCat]

35. Yeah!

The Black guy doesn't get to do shit; not state dinners for him,
just for all of the ones that came before him.....
he gets to stay shackled to his desk,
where he'll sneak a computer, lurk at DU, get his marching orders,
and deliver us from all that's wrong.

So no, he can't be like the other Presidents...
cause he's "different".


Guess FDR must have eaten out of a tin can in his days, hey?

[LiberalFighter]

36. Did you consider how many Obama state dinners there were before this one?

[democracy1st]

37. wasting billions on wars and you 're worrying about alil dinner ?

[ZombieHorde]

38. I understand you viewpoint, but I think the state dinners are important for diplomatic reasons. nt

[Crunchy Frog]

40. No.

[Iggo]

41. Let's not do anything that costs money during a recession, okay?

:eyes:

[Ozymanithrax]

42. State dinners are a tool of national diplomacy.

India is concerned with our relationship with China, so a state dinner was a way of affirming our relationship with the worlds largest democracy. Perhaps there were other ways, but it is a legitimate tool that the President uses at his discretion.

[Justitia]

44. Nope.

[1]

45. sing it, sister! obama should hold up in a cabin somewhere. never talking to other world leaders...

making his own bread. washing his own clothes.

crapping in a bucket.


you know what seems in bad taste? people like you, people that have no fucking idea of how the world works and how things get done.

people that just want to shit on obama every fucking minute of every fucking day.

that is the thing that is not right.

live with that...

[TexasObserver]

47. No.

[Raine]

48. NO, of course not

that's totally ridiculous.