Real Clear Politics
11/28/2011
ABC News’ Jake Tapper confronts White House press secretary Jay Carney over President Obama’s schedule which has included a lot of traveling. Citing a Wall Street Journal article about the number of times President Obama has traveled to swing-states, Tapper bluntly asks Carney if Obama is “campaigning on taxpayer dime.”
“President Obama seems to travel to battleground states more so than any other president before him. Am I’m wondering if you could respond to this. It looks like the president is campaigning on the taxpayer dime more than any other president has done,” Tapper said at today’s White House briefing.
“I reject the premise of that,” Carney responded. Carney said since Obama “expanded the political map” by winning some red states, so many more states are considered “purple” or swing-states now. Carney also said that there is “logistical” decision making when the White House plans to travel.
Carney is then asked by CBS News’ Mark Knoller if politics isn’t the motive then what is, causing the press secretary to give a bumbling answer.
Watch the video at Real Clear Politics.
