Four scandals, 4 commencement address, and 4 for golf round out Obama's week

This was a tough week for President Obama. During this time, 3 new scandals emerged and Benghazi fueled up again. But through it all, the President found the time to attend a DNC fundraiser in Atlanta, spend a day in Baltimore, and play a round of golf.

He did, however, receive 3 daily briefings, met with his senior advisers twice, and spent some time trying to advance undocumented immigrants.

In addition to his flying around, both his wife Michelle, and Jill Biden used our Air Force One planes to deliver commencement addresses in Tennessee and New Mexico.

Weekly Air Force One and Helicopter flying time:

• President Obama: White House to Atlanta Georgia (round trip)  : 4 hours
• President Obama: White House to Baltimore Maryland (round trip)  : 1 hours
• Michelle Obama: White House to Nashville Tennessee (round trip)  : 4 hours
• Michelle Obama: White House to Bowie Maryland (round trip)  : 1 hours
• Jill Biden: Washington DC to Crownpoint New Mexico (round trip)  : 8 hours

Below is a summary of President Obama's official schedule during the week of Wednesday May 15 through Tuesday May 21 2013.


Today, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

• President Obama received a briefing about Oklahoma tornado response and severe weather at 9:30 AM. Then, at 10 AM, he delivered a statement to the country regarding the devastating twister.  This was followed by a daily briefing 15 minutes later. Next, he met with DREAMers who have received Deferred Action and U.S. citizen family members of undocumented immigrants at 11 AM. The President is then free until 4:30 PM when he will meet with Secretary of Defense Hagel.
• VP Biden delivers remarks at a reception hosted by the DNC in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month at 5:30 PM.

Monday, May 20, 2013

• Mr. Obama received a daily briefing at 10:45 AM. He then met with his senior advisers at 11:30 AM. Lastly, he held a bilateral meeting with His Excellency President Thein Sein of Myanmar at 2:10 PM.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

• President Obama traveled to Atlanta Georgia where he delivered the commencement address to the graduating class at Morehouse College, and then attended a DNC Event.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

• President Obama played golf at Andrews Air Force Base with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and Let’s Move! and nutrition policy advisor Sam Kass.
• Michelle Obama flew to Nashville TN and spoke to the a high school graduating class.

Friday, May 17, 2013

• Mr. Obama began the day at 10 AM with a daily briefing. At 11 AM, he left the White House and traveled to Baltimore MD. There, he visited an Elementary School, toured Ellicott Dredges and a community center, and delivered brief remarks. Mr. Obama left Baltimore at 3 PM and was back in the White House by 3:25 PM.
• Michelle Obama delivered a speech at the Bowie State University commencement in Bowie Maryland.
• Jill Biden flew to Crownpoint New Mexico and addressed the graduating class of Navajo Technical College.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

• President Obama held a  bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey at 9:50 AM, and later the two held a joint press conference at noon. In mid afternoon, (3:45 PM), he met with Secretary of Defense and others to discuss sexual assault in the military. Next, the President met with his senior advisers at 4:30 PM. He ended the day by hosting a working dinner with PM Erdogan.
• B - Mr. & Mrs. Biden, along with John Kerry, hosted a lunch for Prime Minister Erdogan.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

• President Obama received a daily briefing at 9:45 AM. He then delivered remarks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at 11 AM. Mr. Obama then had lunch with VP Biden at 12:30 PM. He met with Senator John McCain at 4 PM to discuss immigration reform. And, finally, he ended the day meeting with Senior Treasury Officials to discuss the IRS scandals.

Mr. Obama celebrates his 100th round of golf, but did not take any illegal immigrants or members of the LGBT community with him

Mr. Obama's official weekly schedule included 1 daily briefing, a lunch with the winners of his re-election campaign contest, 4 fundraising events, the announcement of a decree in which he instructed the Department of Homeland Security to cease obeying the immigration laws, a weekend wedding in Chicago IL, and a 3 day G-20 Summit in Mexico.

Besides appeasing the Latino voters, the President spent nearly 1 day working on the Jewish vote by honoring President Shimon Peres of Israel. He also tried to strengthen the Gay community by hosting a reception for the LGBT community at the White House.

President Obama did celebrate a milestone this Father's Day. He played his 100th round of golf since being elected and living in the White House. Congratulations on this wonderful feat!

Joining the President at the Jarrett wedding in Chicago IL was his family (wife, children, and mother-in-law).  They all flew to the Windy City on Air Force One, and spent the weekend attending various social functions. (Here they are on their way to the wedding).

At the end of Father's Day, the President flew directly to Los Cabos, Mexico. However, he instructed the pilot of the other Air Force One plane to take his wife, children and mother-in-law to Oregon for a few days. As you remember, this is where Michelle's brother lives. While there, she made a brief speech at the University commencement.

Since Mr. Obama was not able to campaign, Vice President Biden picked up the slack. He attended 4 fundraising events and helped to feed the Obama For America campaign with hard earned dollars from the wealthy 1%.

Below is a summary of the President's weekly activities from Wednesday June 13 through Tuesday June 19, 2012.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

• President Obama attends the second & third G-20 plenary sessions, a working lunch, and the closing ceremony. Afterwards, he will meet with President Hu of China, hold a press conference, and then leave Los Cabos.
• Mr. Biden delivers remarks at the 40th Annual International Convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Los Angeles, California. After that, he flies to Sacramento CA and attends a campaign event.

Monday, June 18, 2012

• Mr. Obama met with President Calderón of Mexico and President Putin of Russia. Then, he arrived at the Convention Center and participated in the arrival greetings, attended the first G-20 plenary session, had his official picture taken with other leaders, and attended a working dinner!
• VP Biden attended a campaign event in Chicago IL. 
• Jill Biden joined her husband on the trip and spoke at the 2012 National Conference on Volunteering and Service

Sunday, June 17, 2012 - Father's Day

• Mr. Obama played his 100th round of golf. He then left Chicago IL and flew to Los Cabos, Mexico in order to attend the G-20 summit.
• Michelle Obama departed Chicago and flew to Corvallis OR where she spoke at the Oregon State University Commencement. Her mother and daughters accompanied her on the trip to the place where her brother and family lives.

Friday, June 15, 2012

• President Obama had lunch with his campaign contest winners and then announced that he would allow illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. without fear of prosecution. He closed out the day by hosting a LGBT Pride Month reception at the White House. At night, he and his family boarded Air Force One and flew to Chicago IL in order to attend the wedding of Valerie Jarrett's daughter.
• Mr. Biden delivered remarks to the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Orlando FL. Next he attended a campaign event in that city.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

• Mr. Obama flew to Ohio and delivered remarks at a campaign event. Then, he hopped on Air Force One again and flew to New York City where he and his wife toured the new World Center Freedom Tower before attending two campaign events.
• Mr. Biden delivered a commencement address to the Tallwood High School graduates in Virginia Beach before attending a campaign event for Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

• President Obama & VP Biden held a meeting with President Shimon Peres of Israel. Next, the President attended a campaign event. Then, he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freeden to Mr. Peres at a dinner. Lastly, he and his family then hosted a reception for Mr. Peres.
• VP Biden attended a meeting. Then, he hosted a reception for he Motion Picture Association of America.

Is the country running on auto-pilot now?

Note: we modified this post to reflect the President's surprise visit  to Afghanistan.

During the past week, President Obama spent less than 6 3 hours attending to Official U.S. business and an additional 3 hours addressing international affairs. Much of the time, he has traveled the U.S. delivering campaign speeches disguised at legislative proposals and working on things that he has chosen to not publicly disclose.

We do know that he held 3 2 daily briefings, and met with Senior advisers, Panetta and Geithner once each. He met with Prime Minister Noda of Japan, students, and military personnel. He spoke at an AFL-CIO event and received their endorsement, and he hosted the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

In addition, the President attended 3 fundraisers. But, this was eclipsed by the 8 campaign events that his wife attended and the 5 that VP Biden attended. All together, the group was featured in 16 different campaign events located in various parts of the country.

Below is a summary of the Presidential and Vice Presidential activities during the week of Wednesday April 25th through Tuesday May 1st 2012.

Today, Tuesday, May 1, 2012

• Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a Las Vegas, NV fundraiser,. then, speaks to Obama campaign volunteers and supporters from the Las Vegas area.
• President Obama makes an unannounced visit to  Kabul, Afghanistan

Monday, April 30, 2012

• President Obama spoke at at the  AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Legislative Conference who today (May 1st) announced their endorsement of Obama for re-election. Afterwards, he held a meeting, lunch, and a press conference with Prime Minister Noda of Japan. In the middle of the afternoon, he met with Geithner.
• Mrs. Obama spoke to Obama campaign volunteers and supporters in Colorado Springs Colorado. Next, she traveled to Albuquerque NM and was greeted by service members. She then delivered remarks at a fundraiser, and spoke at the opening  Ceremony for the 2012 Warrior Games. Lastly, she flew to Tucson NM and was greeted by youth volunteers at Tucson Village Farm before attending a campaign event in Tucson.
• VP Biden attended a campaign event in Kansas City, Missouri. Then, he flew to Munster, Indiana to attend another fundraiser.
• Jill Biden and U.S. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Jane Oates accompanied the VP. They visited Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City and later Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

• The Obama's hosted The White House Correspondents' Association dinner, which was an all day affair with parties and pre-parties.

Friday, April 27, 2012

• Both President and Mrs. Obama and flew to Georgia, where they spoke to troops and filmed campaign coverage material. Afterward, the President flew back to DC and attended 2 campaign events (one at Washington Convention Centeri, and the other at a private residence ).
• Michelle Obama left Georgia and flew to Naples Florida where she also attended 2 campaign events.
• Mr. Joe Biden attended a campaign event in Washington.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

• VP Biden spoke at a morning campaign event in New York City. Then, he flew back to Washington and met with Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Dr. Hussain Al-Shahristani of Iraq at the White House. In the evening, he attended an event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in McLean, Virginia.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

• President Obama left Aurora Colorado and flew to Cedar Rapids Iowa where he participated in events with college students. When done, he returned to DC and attended a campaign event at the Jefferson  Hotel.

Obama: No time for America when meeting with foreign leaders and attending fundraisers

The Presidential duties of the past two weeks have been primarily focused on meeting with leaders of other countries and fundraising.  Very little time has been dedicated to the American public, leading the country, or working with any members of the Congress or Senate.

Having read the public schedule of the President over the past few months and summarizing it on this blog, we finally realized how little time Mr. Obama spends on U.S. domestic affairs versus meeting with and entertaining foreign leaders and diplomats. For example, whenever the President is abroad, his daily schedule appears to be filled with meetings and attending events.

However, when he is here in this country, his schedule typically accounts for only 2 to 3 hours of his time, unless he is on the campaign trail. In those cases, he will board Air Force One early in the morning and travel to various cities in order to attend campaign events.

For example, during the past few days that Obama has been in Seoul Korea, he has met with at least 6 world leaders and attended various work and ceremonial sessions. Before his trip, he spent 2 days with PM Cameron of the UK and met twice with PM Kenny of Ireland.

But by comparison, during the days he was in the White House, he only met with his senior advisers twice, had two Daily Briefings, and met once with Panetta, Clinton, and Geithner. At no time did he meet members of the Senate or Congress.

However, 12 campaign events were attended. Mr. Obama led the field with 6, VP Biden had 4, and Michelle Obama is credited with two.

Below is a summary of the travel events of President Obama, his wife Michelle, and Mr. and Mrs. Biden during the period of Wednesday March 14 through Tuesday March 27 2012.


Today, Tuesday - March 27, 2012

• Mr. Obama attended a plenary session and met with PM Yousaf Gillani. Afterward, he departed Seoul, Korea to fly back to the United States.
• Michelle Obama participated in the Cherry Blossom Festival Tree planting ceremony; and then she met with spouses of senior enlisted leaders
• VP Biden hosted a breakfast with Hillary Clinton

Monday - March 26, 2012

• Obama held bilateral meetings with President Hu Jintao of China and then President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan. Later, he participated in a Nuclear Security welcome ceremony, dinner, photos, working  sessions and lunch
• Jill Biden spoke at 2012 National 4H Conference. In the evening, she and her VP husband hosted a reception honoring Women's History Month

Sunday - March 25, 2012

• President Obama held bilateral meetings with PM Erdogan of Turkey, President Lee Myung-bak of Korea, President Medvedev of Russia. He also attended a  news conference, working dinner, and spoke at Hankuk University
• Mrs. Obama welcomed school children for White House Kitchen Garden spring planting

Friday - March 23, 2012

• Mr Obama made a personal announcement. Later, he departed DC and flew to Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Mr. Biden attended a campaign event in Coconut Creek FL

Thursday - March 22, 2012

• President Obama delivered remarks in Oklahoma City. He then left Cushing OK and flew to Columbus OH where he toured Center for Automotive Research before flying back to DC

Wednesday - March 21, 2012

• Obama left DC and flew to Las Vega, NV. There, he toured Copper Mountain Solar 1 Facility and flew to Roswell NM where he delivered remarks. Afterwards, he flew to Oklahoma City OK
• VP Biden delivered remarks at a service hosted by Bipartisan Policy Center

Tuesday - March 20, 2012

• Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden met with Irish PM Kenny. Next, they all had St. Patricks Day lunch. In the evening, President & Michelle Obama hosted a St Patricks Day reception and VP Biden attended.
• Michelle Obama attended a campaign event at Locanda Verde, New York City

Monday - March 19, 2012

• President Obama spent 1 hour receiving a daily briefing and meeting with senior advisers. In the middle of the afternoon, he met with Hillary Clinton. At dinnertime, he attended a campaign event at the W Hotel.
• Mr Biden attended a campaign event in Morristown NJ for Menendez.
• Michelle Obama held a campaign event at Chelsea Piers, New York City

Saturday - March 17, 2012

• Joe Biden traveled to Pittsburgh PA and attended the parade. After, he went to a campaign event.

Friday - March 16, 2012

• President Obama flew to Chicago IL and attended 2 campaign events. Afterwards, he flew to Atlanta GA and attended 3 more campaign events.
• VP Biden was in Wilmington DE, but no official reason was given.

Thursday - March 15, 2012

• Obama spoke at Prince George's Community College
• Mr. Biden attended a campaign event

Wednesday - March 14, 2012

• Mr. Obama, Michelle, Joe & Jill Biden welcome PM Cameron. Then, the  President held 2 meetings with him and other delegations. He held a press conference the day. In the evening, the 4 first entertainers hosted an evening State Dinner for the Cameron's.
• The Biden's and Hillary Clinton hosted lunch for the PM.

8 Fundraisers for Obama, 2 for Biden, skiing in Aspen, and swinging with the blues

The activities of the traveling trio were rather strange last week. Vice President Biden was given the responsibility of entertaining Chinese Vice President Xi. He did this by starting the week in DC and ended it in California. In between, Biden attended two mid-west campaign events. The whereabouts of VP Xi during the campaign events were not made public, which leaves us to wonder if our U.S. Vice President was fundraising for the Chinese government as well.

To divert attention, the President very openly took to the skies on Air Force One and devoted his week to attending 8 separate campaign events. On the way back, he stopped in Everett Washington and toured a Boeing Production Facility. Do you think he was placing an order for a new Air Force One? Or perhaps arraigning to have one delivered to China?

The activities of Michelle Obama were directed at greeting guests at the White House. However, we know know that she spent the holiday weekend in Aspen Colorado skiing with the girls, and is the featured guest at a luncheon fundraiser today.

However, both Mr. and Mrs. Obama coordinated their travels in order to host a Black History Month music celebration tonight. Here is a summary of their weekly activities.

Today, Tuesday - February 21, 2012

• President and Michelle host a celebration of blues music for Black History Month. Attending will be music legends and contemporary major artists.
• Michelle is featured guest at The Obama Victory Fund fundraising luncheon at the Mayflower Hotel.

Monday - February 20, 2012

• Michelle and daughters return from Aspen

Sunday - February 19, 2012

• Michelle and daughters skiing in Aspen.

Saturday - February 18, 2012

• Michelle and daughters on an Aspen ski vacation.

Friday - February 17, 2012

• Obama speaks at campaign event at Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco. Then he flies to Everett Washington, tours & speaks at the Boeing Everett Production Facility. Next he attends two campaign events (one at Westin Bellevue Hotel). Lastly, he flies back to DC
• Michelle and daughters depart DC and flew to Aspen Colorado for a ski vacation.
• Biden entertains Vice President Xi in California

Thursday - February 16. 2012

• Obama delivers remarks at campaign event in Corona Del Mar, CA. After, he flew to San Francisco, and attended two campaign events
• Biden attends two campaign events in Albuquerque New Mexico

Wednesday - February 15, 2012

• Pres leaves DC and flew to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Toured and spoke at Master Lock. Then flew to Los Angeles CA and appeared at 2 campaign events