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There has been much ado about the Obamas luxe vacations since the former president left office in January. Some of the attention has been tropical trip-envy at the Obamas , toes in the sand, living their best post-Washington lives. But, of course, theres also been sensational coverage and criticism: The latest shot comes from a cleverly crafted Fox News hit piece claiming the Obamas are under fire from the left (because Fox News is famous for giving voice to the left) for their jaunts to Bali, Hawaii, Palm Springs, and Richard Bransons Necker Island. Note that the left, according to Fox Newss story, equates to exactly two sources: Pat Caddell, a strategist for former President Carter, and a rather far left socialist.

Obama is not as wealthy or as conservative as Trump, George W. Bush, or George H.W. Bush, but he enjoys what used to be called the lifestyle of the rich and famous, quipped Dr. David Michael Smith of the Houston Socialist Movement.

Smith is actually right about one thing: Obama is not as wealthy as Trump, and therein lies the utter hypocrisy of criticizing his post-presidential vacations. Its pretty rich (no pun intended) to be obsessing over the whereabouts of private citizen Obama when the sitting president of the United States is the proud owner of a gilded penthouse on Fifth Avenue; spent the winter a bona fide snowbird, jetting to Mar-a-Lago at a cost of millions of dollars to taxpayers; and golfed more in his first three months in office than presidents Obama, Clinton, or George W. Bush. If anyones fancy (and tacky, but thats not the point here), its Donald Trump. It raises the question: Why is luxury okay for President Trump but not President Obama?

Trump has all but equated wealth and economic success with virtue and qualification to lead, both in his own case and in appointing a slew of ber-wealthy former Wall Street executives to his cabinet. As he said at his recent rally: In those particular positions, I just dont want a poor person.

Despite being a (supposed) billionaire real-estate developerwho marketed himself a hero of the working class during his campaignTrump is poised to strip medical benefits from an estimated 22 million Americans by 2026 through the Senate health-care bill, including some of the most vulnerable. And yet, Caddell tells Fox News that the populist Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party is uneasy about the Obamas vacations? Long before he was rafting in Bali, and in spite of the imperfections of the Affordable Care Act, Obama sought to give coverage to the most needy among us. It seems hes not the elitist politician the world should be worried about.

Admittedly, there is a certain sense of abandonment, however irrational, when it comes to the Democratic party and the Obamas. Theres a sort of knife-twisting twinge watching mom and dad kitesurfing as a dystopian hell-scape seems to engulf Washington. As John Oliver has joked: Im glad [Obamas] having a nice timeAmerica is on fire. But the truth is that the Obamas didnt abandon America; it was the other way around. In Obamas wake, the country elected his diametric opposite, someone who questioned the legitimacy of his citizenship and whose primary strategy for governing is to sign executive orders that repeal his policies one by one. For two terms, Obama battled an obstructionist Congress that attempted to block all his legislative efforts and successfully snubbed his final Supreme Court pick. Can he really be blamed for fleeing to Necker Island instead of hanging out in the swamp? Did we stand in W.s way when he retreated to Crawford, Texas, to become the next Bob Ross?

Its understandable that Democrats cant let go of Obama; hes the presidential version of the one that got away, because the party is, frankly, in the throes of a losing streak and in desperate need of an energetic, unifying new leader (glimmers of hope come from senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Sanders). Or perhaps, as Obama has suggested, the fate of the party rests in the grassroots movement that has risen up after the election, vowing to fight for progressive values and reclaiming the Democrats mantle of the populist party.

And while its splashier to cover his endless summer, Obama has, in fact, been working, launching his eponymous foundation, mentoring young men of color through his My Brothers Keeper Initiative, donating $2 million to Chicago programs that provide summer jobs for young people, and giving a speech about public service in Canada.

Vacays notwithstanding, thats more than current First Lady Melania Trump has done since the inauguration (whatever happened to combating cyberbullying?). Obama has become something of a Democratic Batman, watching from afar and popping up when things get really dire: As the latest health-care debate heated up, the former president took to Facebook to condemn the embattled Senate bill. In the meantime, hes Bruce Wayne, and his supporters have to accept that and move on. He has.

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We Elected a Guy Who Owns a Gold ApartmentAre We Really Criticizing the Obamas' Vacations? - Vogue.com