At a town hall in New Hampshire this afternoon, President Obama tried to give a little friendly recession spending advice, telling people they shouldn’t “blow a bunch of cash in Vegas” when comparing the federal budget to a family budget.
“This isn’t how responsible families do their budgets. When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices. And it’s time your government did the same,” he said.
He may not have expected just how quickly Nevada politicians, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would react.
Reid (D-NV) shot off a statement telling Obama to “lay off” Las Vegas.
“I just spoke to the White House and told them that while the President is correct that people saving for college need to be fiscally responsible, the President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money,” Reid said. “I would much rather tourists and business travelers spend their money in Las Vegas than spend it overseas.”
Other politicians piled on.
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) called for the President to apologize, via Twitter:
Obama slams Las Vegas again. I am calling on the President to apologize for his remark.
He continued: “Las Vegas is suffering through one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and we cannot afford for the President to bring us down any further.”
Rep. Dean Heller (R-NV) said, “This is not the first time the President has found Las Vegas to be a convenient political punch-line. At the same time the President tells people not to come to Las Vegas, he has no problems coming to our state to raise money.”
Last February, Obama prompted similar outrage when he said bailed-out bankers “can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas … on the taxpayer’s dime.”
He plans to visit Nevada this month to help Reid raise money for his re-election campaign.
Senate candidate Sue Lowden (R) called for Obama to retract the comment and apologize “to the hardworking families of Nevada.” She also said it was “indefensible for Harry Reid to once again sit on his hands” about the incident.
