Obamas Take In Alvin Ailey Show at Kennedy Center

Jane: Thanks for the book recommendation. Here’s mine: economist Robert Shiller’s book, “Subprime Solution: How Today’s Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to Do about it.” Did you know that during the past 8 years the US had a net gain of about 5 million jobs? And that today 11.6 Million people are out of work – that’s over twice the number of jobs our economy created since 2001? Sorry Jane, President Bush did not "have it right all along".

RJ: Yes, Mrs. Bush may have spent $450,000 on new china but there were at least 10 inaugural balls at a million dollars each and in one way or another the taxpayers paid for every one of them. There is a big difference here!

moderate: The little town that I live in doesn't even have a college and only has a population of about 5000!

Ow, I'm not one of the people complaining about his spending money on the ballet. But I want to respond, because you have to knock bush in the process of praising obama and I'm getting really tired of that. Bush went to plenty of events at the Lincoln Center as well. He is a cultured man, who also, yes, clears brush. President Obama goes to the ballet and plays basketball. Let's not stereotype either man as cultured or uncultured-- both have a range of interests, as they should.

Just to let you know- I am a middle class American from Ohio and I go plays, musicals, concerts, and yes- even the ballet. I took my daughter to see Alvin Ailey when she was 8 years old. How wonderful to see a first family who actually supports the arts and fosters cultural growth with their children. Or would you rather have him be out cutting brush?

obamcrat for Palin. Are you kidding me Palin would be buying all new wardrobes for her family is she was president and I don't think were that desperate to have a idoit for president can you imagine what she would do to our wildlife good buy to all the animals since she appoves of shooting wolves from helicopters and Palin don't tell me as governor you couldn't put a stop to that. Palin is a disgusting piece of work. EFJ

Comment to Pl****** You make an issue of the Obama's going and taking there family on a night out because the rest of america is having financial problems. Don't forget alot of these people over extended themselves with cars and boats and houses they couldn't afford. Obama is trying to pass the stimulas package but the republicans once again are holding it up. Lets not forget the watseful spending Mrs. Bush did before she left office 450,000 dollars on new dishes are you telling me that that is not an issue come on. Wake up America and give the president a chance and he has to pay for his own entertainment so don't worry its not coming out of your pocket.

Comment to PL------- Are you kidding me you are bitching about Obama spending money when the rest of America is suffering alot of people caused there own financial problems by over extending themselves. Funny you didn't mention the fact that when Mrs. Bush left office she ordered plates in the amount of 450,000 dollars now what are you going to say about that.

Some of you guys are soooo one sided. Tell me this, if it was the Former President would you still think that he was spending 2 much money, NO, when he offered the 1st Stimulus package everyone was waiting in anticipation for your check. Now that President Obama is in office some ppl are upset (and I am putting that nicely) because the state of America is terrible. So all you geniuse's what would you suggest. Since you have your fingers on the pulse of America, what programs would you cut, would it be health care, education, the War, Jobs, Foreclosurer, what. President Obama has only been in office not even a month, and the haters are out in full force. Some of you even voted for him and you are turning your backs, because you don't think he is doing a GOOD JOB. If you could or would or can do better, then you should have ran for the highest office in America.. ..

If it's was Bush or McCain doing the same thing, the liberals press would have an hissy fit.
Wonder if the liberal media realized that their credibility and objectivity are shots.

moderate: Thank you for saying what you did! You reflect my sentimates exactly! You explained life in our small towns much better than I did! I have a fighting Irish temper that gets away from me sometimes and I tend to be far too blunt and abrasive at times. It makes me mad when city people with college educations act like they are better or above those of us who live in small towns and I just can't keep my mouth shut or my fingers from telling them off on my computer! However, that said, I agree with you. I don't wish President Obama harm or ill either. I also hope he succeeds and I agree that he has done some good things. So far he is doing a good job. However, I don't like his stimulus package either. It is far too expensive and contains too much pork and it won't generate enough jobs and it does nothing to help the elderly and the disabled on social security. I also don't see how Obama can with a clear conscience go out on the town to places like the Lincoln center and jet to retreats like the one in Williamsburg and live such a luxurious lifestyle while the rest of the country is in such a horrible financial condition and people are being laid off by the thousands everyday. I just don't understand how he can claim to have our financial problems at heart and still live in such a way! The taxpayers are the ones who pay for those trips! We are also the ones who paid for those million dollar inaugural balls and that's not right considering the financial condition that we're in!

Eleanora,

Your points about elitism and ivy league schools, etc. are well-taken. However, PL also has a point. I teach in a small town where we have had no touring ballets in the past several decades. The college puts on operettas and that's as close to high culture as we can get on a local level. Traveling to the closest metropolitan area for ballet or symphony performances means a three-hour round trip and cheap seats that are hardly that. So there are those of us who have to get such culture from the tube.

But your conclusion that those who wish Obama ill wish the nation ill is incorrect. Some of us who are upset about the stimulus plan and about the double-standard of Obama et al. demagoguing about corporate jet use, antique commodes, and expensive retreats while jetting to a Williamsburg retreat for House Democrats and attending performances at the Lincoln Center have the very best interests of our nation at heart. We do not knee-jerk attack everything Obama does -- at least, I do not. (Examples-- I praised the appointment of Hillary Clinton to State, the bipartisan cabinet, the open house, the dinner for McCain.) Wanting THIS PARTICULAR STIMULUS PLAN to fail is not the same as wanting the President to "fail"-- I do not want him to be able to do whatever he proposed without question, so if you want to label that wishing the president would "fail," then so be it.

So please realize not all those who disagree with you are in need of "growing up."

BTW, you say you are a cultural historian. I'm an academic myself. Aren't you a friend of the Renaissance historian with the first name Joe? Your name sounds quite familiar, but I figure it's just a coincidence.

Get over it he won the election. He is now Mr. President. I for one am thanking our lucky stars that we have him. This crisis would have been beyond Sen.McCain and Gov. Palin. That is just my opinion. We need to now move forward and fix this nation as best we can. He cannot do this alone. He needs 'We the People' to be successful so that we ALL make progress. Stop hatin'. Peace!!

Eleanora: You are another one who has never been poor, really poor. If you have been you would know that when you are really poor you don't even buy the cheap seats to the ballet! There are things more important than ballet tickets like buying food, buying clothing for yourself and your children (And I don't mean designer clothing either. I'm talking about the cheapest bargain basement and thrift store and garage sale clothing), paying your utility bills and your rent/mortgage, and paying your car payments. Those things must come before buying things like ballet tickets! Also apparently you've never lived in a really small town. If you had you would know that most really small towns don't have performing arts centers or any building for that matter that's large enough to host ballet performances. In the rural areas across America it can be 40 - 50 miles or even further to the nearest performing arts center. We do without such things! And another thing, about the college education that you are so proud of that you earned with financial aid, where do you think that financial aid came from? It came from the taxpayers! It came from the very people that I'm talking about who can't afford ballet tickets! So climb down off your high horse lady and get your nose out of the air because we paid for your education! We also paid for Barack Obama's. Therefore you and Obama both owe us and you should be thanking us instead of critcizing us! Incidentally, I don't drink beer or cheap wine or any other kind of wine for that matter! I don't drink alchohol or liquor of any kind! I stay cold sober at all times!

Grand Old Party: You are exactly right! If John McCain had been elected and if he and his wife Cindy had been seen out on the town people and the media would have crucified him! People would have been ready to hang him from the nearest tree!

Frank: You should check your facts! Our country's financial problems didn't begin with the Bush administration. They began in the Clinton administration with Bill Clinton's liberal spend and spend policies! He spent us right into bankruptcy and George W. Bush just inherited the problems but he gets the blame for them!

so the obamas went to see a show .whats the big deal ? i voted for obama because the republicans running were pure trash .and look where they have the economy after 8 years in office.i dont know if obama can do better . but he could not possibly be worse than george bush .bye the way . i used to be a republican .

If President McCain had dared set foot out of the Oval Office for anything but state business, the MSM and Libs would have crucified him because he should have been "working for the American people in this time of crisis...not partying!"

Those of you who've never seen a ballet performance have never tried. Countless ballet, theater, and opera companies travel around the U.S. (as they did, by the way, in the 19th and early 20th-centuries), and cheap tickets are always available. It used to be exciting in small towns and cities for ordinary people to attend such performances. These events had everyone in town thrilled and delighted.

But today, people like the uninformed PL claim that it's all a matter of elitism, that "real people" can barely afford to eat at McDonald's.

Sorry, but professional cultural historians like me just can't sympathize with whiners who've never tried. While they were swigging down beer, I was in grad school, on financial aid, holding down a part-time job, lining up for the cheap tickets at the ballet and the theater. And guess what? After years of that, I ended up earning a PhD! Indeed, I earned that PhD at the second of the two Ivy League schools that my parents, intelligent, well-read, and well-cultured people with little money, thought I MIGHT be able to attend, if I just worked hard enough in school. And lo and behold, they were right!

In other words, it's a funny thing: you don't have to have parents who attended Harvard or Yale, or who have any family money or influence, in order to go to Harvard or Yale. You just have to be smart and work your butt off. That's sort of why I admire Barack and Michelle Obama, even though I'm a blonde, blue-eyed (but originally poor) white woman. They achieved exactly what I did, and it was even harder for them.

As for hanging out at the ballet: we all have differing interests. What we cannot do is claim that our differing interests are somehow a function of government. What cultural choices you make are yours alone, whether you like beer and skittles or cheap wine and a well-made (but not too expensive) guacamole. And whether you're willing to work like hell in high school and then college and grad school or just slide. It's your choice, your brain.

So, grow up, boys and girls. Stop whining about the fact that Barack Obama, a -- gasp! -- half-black guy has done better in life than you have. He worked; you didn't. And don't pretend for a second that he didn't work. If you want the details, talk to me, the University of Chicago, the Illinois State Senate. None of you silly children has ever been elected to anything; has ever spent 12 years teaching Constitutional Law at one of the country's premier universities; has ever earned a graduate degree at an Ivy League university; has ever published two books.

When you've done all those things, talk to me again. In the meantime, sit back, behave like adults, and give the new president a chance. If you refuse to do so, you'll be depriving yourselves of a chance. Anyone who wishes Barack Obama ill is wishing himself -- or herself -- ill.

I repeat: grow up.

people get over it , these are some of the perks that comes with being a president,,,had john mc-cain won he also would be living like a king,,,oh wait,,, he is already living like a king. he has seven houses... where is the outrage for that?