A Presidential Vacation

When President Barack Obama vacations on Cape Cod’s island retreat of Martha’s Vineyard, he is expected to pay for part of the $35,000 weekly rental for his family’s sojourn on a private 28-acre estate. The balance will be picked up by the Secret Service and the White House, since he will be accompanied by a large entourage.

I wonder to what extent this will be a time of rest and rejuvenation for the President, or if it will be as much an occasion to withdraw in seclusion outside the reach of all except a few choice guests and policy makers.

There very likely will be a mixture of pleasure and business – no president ever completely escapes his responsibilities while in office. (From ‘The Vineyard’ this morning, Obama – with Ben Bernanke at his side – went before the cameras to announce the re-nomination of Bernanke for another term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.)

Maybe Obama would be well-served after his vacation to spend some serious time onshore visiting some of Boston’s 23 varied neighborhoods – like Dorchester, Roxbury and the South End – where he could walk and talk among his constituents, getting real feedback about what people think and feel concerning his healthcare ideas.

Yes, I know. I must be dreaming, you say. But remaining isolated with staff and other hand-picked influential guests in a high-priced private enclave on one of the nation’s most exclusive islands is not going to give him the insight he needs about the nation’s healthcare problem.