President Obama, who Monday suggested he was too busy to campaign for losing Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett, spent a third of the 66-day special election period on the golf course and raising reelection money or campaigning in all four states that border Wisconsin, according to a review of his schedule.
Obama, asked about his absence in Wisconsin where Barrett lost to Gov. Scott Walker last week, said that he has “ a lot of responsibilities.” The Washington Post headline was: “Obama says he was too busy to campaign in Wisconsin recall election.”
In the 66 days between when Barrett, Milwaukee’s mayor, decided on March 30 to challenge Walker and the June 5th election, Obama travelled heavily to attend official and political events. CBS White House reporter Mark Knoller, who keeps the best diary of presidential activity, tweeted that “during the two months before the Wisconsin vote, Pres Obama made 15 trips to 14 states – but steered clear of Wisconsin.”
Knoller also said that the president played seven rounds of golf during the period. He also attended 39 fundraisers in 11 states. In total, Obama golfed and raised money on 22 days, exactly a third of the 66-day election. He also went on two foreign trips and made two visits to Camp David, one for a NATO summit.
What’s more, his fundraising tour took him to Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan, three of the four states that border Wisconsin. As for the fourth the state, Iowa, he made three campaign stops on May 24.
