When President Obama took his first trip to Martha’s Vineyard after taking office, the excitement among locals here was palpable, from the signs of support strung across shop windows and front porches to a full-page newspaper ad taken out by 125 Vineyard grandmothers in support of his health care plan.Aww, falling out of love is just crushing poor starstruck Leslie. This is what happens when you have to make a choice in life: Feeding your family or slobbering over some mythical media creation.
This week, with the jobless rate stuck above 9 percent and the president’s nationwide approval rating at its lowest level, the Vineyard’s broad allegiance shows cracks, leaving some islanders with a more textured, even tormented feeling about the president.
“I just have to say I feel really uncomfortable, because I love loving him,’’ said Leslie Pearlson, a real estate broker on the island.
At the core of islanders’ misgivings is the shaky local economy. Although the Vineyard is sometimes depicted as a playground for the rich and famous, the numbers tell another side of the story.Funny they tell us this now. I guess they can only pretend for so long how adored this failed president is.
Empty storefronts dot main streets in Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, and elsewhere. According to the island’s Chamber of Commerce, at least one member of nearly every Vineyard household is dependent on summer business, which softened during the recession and still has not recovered.
“Discretionary spending dipped so far down that it devastated retail and dining in particular,’’ said Nancy Gardella, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard chamber.
Lifelong resident John Alley, a county commissioner and postmaster at legendary Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury, knows many island residents out of work.
“They’ll take anything that they can get their hands on,’’ he said the other day as he sorted mail. “That’s tempered a lot of the enthusiasm.’’
When they go out and do interviews of these slobbering sycophants they should also balance it with people suffering from his miserable economy.
Call it fairness.
<span>Empty storefronts dot main streets in Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, and elsewhere</span>. According to the island’s Chamber of Commerce, at least one member of nearly every Vineyard household is dependent on summer business, which softened during the recession and still has not recovered.
ReplyDeleteKeep something in mind: this was the Vineyard's economy BEFORE the latest FF vacation. Think how bad this trip has made things. Businesses which were already on the edge have lost a good portion of their summer revenue, which is when the Vinyard businesses make most of their money for the entire year.
So... when are we going to start seeing the press mention the "jobs lost or not created" metric?
Oh, right... since this is the black Jesus we're talking about, never.
<span>“I just have to say I feel really uncomfortable, because I love loving him,’’</span> said Leslie Pearlson, a real estate broker on the island.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he really gives a flying fornication about you, too.
She loves loving him.... What does that say about her integrity? What does it say about her ability to accurately interpret reality?
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of rock stars in need of groupies. Directing that kind of adoration towards a politician is pure folly, especially when he's a Marxist bent on destroying the country.
"[The Obamas] may want to consider another vacation destination next year in their final year living on the public dole."
ReplyDeleteWin or lose, he gets a pretty good pension, etc.