WASHINGTON — There’s no free ride in politics — but there often is a debate about who pays. President Barack Obama’s bus trip this week through North Carolina and Virginia has raised questions about whether it’s just part of the job — and thus something that should be billed to the government — or a campaign-style tour to seek votes next year in two states important to his re-election and, thus, something his campaign should pay for.
Officially, Obama is traveling through the two states to rally support for his $447 billion jobs bill. He flew Air Force One to Asheville, N.C., on Monday, and will travel north through the state into Virginia on the sleek armored black bus bought by the Secret Service this year.
But he’s pitching a bill that the Senate already has set aside, and it has no chance of passing Congress whole, although parts could be salvaged.
More in play are the two 2012 election battleground states he’s visiting. He won both in 2008, but polls suggest he’s facing an uphill climb in each now.
“He has the right and privilege to do that,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “I think the question might be, ‘Is that appropriate on the taxpayers’ dime?’ since it is clearly campaigning.”
Traditionally, presidents and their campaigns or political operations pay very little for travel. Their campaigns do pay for renting space for a purely political event, such as a fundraising dinner or a re-election rally.
McClatchy Newspapers
