Chuck Todd To Carney: How Is Going To A Swing State Not Political?
At yesterday's press briefing, ABC News' Jake Tapper took White House press secretary Jay Carney to task for President Obama's constant traveling across the country, particularly to swing states, to push his agenda.
"It looks like the president is campaigning on the taxpayer dime more than any other president has done," Tapper said.
At today's briefing, NBC News' Chuck Todd tried to squeeze an answer out of Carney about the strategic campaign appearances Obama makes using taxpayer's money. Relative transcript below:
Chuck Todd, NBC News: "The president is now in a TV ad, speaking to camera saying the 2012 campaign has 'begun' and I know yesterday you guys were pushing back very hard on this concept of it just being a coincidence to how many swing states the president has been.
"Tomorrow, you're going to Scranton, Pennsylvania, a swing state. How is this not just a straight up political [move]?"
Jay Carney, White House press secretary: "Well, you are an expert, no question, Chuck, on how this works. But we did win Pennsylvania by double digits. I suppose that it might be a swing state next year. You know more about this than I do.
"The point is you know more about this than I do. The point I made yesterday, which I think is bares some repeating is that Virginia is 10 minutes away from the Oval Office. And every president, including this one, makes a lot of visits to Virginia to get out of Washington. This president has.
"Because he also happened to [win] Virginia it is now viewed as a battleground state.
"Every president ought to be able to travel everywhere in the country. It's part of his responsibility to serve the American people."
Carney further explained that President Obama's traveling as Commander-in-Chief is a "different process" than Obama doing campaign stops. However, most of the time when the president travels on behalf of White House business, especially when he goes to the west coast, Obama does several campaign fundraiser.
Carney also revealed that President Obama spends about 5% of his time thinking about the 2012 race.
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