Obama delays Hawaii vacation over Senate vote
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/12/26/art.getty.obama.golf.jpg caption="Obama was already on his Hawaii vacation at this time last year."](CNN) - He was already relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii last year at this time, but President Obama said Tuesday his annual vacation to the Aloha State won't begin this year until the Senate passes the health care bill.
"I will not leave until my friends in the Senate have completed their work," Obama said Tuesday. "My attitude is that if they're making these sacrifices to provide health care to all Americans then the least I can do is be around to provide them any encouragement and last-minute help where necessary. That's the deal."
A final vote on the Senate health care bill is currently scheduled for 7 pm ET on Christmas Eve, though it could come earlier in the day if Republicans yield some of their debate time.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday the president's actual vacation plans won't be determined until the vote has taken place.
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Good move Mr. President.
So much complaining and hatred. We voted for change, now that there is progress everyone is terrified of it. Stop being complacent and look ahead, give this bill a chance. Besides, the effects of the bill won't be seen for years to come.
@VernisRobertson re: commenting without reading...
None of our senators or representatives have read the bill. How can they even VOTE on it if they haven't read it?
If they can vote on it without reading it, I can criticize it without reading it. Which one is a more serious offense?
Poor guy, having to postpone his vacation. I can barely afford to put food on my table and keep my electricity on. Yeah, I feel your pain, Mr. President . . . .I surrrrrrrrrre do.
Anni December 22nd, 2009 4:38 pm ET
That is my worry too.
This time last year, President Obama had just completed a 2 year grueling campaign. After a short family vacation, he jumped into the saddle faced with the biggest financial crisis our country has ever faced. Since then he has worked hard on every major issue to stabilize our economy and to pass this necessary healthcare reform legislation. And that's just the beginning, for the next 3 years our president is going to be faced with solving some of our country's most difficult problems. He may not be popular with some liberals OR conservatives right now, but let me deserves our admiration and praise for how hard he's working on behalf of all of us. God bless you Mr. President and thank you for working so hard to fix our great country!
Hey. Republicans. Buh-bye. See ya. You lose. And why did you lose? Because all you ever want to do is leave things the way they are. So now the world has passed you by. So keep your dumb*** complaints coming. About how Mr. Obama isn't doing anything about this bill (the last I heard, he can't actually vote on it). Or about how we are as socialist country. (If you send or sent your children to public school, or attended a public school, then you are a socialist too.) Or how about he took "social" trips to China and Denmark (too stupid to comment on). Keep on making your party look like the party of dumb.
Merry xmas Mr PRESIDENT!!!
Good for President Obama. This is as it should be.
Of course, if the Republicans weren't trying to kill this legislation they all would have been home by now, but oh well. At least the news media is starting to pick up on what's been going on for most of the year in Congress. Our government is dysfunctional because of the obstructionism. I understand that's the job of the party out of power to an extent, but to render us dysfunctional goes way beyond. I'll get to why I think this is happening in a moment.
Then I read the comments here, and I see the same old stuff. Memo to those on the right: Liberals work. Most bloggers blog and have real jobs, too. We pay taxes and are not all on welfare and food stamps, and would work several jobs before taking a handout ever. Assume much? This would be like me saying all Republicans are rich and hateful and would like to see America fail. Its absurd.
We're Americans, we all love our country and want it to succeed. Most of our problems lie not with each other but with the corporations that own our politicians. And they're funding and fueling our division, without a single thought to the people they use. It's all about their bottom line – greed. They are the enemies, and we need to come together and figure out how to dig those corporations out of DC by the roots.
he wasn't plannin on leavin until the 23rd anyway so he's gonna wait a whole day oooohhh wooww, this guy is clueless, everything is political, he's not doing any of us a favor.
Funny how incompetant Congress continues to revel in disbelief that Health Insurance for all will deliver health care to its recipients. As a physician there is nothing further from the truth.
This is what leadership is, folks...he could already be in Hawai'i right now, but health care reform is very important to him. You could say that his early presidency rides on this vote. Hats off to you, Mr. President. Once the Senate finishes its work, enjoy the rest. You've earned it!
Mz T
Correction...that guy is the President of these United States...
What have you done for us? What are you doing for your Community? Where is your work and dedication? Stop all the complaining and be grateful you have life!
Two war, a highly contested health care bill, and economy in shambles, unemployment, crime, threats of terrorism and illegal immigration...and the big Obama news is his vacation plans...CNN is pathetic...
His golf swing needs work.
Merry Christmas.
How noble of you.
Easy there (silence the left) you about to have a limbaugh melt down. It's good to see so many of your brothern following in his foot steps. He has been a failure at everything he has ever done but his hate speeches (and drug abuse) and now the corpublicans have put him as the grand poobaugh and palin ( i can see russia from deck) as queen mumof their party.
I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon and as far as that goes I don't think your smart enough to decide who goes and who stays. There is also a large body of water there at JFK. Perhaps you should go soak your head or whatever part of your body that your brain resides in.
That never happened with President Bush......Katrina couldn't pry the guy out of Crawford.....
"sure wish all the poor, unclothed, hungry, homeless, sorrowful Children of this World Could get a Vacation from the Horrors of this World According To Capitalism! Don't Blame the Parents!"
This country does more for the needy than any other country on Earth.
It is able to do so BECAUSE of the wealth generated by Capitalism.
The poor cannot help the poor anymore than they can create jobs for the poor.
This world needs Capitalism. If you care at all about the poor, you better hope this crazy liberal spending ends soon before we are barely able to help ourselves.