Obama sounds like Elvis Presley in Las Vegas: 'I love Vegas. Always have.'
It's almost as though President Obama came out in sideburns, a white sequined jumpsuit and started singing "Viva Las Vegas" because the president sounded a bit like Elvis Presley today.
No, he didn't say he was a hunk of burning love or ask Joe Biden to make him a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich or anything. Instead he just proclaimed his love for the city that could be called Elvis's second hometown.
"Let me set the record straight," the King president said to the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. "I love Vegas! Always have. Love Vegas."
We don't like you
Vegas hasn't always loved him. In fact, he's angered the city of Las Vegas and the entire state of Nevada twice in the past year by using the city as an example of where not to travel to. We told you about that here.
Although the point Obama was making was that Americans should practice fiscal responsibility in times of economic distress, elected officials haven't seen it that way. In fact, the mayor wouldn't come out to greet Obama when he arrived at the airport last night.
And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid slammed the president two weeks ago after Obama said, "You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices."
"The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money," Reid said after those remarks.
Let's be friends
To mend fences, Obama acknowledged that he took a "little bit of heat" for his remarks but explained that "it wasn't meant to be a shot."
"That doesn't mean I don't love Vegas," he said. " I think everybody here would agree that the only place where people should spend their college savings is in college. There's no contradiction there."
In debt? Try gambling!
Perhaps as a gesture to the Chamber of Commerce, Obama said that gambling really can pay off.
"Just last night, I drew a flush on the river and cut the budget deficit in half," he joked.
Perhaps those remarks will be featured in a Nevada tourism commercial soon.
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