President Barack Obama took a break from wrangling with House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon for a quick pre-Christmas shopping trip to buy gifts for his daughters and Bo the dog.
After calling congressional leaders to reaffirm his support for the Senate-passed two-month extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance, Obama exited the Oval Office with Bo in tow and headed to a shopping strip in Alexandria, Va. ? a man alone with his dog as his family vacations in Hawaii.
Continue ReadingThe first stop was PetSmart, a pet supply store that allows animals to shop alongside their owners and play with other dogs, including a brown standard poodle named Cinnamon at the checkout counter. ?OK, Bo, don?t get too personal here,? Obama said, holding his dog?s leash tight.
Obama picked up a $24.99 chew toy and another item for a total of just over $41, a little more than the $40 per paycheck that Americans making $50,000 a year won?t see come January if a tax cut extension isn?t signed into law ? a dollar amount the White House has been citing in a social media campaign to build support for the two-month extension. He paid with a $50 bill.
From PetSmart, Obama moved on to a nearby Best Buy, telling reporters the stop was ?for the girls.? Inside the store, he made a beeline for the video game ?Just Dance 3? for Nintendo Wii. ?The girls beat me every time on these dance games,? he told reporters traveling with him, ?but you?ll never get a picture of me.?
Obama also picked up two $50 iTunes gift cards and "The Sims 3: Pets." In all, his total was $194.48 and the president whipped out his credit card to pay. ?Let?s see if my credit card still works,? he said.
Daughters Malia and Sasha, and First Lady Michelle Obama left Washington on Friday to spend more than two weeks vacationing in Kailua, Hawaii. The president is expected to join them, though it?s not clear when. He declined to say whether he?d be able to deliver the gifts in person.
From the electronics store ? which is in Potomac Yards, the same shopping center the first lady went to this fall on her incognito trip to Target ? he was on to Del Ray Pizzeria, a local place known for having some of the best pies in the D.C. area. He was joined there by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and walked out with three pizzas to bring back to the White House.
White House press secretary Jay Carney was mum on the symbolism of the trip ? whether it?s commentary on Congress, a way to urge Americans to spend money in the days leading to Christmas or the president doing some last minute shopping.
?The president?s obviously very busy here,? Carney said, noting that the president had spoken to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in separate phone calls earlier in the day. But ?sometimes it?s nice to get out of the house.?
Obama urged Boehner ?to take up the bipartisan compromise passed in the Senate with overwhelming Democratic and Republican support that would prevent 160 million working Americans from being hit with a holiday tax hike on January 1st,? the White House said in a readout.
Meanwhile, Obama thanked Reid for working with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass their deal for a two-month extension.
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