In a town that wallows in trivia and hollow controversy, this tale takes the cake.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, speaking about jobs in New Hampshire, President Obama pointed out the obvious: In lean economies, people tend to spend their money on the things they need, rather than unnecessary luxuries.<\/p>\n
“When times are tough, you tighten your belts,” Obama said<\/a>. “You don\u2019t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don\u2019t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you\u2019re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices.”<\/p>\n Not really a provocative thought — unless, of course, you’re a politician representing Nevada. <\/span>Indeed, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) shot out a series of statements (here<\/a>, here<\/a> and here<\/a>) demanding an apology from the president.<\/p>\n Obama slams Las Vegas again. I am calling on the President to apologize for his remark. <\/span><\/p>\n Las Vegas is suffering through one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and we cannot afford <\/span><\/p>\n for the President to bring us down any further.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) soon followed suit<\/a>, issuing a statement telling Obama to “lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money.”<\/p>\n They seem offended that Vegas — which, to its lucrative advantage, has b<\/a>uilt<\/a> its reputation and business model around the singular concept of excess — has become symbolic of that very idea.<\/p>\n\n