When George W. Bush took his summer vacation on his ranch in hot and dusty Crawford, Texas, the media didn’t give him points for keeping it simple. They played up Cindy Sheehan publicity-stunt visits and suggested he was goofing off. By contrast, when Barack Obama plans a trip to an exclusive resort in Martha’s Vineyard, all CBS could manage was gooey excitement. Unemployment may be raging, but oh, the electricity among the yuppie elite!

On The Early Show, reporter Bianca Solorzano found gushy Julia Wells, editor of the Vineyard Gazette newspaper: “There’s an electric excitement about it all.” Solorzano explained the first family would bring their electricity to Blue Heron Farm: “The 28-acre, $20 million enclave is located in Chilmark. The farm suits Obama to a tee with golf facilities, a pool, basketball court, private beach, and a rental price tag of up to $50,000 a week.”

On August 4, 2001, Mark Shields explained the strategy on CNN’s Capital Gang, suggesting Bush would never get a second term with his kind of vacation:

President Bush may have made a major political mistake by deciding to spend August on his ranch in broiling, parched Crawford, Texas. The press corps likes a cool ocean breeze and maybe even a cold beer. Presidents Reagan, Kennedy, and Clinton all vacationed near the sea, and thus spared themselves a churlish press corps. But Jimmy Carter and LBJ punished the press with Dixie summers and were denied second terms. A full month of Texas dust, heat, and alcohol-free meals could spell big trouble for George W.