Presidential Perks Gone Royal
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In so many ways, this final version of the book was a joint effort. It started out with the working title, “I Don’t Want to Be President, I Just Want his Tax-Free toys.” But the further we investigated the higher the total value and cost of the perks climbed, until it was no longer a figure to be merely amused by. We discovered, to our mutual dismay and even horror, that what we had first referred to as “toys” were, in fact, powerful re-election weapons—largely paid for by the taxpayers.
So I thank you from the bottom of my heart, one and all who joined me on this voyage of discovery. Now we can only hope the book does its job as the wake-up call it is meant to be.
Resources
We are also deeply grateful for the following materials and sources:
Books and Articles:
Carl M. Cannon. “An exclusive interview with Barack Obama.” Reader's Digest (USA) September 2008, pg. 118-123.
Fogle, Jeanne. Proximity to Power : Neighbors to the Presidents Near Lafayette Square. Washington, D.C.: A Tour de Force Publications, 1999.
Groom, John F. The $1.8 Billion Dollar Man. e-book by London: Attitude Media, 2010
Gross, Martin L. Government Racket 2000 and Beyond. New York: Harper Collins, Publishers, 2001.
Jensen, Amy La Follette. The White House and its Thirty-Five Families. New York, Toronto, London: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Revised edition, 1970.
Patterson, Bradley H. To Serve the President: Continuity and innovation in the White House Staff. Washington D.C.: Brookings institution Press, 2008.
Plesur, Milton – Quoted in Gilbert, Robert e. The Mortal Presidency: illness and Anguish in the White House. New York: Fordham University Press, 2nd edition, 1998.
Walsh, Kenneth. Air Force One: A history of Presidents and their Planes. New York: Hyperion Books, 2004.
Wheeler, Scott and Peter Leitner, eds. Shadow Government: What Obama Doesn’t Want You to Know About His Czars. Dulles, VA: Capitol Media Group, 2010.
Williams, Stephen P. How to Be President: What to Do and Where to Go Once You’re in office. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004.
Internet Sources:
“10 Most expensive Presidential Perks” by Jane McGrath and Jacob Clifton (http://money.howstuffworks.com/5-presidential-perks.htm)
“487 Days At Camp David For Bush” by Brian Montopoli (www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4728085-503544.html)
“A Brief history of Blair house: World's Most exclusive hotel,” by M.J. Stephey (www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1871809,00.html)
Bay Soundings Restoring a Masterpiece, Trumpy Yacht by Mary Kelley Hoppe (www.baysoundings.com/spring03/trumpy.html)
Billy Graham. “A Spiritual Gift to All” by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy (www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1627139,00.html)
Canucklehead “Obama bus-ted!” by Geoff Earle, Post Correspondent (www.nypost.com/f/print/news/national/canucklehead/_Obama_bus_ted_gyztvw89k5MyKNS4B7Qp7o)
CNN.com Air Force One: "The Flying White House” by CNN's Joe Havely (edition.cnn.com/2003/US/10/22/airforce.one/index.html)
CNN.com Political Clinton earns $65 Million in speaking fees as a private citizen Article by Research Director Robert Yoon (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/29/)
“Dale Haney: White House Groundskeeper Also Bo's Best Friend” by Darlene Superville, AP: (www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/dale-haney-white-house-gr_n_343540.html)
Examiner Pets of American history by Cori Solomon (www.examiner.com/pets-in-los-angeles/pets-of-american-history)
History of Camp David, A brief history of the Presidential mountain retreat and its famous guests by David Johnson (www.infoplease.com/spot/camp david1.html)
History.com, This Day in history (www.history.com/this-day-in-history/uss-sequoia-becomes-presidential-yacht)
Horseback riding (aboutcampdavid.blogspot.com/2010/10/horseback-riding.html)
“Incredible Journey: How Obama Became the Most Traveled President his First Two Years in office” by Demian Brady (www.ntu.org/ntuf/pdf/ntufib-161-incredible-journey.pdf)
MSNBC.com Pool Report by Brian Williams (dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2007/07/11/4373457-pool-report)
National First Ladies Library, Biographies (www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2)
National Geographic-Airforce One (a_air_force_one.html quoting National Geo show)
National Museum of The US Air force (nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=568)
National Museum of The US Air force (www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=568)
National Park Service, History Lessons (www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103facts4.htm)
“Obamas Visit Camp David for the First Time” by Kevin Hechtkopf (www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4785403-503544.html)
“Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount 1774 to Present” (Calculated in April 2011 using http://measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/#)
“The Obamas Find a Church home — Away from home” by Amy Sullivan (www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1907610,00.html)
“The Obamas‘ new dog: hey, Bo (Diddley)!” by Stormist (popwatch.ew.com/2009/04/12/barack-Obama-do/)
Political Hotsheet “Obama‘s First Year: By the Numbers” by Mark Knoller (www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6119529-50344)
President Washington’s salary noted in The National Park Service history section (ww.nps.gov/history/logcabin/htm/gw3/html)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets Millie & Ranger (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/millie.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets Sheep Grazing on the White House Lawn (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Sheep.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets Yuki (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/Yuki.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-4.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets 1953-2009 (www.presidential petmuseum.com/whitehousepets-1.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets Menu 1789-1850 (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-4.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum -White House Pets- Old Whiskers (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/Pets/old_Whiskers.htm)
Presidential Pet Museum-White House Pets Menu 1889-1953 (www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-2.htm)
Presidential Pets (1921-1945) All Creatures Great and Small (georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/president/holiday/ historicalpets2/02-js.html)
Senator Charles e. Schumer for NY web site Press Release (schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=330983&)
Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group history (www.sequoiayacht.com/history.htm)
Swimming Pool (aboutcampdavid.blogspot.com/2010/09/swimming-pools.html)
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum (www.Eisenhowerarchives.com)
The Guardian, “The best perk in the White House” by Julian Borger (www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/jun/04/1)
The office of Management & Budget (www.whitehouse.gov/omb)
The official Web Site of the US Air Force (www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=131)
“The Presidency: Splendid Misery” Monday, July 27, 1959 (www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,864726,00.html)
“The Right Recipe for a White House State Dinner” By Feifi Sun (www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2043191,00.html)
The Truman Library (www.trumanlibrary.org)
The White House Rooms (www.whitehouse.gov/about/history/rooms)
The White House historical Association (www.whha.org/index.htm)
The White House historical Association (www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_history/history_facts-06.html)
The White House historical Associations, First Kids (www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_4-8-firstkids.html)
The White House Museum Beauty Salon (www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/beauty-salon.htm0)
The White House Museum China Collection (www.whiteh
ousemuseum.org/furnishings/china.htm)
The White House Museum Virtual Tour (www.whitehousemuseum.org/index/htm)
The White House Museum, Bowling Alley (www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor0/bowling-alley.htm)
The White House Museum, Family Theatre (www.whitehousemuseum.org/east-wing/theater.htm
The White House Museum, Renovations (www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/renovation-1948.htm)
The White House Museum, Sun Room (www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor3/sun-room.htm)
The White House Museum, White House Grounds (www.whitehousemuseum.org/grounds.htm)
The White House, Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff 2010 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/annual-records/2010)
The White House, Glimpse of Presidents (clinton4.nara.gov/Wh/glimpse/presidents/html/rn37.html)
TheWhitehouse.gov -Airforce One (www.whitehouse.gov/about/air-force-one)
TheWhitehouse.gov -History (www.whitehouse.gov/about/history)
TheWhitehouse.gov -Tours (whitehouse.gov1.info/visit/tour.html)
ThinkQuest.org American Presidents First Pets (library.thinkquest.org/08aug/01450/pets.html)
Trampoline (aboutcampdavid.blogspot.com/2010/09/trampoline.html)
Treasurydirect.gov-Public Debt Reports (www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo1.htm)
Wedding (aboutcampdavid.blogspot.com/2011/01/camp-david-wedding.html)
Wikipedia USS Sequoia (presidential yacht) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sequoia_(presidential_yacht)
“Wombats and Such: Calvin and Grace Coolidge and their Pets” by David Pietrusza (www.davidpietrusza.com/coolidge-pets.html)
WUSA9News.com – “First Lady Replants White House Vegetable Garden” by Heather Case (www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=99399)
About the Author
Hon. Robert Keith (“Bob”) Gray is a Republican activist and public relations executive who has worked in the White House under U.S. Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan and formed close ties to President Bush Sr. He served as Appointments Secretary to President Dwight Eisenhower and later as a member of his cabinet. In the 1960s and 1970s, he served as Washington operative for Hill & Knowlton, a global public relations company. In those years, according to a case study by the Harvard Business School, H&K’s clients produced nearly 10% of the GNP.
In 1967, Gray joined the 50-person committee responsible for charting Richard Nixon’s path to the White House. In 1980, after serving as deputy director of the Reagan-Bush presidential campaign, Gray became Reagan’s first appointment as president when he was named Co-Chairman of Ronald Reagan’s Presidential inauguration.
In 1981, Gray started his own firm, Gray and Company. When he took the firm public in 1985, it became the first public relations/public affairs firm to be listed on the New York Stock exchange. Three years later, he sold majority interest in the firm to hill & Knowlton and became H&K’s Worldwide Chairman.
In 1988, as one of his last acts as president, Ronald Reagan flew to Gray’s hometown, Hastings, Nebraska, to dedicate a communications center Gray had given to Hastings College in honor of his parents.
Gray’s book, 18 Acres Under Glass, was published by Doubleday in the United States and by Macmillan overseas. With tales of the visits with kings and queens, to the extended hours spent with the chief executives, the book gives the reader an inner look at the functions and sometimes dysfunctions of Washington.
Gray has been featured in cover stories in Time magazine and U.S. News & World Report, named “Marketer of the Year” by Ad Week magazine, and was the subject of a fifteen-minute Monitor program on NBC. He has received Italy’s highest civilian decoration, Grande Ufficiale.
Bob Gray holds a Harvard University MBA and four honorary doctorates (from Creighton University, Barry University, Marymount University and Hastings College). His current company is Gray and Co 2, where he serves as a consultant to international companies and on corporate boards. Vital and engaged in his 80s, Bob Gray continues to travel the world for business and pleasure. He lives in Miami Beach, Florida.
His website is www.robertkeithgray.com.