The Political Insider

Barack Obama is planning a massive birthday party at his multi-million dollar home even as one nearby town has seen a spike in COVID cases which prompted the CDC to implement new mask guidelines.

Obama, who turns 60 on Wednesday, is expected to host the party – with nearly 500 guests and 200 staff members – this coming weekend.

It will reportedly be held at the former President’s palatial home located on nearly 30 acres of waterfront property in Martha’s Vineyard.

According to Axios, rock legends Pearl Jam are slated to entertain guests, while other reports indicate celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, and Steven Spielberg will be in attendance.

“The party already is the talk of Uber drivers, hotel maids and check-in clerks,” Axios writes.

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Obama Birthday Party In The Middle Of A COVID Spike

The report indicates that the Obama birthday bash is coming as nearby Provincetown, Massachusetts saw a spike in COVID-related cases spurred on by Independence Day celebrations.

A New York Times story over the weekend notes that even though visitors to Provincetown were predominantly vaccinated, scientists still traced 965 cases to the celebrations.

They described some of the gatherings as “where many congregated, maskless” and noted that the CDC cited the cluster when making new mask recommendations even among fully vaccinated Americans.

Local leaders in Provincetown also responded to the spike in cases by bringing back the mask mandate.

Officials have thus far declined to indicate whether guests at the Obama birthday bash will be asked to wear masks.

Obama is reportedly taking precautions at his big birthday event, assuring it will be held outside, having it hosted by a ‘COVID-coordinator,’ and asking all guests to be vaccinated or tested.

As for making sure all guests are vaccinated, Axios reports that “they didn’t say when, where or what proof they would have to offer.”

Martha’s Vineyard itself does not qualify as an area of “substantially-high” risk.

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Criticism For Obama’s Party

Piers Morgan shredded news of the Obama birthday bash, pointing out that had former President Trump held a soiree with a myriad of guests as the White House and CDC are harassing Americans into wearing masks and getting vaccinated, there would be a massive outcry.

“The optics of this event couldn’t be worse for someone like Obama who’s always prided himself on taking public health very seriously and leading by example,” Morgan writes.

He continued: “Yet at the precise moment America’s most high-profile leaders should be setting a good example, Barack Obama is doing the complete opposite.”

“If you’re a liberal celebrity, apparently the rules don’t apply to you,” Tommy Pigott, Rapid Response Director for the Republican National Committee said in a statement.

Of the 965 cases traced to celebrations in Provincetown, only seven people were hospitalized, and no deaths were reported. Which would seem to indicate the vaccine is effective even as the Delta variant is being pumped up by the media.