Obama touts childhood vacations on Greyhound

President Obama took another opportunity to subtly ding Republican opponent Mitt Romney for his wealth Friday by remarking in a campaign speech that childhood family vacations were taken on Greyhound.

Speaking in Virginia Beach, Obama said that his family did not often fly when it took vacations during his childhood.

"I was up in Ohio talking about, you know, my favorite vacation," Obama said Friday. "When I was 11 years old, my grandmother and my mother, my sister and me, we traveled the country.

"But we didn't do it on jets," Obama continued as his audience laughed. "No, we took Greyhound and the train. And I think twice we rented a car."

The remarks offered another contrast from Obama about his upbringing versus that of the former Massachusetts governor, whose father owned an auto company and was himself a former governor of Michigan.

Romney has responded to criticisms of his upbringing by pointing out that his father immigrated to the United States from Mexico, and he has often said he will not apologize for his own financial success. 

Meanwhile, an advocacy group for non-commercial flying, the Alliance for Aviation Across America, has called on Obama to stop using private airplanes as a symbol of excessive wealth.

The aviation alliance said this month that 37 governors have issued proclamations that recognize the importance of general aviation in their states.
 
“This is a significant milestone in our efforts to educate the public and raise awareness about general aviation,” the group's executive director, Selena Shilad, said in a statement.

“It demonstrates that there is a growing understanding around the country by governors and other local officials that general aviation and local airports are a crucial economic engine and lifeline to rural communities around our nation,” she continued.

The aviation alliance has often criticized Obama for making remarks about tax breaks for corporate jet owners during fights with Republicans in Congress over fiscal policy.

Obama is scheduled to give campaign speeches in Hampton Roads and Roanoke, Va., later on Friday. He is scheduled to return to Virginia on Saturday to speak to voters in Glen Allen and Centreville.

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