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President Obama singles out Las Vegas, Mayor calls him "slow learner"

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) - Once again President Obama has singled out Las Vegas, this time reminding Americans to avoid places like Vegas when they want to save money.

He made the comments during a speech in New Hampshire Tuesday.

"This isn't how responsible families do their budgets," he said. "When times are tough, you tighten your belts.  You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage.  You don't blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you're trying to save for college."

The comments are similar to remarks he made last year when he said companies using government bailout money shouldn't hold conventions and meetings.

Nevada lawmakers and leaders were quick to critique Obama's latest remarks.

In a statement, Senator Harry Reid said, "That while the President is correct that people saving for college need to be fiscally responsible, the President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money."

By late afternoon President Obama responded to Reid's remarks. He sent the following short note to Senator Reid:

"I hope you know that during my Town Hall today, I wasn't saying anything negative about Las Vegas.  I was making the simple point that families use vacation dollars, not college tuition money, to have fun.  There is no place better to have fun than Vegas, one of our country's great destinations.  I have always enjoyed my visits, look forward to visiting in a few weeks, and hope folks will visit in record numbers this year."

But other lawmakers were initially angry and frustrated.

Senator John Ensign released this statement Tuesday afternoon:

"President Obama has become quite comfortable criticizing Las Vegas," said Ensign. "Unfortunately, I think that he has failed to grasp the weight that his words carry."

Governor Jim Gibbons is also sounding off. In a statement he said, "I am stunned that this President is so thoughtless and so heartless when he says these things....Doesn't President Obama know that thousands of families in Las Vegas are suffering because of his failed economic policies?"

The city's biggest cheerleader, Mayor Oscar Goodman, had harsh words for the president:

"He didn't learn his lesson the first time, but when he hurt our economy by his ill conceived rhetoric, we didn't think it would happen again.

Now that it has I want to assure you, when he comes I'll do everything I can to give him the boot back to Washington and to visit his failures back there.

I gotta tell you this, everybody says I shouldn't say it, but I gotta tell you the way it is. This president is a real slow learner."

Meanwhile those potentially most in danger of Obama's comments are trying to stay optimist.  The Las Vegas Hilton Race and Sports Operations manager Jay Kornegay says this weekend, SuperBowl weekend, is their biggest betting weekend of the year.

"Its unfortunate he would have to say something like that because there are so many people that come here adn actually have a really good time," Kornegay says.

Still Kornegay believes despite Obama's comment, this year's big weekend will be better than last. 

Stay with Action News for more on this developing story.