President Obama won’t be spending his summer vacation in the well-heeled haven of Martha’s Vineyard as he has done for the last three years, according to sources familiar with the White House decision.

The Obama team isn’t supplying a reason for the decision not to go to the island -- a convenient and security-friendly place for presidents to visit that is better known by the rest of the country as a playground for the privileged. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the president’s plans.

There’s not much doubt about the mixed-message problems such an exclusive venue could bring for a president running for reelection, especially when one of his major campaign themes is to portray his Republican opponent as rich and out of touch with the middle class.

In fact, Obama got a taste of the potential criticism last year when Republicans complained that he was vacationing with the East Coast elite when he should have been back home dealing with the struggling economy.

It’s not clear whether Obama will come up with another place to vacation. There is certainly plenty of hiking, boating and ice cream to be found in lower-brow destinations.

But with the election approaching, the president may not take a week off at all. His “vacation” may look more like a bus tour through the swing states.

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christi.parsons@latimes.com

