If anybody is going to tell Michelle Obama to shut up, will they be sure and tape it for You Tube? Oh, and may God have mercy on your sorry ass…
Marley, don’t you think that this sentence: “Most Americans feel blessed to thrive a little bit — but even that’s out of reach for them” gives the impression that she thinks the American dream is out of reach?
It doesn’t, but I didn’t want people to think I was posting from the KKK headquarters. My issues with her have nothing to do with her race or her gender…that was my point.
I find her bitterness to be refreshing. Not everyone in this country is staunchly optimistic about America. I don’t believe this country is where it needs to be or even headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, I get the feeling most Americans would rather have sunshine blown up their ass than honest discussion about the challenges we face. In that respect, perhaps she is a liability.
FWIW, I’m a white male. I don’t know how willing other white men are to find common cause with a somewhat abrasive black woman.
Also, don’t discount the disgust many Americans feel when our wealthier citizens complain about anything, even if they’re problems that affect us all. We HATE that.
There was a soundbite from Michelle Obama’s convention speech that I heard played fairly heavily. It was the part where she said “you treat people with respect even if you don’t know them - even it you disagree with them.” Or something like that - I’m going off memory.
Isn’t a certain level of respect taken for granted? My grade school teachers gave lectures about how you should respect others even if you don’t like them. I managed to pick this up. If I was able to pick it up - no points for Obama doing the same.
Since I feel that a sense of respect should be implicit - the fact that she said something like that seemed insulting. What I heard her say was, "Even though My husband and I are in a higher social caste we still manage to respect those who I feel are beneath us, even though we don’t necessarily have to. " Doubtless, it wasn’t what the speech writer intended, but its what I took away.
The line was poorly written, though somehow well-received by its audience. Which made me question the audience. Which made me wonder if I really want to vote for these people.
No, I really don’t. I think it’s political boilerplate about people who want to take care of their families and, in ‘her’ view, aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
Hello Ms. Gay,
You might be a victim of elevated expectations. McCain’s prattling has hardly any effect on me, because I expect nothing better from him. Palin’s bald faced lying just makes me shrug, because I’ve grown accustomed to it.
But when Obama makes a statement that is less than precisely correct and inspirational, I feel like it will destroy his public support. He had to be almost perfect to get where he is now, and if he becomes less than perfect then why shouldn’t his popularity tumble?
It probably won’t because he is still much better than McCain or Palin, but emotionally I hold the candidates to different standards.
If you’re a minority female you may be hypersensitive to Ms. Obama’s possible flaws.
For the record, as an independent/liberal Caucasian male my thoughts about her are:
- Her “proud of my country” remark was damn stupid to say, but largely understandable.
- Her convention speech was very fine. She’s one of the best public speakers in politics today.
- She hasn’t been in the public eye much since then (unless, apparently, you watch Fox News). But I imagine she is speaking at rallies most days and doing a fine job.
Everyone I have spoke to about her loves her. That’s 100% of about a dozen people. So who wins in this war of anecdotes? 
I’jj be happy to tilt the balance.
I know 6 guys (myself included) of assorted ethnicities who all agree that Michelle’s hot.
When she goes barefoot, she leaves scorch prints in the sidewalk. She’s that hot.
7
And counting.
I think you’re waaaaaaaaaaay overanalyzing a line. The fact that she said something you agree with so deeply that you think it doesn’t need saying is a point against her/him?
Okay, fair enough. I’m just generally wary of people getting a pass on racism/sexism because they’re a minority or female. Not that I think you are being racist or sexist in this instance, but I digress. Back to our regularly scheduled debate!
Agreed. I find her impressive, and her abrasiveness/outspokenness is one reason for that. I’m disgusted by politicians dumbing themselves down to appear folksy or non-threatening or parochial.
Whether or not she’s a liability is, I suppose, about the balance between people she offends with her personality and people who are impressed with her. On the whole, I think it’s a net benefit for the Obama campaign.
That’s what this is all about? Michelle is acknowledging just how bad the economy is for a lot of people instead of “Rah, rah, the US of A is the Greatest Country in the World, just ask us and we’ll tell you?”
This has been a Democrat/Republican split since at least the sixties, when Spiro Agnew came up with his classic “Nattering nabobs of negativism.” Republicans like to say that everything is just great, and if it isn’t, it’s the fault of too much government, and if we’d just stop taxing so much, it would be much better. (Apparently this even includes infrastructure, which if we’d just lower taxes some more, would magically knit itself together. Or something.) Democrats say “No, we have problems here and here and here, and we need to fix them.” The voters, being mostly idiots, usually vote for the Republicans because they want lower taxes and seem to believe that they can get something for nothing, or seem not to recognize what they are getting as stuff that has to be paid for (maybe it would be a salutory message to do away with government for a decade or so - but too many people would die). Then a catastrophe like this week’s market melt-down happens, and it turns out that the Democrats were right - there were problems here and here and here. But Democrats are still perceived as too negative, and Republicans are still promising to lower taxes, so it’s still a tight race.
ETA: Taxing and regulating so much. Not just taxing so much.
Enough about Palin’s grasp of the issues.
That occurred to me.
This has not been weighing heavily on my mind, nor have I given it any thought since the Dem convention. This thread made me think of it again.
It was something that Michelle Obama said that I found off-putting in a tread about Michelle Obama’s real or imagined off-puttingness. 
Politically, she is no liability. It might not be evident now, but Obama had to work to get the support of black people. He’s half-black, and he hasn’t had the same experience as black people who grew up in America. Most black people at the beginning did not feel that he was one of them.
Michelle Obama is what turned them toward Barack in full force. She’s deeply rooted in the struggle that most blacks have faced in America and she is also dark skinned. This means there will be a good looking dark skinned woman on the national stage, where you can hardly find any. Most famous black women are light skinned, or dark skinned and heavy set. Michelle is a refreshing sight from most black people.
Her vision of America is rougher than most. That is because America was rougher for her than for most. People don’t like it when they are confronted by that depressing fact, but there are some Americans do feel that life is rough. They will feel Michelle knows what they are going through and will vote for Barack because of that.
I say that in the end she’ll bring in more people than she’ll turn away.
You make some interesting and thought provoking points. It could very well be that I am just being hypersensitive because like you, every time Barrack stumbles over a word in a speech, I get a feeling of panic that he’s finished…but as you say, McCain stumbles routinely, but I expect that from him. I also really want to see a minority in the White House so I’m likely overanalyzing everything the Obamas say or do and worrying about how it will impact the general population. But I also don’t want him to be seen as the “minority” or “black president”, but as a president for all Americans.
But I am very heartened by the responses I have seen here. I am glad that she is actually attracting people to the campaign. My fear was that she was only turning people off with her negativity. But if that negativity is turning people on, then more power to her. Just please Please PLEASE don’t let McCain win this election!!! I can’t believe it’s even close.