Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Tit for tat
Bill O'Reilly ran a segment tonight that compared the treatment of Ashley Biden to Bristol Palin in the blogosphere, and concluded that the righties were far more respectful than the lefties. Well, maybe so in the case of political children. But with regard to first ladies, the Field Negro makes a good point. Righties have been a lot harder on Michelle Obama than the lefties were on Laura Bush. The only thing that might be said in response is that Mrs. Obama has, arguably, said more controversial and overtly political things than Mrs. Bush did, and has thereby jumped into the hurly-burly on her own accord. I am not sure that argument holds water -- Michelle Obama has not really taken up the cudgel since becoming First Lady -- but during the campaign she threw more punches than Laura Bush did during her eight years in the White House.
Of course, the counter-counter argument is that the lefty chattering classes harshly mocked Nancy Reagan, and if there had been a blogosphere during the 1980s it is hard to believe that the snarkpits of the left would not have gone after her hammer and tongs.
20 Comments:
By 
Unknown, at
Thu Apr 02, 03:33:00 AM:
Pray tell what there is/was to go after with the lovely and classy Laura?
Michelle Obama, on the other hand, has insulted Americans at every turn and she gets what she deserves. Plus any woman who wears sleeveless in January on the East Coast deserves double what she got.
By 
, at
Thu Apr 02, 07:27:00 AM:
Pray tell what there is/was to go after with the lovely and classy Laura?
She married George?
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 07:34:00 AM:
Sara writes: *Plus any woman who wears sleeveless in January on the East Coast deserves double what she got.*
Way to go, Sara. Hit on her substance. Well, at least the First Lady is in good company!
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 07:37:00 AM:
Oops. My exclamation point must have broken the link to the picture above.
Try this
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 08:20:00 AM:
Not only did Jackie Kennedy wear a sleeveless dress to the SOTU--in january--she sat for her White House portrait wearing...cover your eyes Sara...a sleeveless RED dress. Heaven forfend!
And here she is again showing her bare arms whilst wearing white gloves. And another while carrying her innocent young son
Thanks for the laugh today, Miss Sara
By jayne_cobb, at
Thu Apr 02, 08:33:00 AM:
I actually think the response has more to do with mocking the media's attempts to foist her upon us as some sort of fashion icon than anything she has done. That's not to say that some don't hate her just because of who she's married to or what she's said; they're just in the minority.
I mean who hasn't seen a story from one of the major networks or news organizations gushing about her sense of style. Perhaps it's just me and my lack of style, but I really haven't seen anything special (actually I've seen some stuff I consider downright fugly). At some point (and I think we've reached it in the minds of many) it becomes embarrassing and worthy of mocking.
As to the whole "toned arms" thing, that goes back to a specific item by CNN after the "non-state of the union" where they had a story on "How you can get toned arms like Michelle".
By jayne_cobb, at
Thu Apr 02, 09:23:00 AM:
Oh, and to be sure there are people out there who will say the most vile and vitriolic things.
I'm not counting them amongst those mocking the media. They're just a**holes.
I figure most can tell the difference on their own.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 10:19:00 AM:
"Righties have been a lot harder on Michelle Obama than the lefties were on Laura Bush."
Well, if true, maybe because we know who fathered Laura's children. Mr. Obama's refusal to release his medical records proves that their release would do him damage and that could only mean AIDS or impotence.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 10:38:00 AM:
Well, if true, maybe because we know who fathered Laura's children. Mr. Obama's refusal to release his medical records proves that their release would do him damage and that could only mean AIDS or impotence.
OMG Anon, that is the most ridiculous crap I've read in a long time. OTOH, if that's the best you have to attack the POTUS, then I dare say he's doing pretty well.
TH, what kind of readers are you attracting these days?
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 11:03:00 AM:
Perhaps you are correct, or rather Field Negro is correct, in saying the right has been "more" critical of Michelle Obama than the left was of Laura. I personally find it hard to believe, given how horrible the left was to the entire Bush family for their term in the capital, but I also think it's such a petty subject at this point that it's hardly worth the breath of discussion. What matters far more is that her husband and Nancy Pelosi are intent on driving America into the world's largest economic basket case status.
For the entire eight years of Bush2's illbegotten politics of "make nice" to the other disloyal opposition in Congress, Democrats postured successfully that America was always "going it alone" in foreign policy. I look forward to TPM and it's friends on the left roasting the Obama administration for this G20 disaster. Our President is so far out of the mainstream, so intent on going it alone, that he is literally holding his own closing press conference. His ideas and policy prescriptions are recognized by the rest of the G20 as foolish and dangerous ("the road to hell"), and he isn't welcome into the traditional "unity" press conference they are holding.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 11:21:00 AM:
Wait. Let me get this straight: Now, the right is slamming the Dems because they're not like the French??? Make your minds, guys.
By jayne_cobb, at
Thu Apr 02, 12:04:00 PM:
Syd,
I took that as a joke about the Trig truthers; and how those outraged about attacks on the First Lady completely ignore the attacks on Palin's children.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 01:11:00 PM:
Mara:
Wait. Let me get this straight: Now, the right is slamming the Dems because they're not like the French??? Make your minds, guys.
As the French and other Europeans appear to not believe that exponential increases in debt are good for the economy, yes, I would line up with the Furriners on this one.
You do not find it ironic that during his campaign, Obama said that he would not be the "unilateral" Bush w regards to foreign policy, and here Obama is rather different from the Europeans?
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu Apr 02, 01:47:00 PM:
When overtly socialist nations stare agape at the 'madness/road to hell' that Washington is now pursuing, I think it's safe to say that things have gone askew...
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 02:13:00 PM:
As the French and other Europeans appear to not believe that exponential increases in debt are good for the economy, yes, I would line up with the Furriners on this one.
With lifetime unemployment benefits, universal medical care that is not attached to one's job, and various other safety nets not enjoyed by Americans, the majority of European countries are in a much better position to weather this storm without need for further stimulus. The safety nets in place are automatically providing spending programs that the United States has to legislate.
You're fooling yourselves if you don't think it'll take a boatload of spending for the US to catch up with the saftey nets the "Furriners" have in place.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 02:28:00 PM:
Gosh, maybe I'm missing something but it sure sounds like there's was agreement among the members of the G20.
Oh, and for all of you who thought Obama should just "go along" with the Europeans, the Global Regulator that Sarkozy was pressing for ain't happening.
By , at
Thu Apr 02, 03:44:00 PM:
I lost patience with Michelle push when she was compared with Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in attractiveness.
Also, I can't help but wonder why our esteemed host ever opens such blogs as 'Field Negro'. Is it some kind of self-imposed penance for being too rich or something?
By TigerHawk, at
Thu Apr 02, 05:06:00 PM:
Also, I can't help but wonder why our esteemed host ever opens such blogs as 'Field Negro'. Is it some kind of self-imposed penance for being too rich or something?
I read lots of stuff I do not expect to agree with. I may run an echo chamber, but I do not much like them myself! :)
Anyway, "Field" is a big Afrosphere blog with an educated and basically professional readership. It seems to me important to know how African-American elites think and talk about American society, particularly in the age of Obama.
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu Apr 02, 10:02:00 PM:
This comment has been removed by the author.
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu Apr 02, 10:16:00 PM:
"With lifetime unemployment benefits, universal medical care that is not attached to one's job, and various other safety nets not enjoyed by Americans, the majority of European countries are in a much better position to weather this storm without need for further stimulus."
The Europeans are better prepared to handle this than the US? Because they have universal health care?
Eastern Europe is going bankrupt. Iceland already has, and Austria is set to follow. The governments of Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Iceland have all collapsed. Ukraine, Greece, Britain, France, and others are suffering some of the worst civil unrest in recent history, up to and including acts of terrorism. (assassination of British soldiers in Northern Ireland, kidnapping of business executives in France, burning of banks and rioting in Greece, et cetera)
And they expect it to get *worse*.
Yeah, Europe is totally putting us to shame.
