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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Which "First Lady" will she be compared to? Do people think she could be the new Jacqueline Kennedy? The next Eleanor Roosevelt? ...Maybe the next Hillary Clinton? ;)
She will of course be none of these. She will be an original & very well might create another icon for future generations. Actually, the First Lady she reminds me most of is the one portrayed by Sigourney Weaver in the movie Dave. A charismatic, blisteringly intelligent woman who will use her position to reflect attention on the issues and endeavors important to her. I, for one, would welcome this drastic and refreshing change (or more accurately - revival) in American politics.
I've got news for you. The Democratic Party are a pack of jackals too. You always have to be a monster to get to a position of power in representational democracy. I was addressing the general tone of both salon.com and other liberal websites who somehow see Obama as some kind of "different" politician. This is a sop piece. One that again just carries on the blind charade of "choice" or "power" for the average citizen. And btw that's what the Orwell reference was about as he was particularly incisive about the moral horror of representational party politics.
She gave a nice speech. I could give a fuck. Nothing will change. Same as it ever was. That's not snooty or cynical. That's realistic. I just get frustrated that a website such as salon which has quite a few intelligent and reasoned journalists is playing the same moronic game as everyone else instead of raising real questions or looking for real answers. This is not the best we can do. It's time we stopped pretending it was.
The article summed up the speech very well.
Folks, we Democrats have been wringing our hands about the Obama campaign for the last month or two. I'm as guilty as anyone. But somehow I've been hopeful that the Obama team has a plan for the fall campaign that will kick McCain butt.
Two things. First, consider Obama's primary campaign. When he started the odds against him were tremendous. Money, name recognition, personal connections in the Democratic machinery, endorsements -- Hillary had all of these in spades. Obama's team, through a combination of near-perfect strategy and tactics and incredible organization skills pulled off a near miracle. An Obama campaign is not ad hoc or shoot-from-the-hip. There is a focus on the long-range goal and a plan to get there.
Second, consider Barak Obama himself, and how he's reacted to the crises he's faced. When the Rev Wright scandal came out he took a few days off them gave the speech of his life. This is a guy who comes through in the clutch.
I have to think the Obama team knows exactly what they are up against in the election. They have to have a very clear reading on the voter mood, and why there are so many undecideds. They are fully prepared for what the McCain campaign. They've been using the months of June-August to set a foundation for their fall campaign, which begins now. The international trip, the economic summit, the father's day speech ... all these events provide a foundation that Obama can and will draw on in the fall campaign. Meanwhile, McCain is throwing every bit of slime at Obama and in the process eroding McCain's formerly positive image as a centrist who "reaches across the aisle".
This should be a fun fall.
Falhaar: "I've got news for you. The Democratic Party are a pack of jackals too."
Thanks for the "news." It's not like people here don't know the failings of the Democratic party. But thanks for your condescending attempt to educate everybody. You know so much.
Falhaar: "I was addressing the general tone of both salon.com and other liberal websites who somehow see Obama as some kind of "different" politician."
How is this relevant to an article that summarizes and analyzes a speech by Michelle Obama? As for Obama being "different," well, he is and he isn't. Nobody has any illusions about the fact that he's a politician who plays a political game. But he does bring something fresh to the scene, and there's nothing wrong with people appreciating it and getting excited about it. You're just stroking your own ego if you think you're enlightening us with your cynicism.
Falhaar: "One that again just carries on the blind charade of "choice" or "power" for the average citizen. And btw that's what the Orwell reference was about as he was particularly incisive about the moral horror of representational party politics."
Thanks, but you're a piss-poor messenger for Orwell and I doubt he'd appreciate your negativism. If your point is that all politics, elections and government is a charade, then fine. Have at it. Be sure to write such essays during the RNC as well.
Falhaar: "She gave a nice speech. I could give a fuck."
Charming. Then why did you read the article, and why are you here writing about it? You don't care. Great! Congratulations! You're a cynic. We all get it. I'm cynical too, but I don't fool myself into thinking I'm helping people by rubbing their noses in my cynicism.
Falhaar: "Nothing will change. Same as it ever was. That's not snooty or cynical. That's realistic."
Whatever, man. Congratulate yourself some more. You're the arbiter of all things realistic. Everybody else is dancing on a cloud of illustion while you're sitting on a rock of reality shouting "Bollocks!" So punk rock.
Falhaar: "I just get frustrated that a website such as salon which has quite a few intelligent and reasoned journalists is playing the same moronic game as everyone else instead of raising real questions or looking for real answers."
You must be new here.
The song used to introduce Mrs. Obama was not "Isn't She Lovely." It was "I Was Made To Love Her"---both written by Stevie Wonder.
I just read "And if it was slightly dispiriting to hear this dazzlingly smart and accomplished woman sum herself up in relation to the other people in her life..."
Dear Miss Traister,
I read that sentence with some amazement. What's even slightly wrong with summing one's self up (male or female) IN RELATION to the other people in one's life? Particularly when, as with the relatively young Michelle Obama, one's personal strengths and accomplishments are undeniably superior.
You find that "dispiriting"? Rather obviously, you and the subject of your article are very, very different types of women.
Another letter-writer has already written "What was perhaps most impressive was that she was able to emphasize her role as a wife and mother without sacrificing her clear intellect."
What did you want?....Debra Dickerson?
Sincerely,
David Terry
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
Salon headlines in your mailbox
