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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I had high hopes for Michelle Obama's speech going in, and yet I did not think she was capable of hitting it as far out she did. It was truly the most impressive speech I have ever seen by a candidate's spouse. The pefect mix of sentimentality and substance, she defined hers and her husband's character magnificently. It's amazing how someone who is not a professional politician, and not at all accustomed to the big crowds can do so well. Seriously, she made Nancy Pelosi look like crap.
I believe the elitist smear is officially put to bed, and the other exotic and foreign smears that McCain's camp were going to try are officially DOA.
ANd people, please ignore Maureen crackpot. She's an idiot, a blowhard, possibly a drunk, and I suspect not really Irish.
You see she hit all the right notes and was as smart, funny and beautiful as she always has been.
But winning over middle America, it will take more than a speech to do so.
Let me get this straight:
After 8 years of GW Bush, good oratory, style, color, and
competency are bad things?
You sad armchair critics would worry me if I wasn't too busy laughing.
While watching Michelle Obama's speech I found it hard to forget that I was hearing a speech, it was difficult for me not to notice Michelle reading her lines and attempting to emotionally charge certain sentences and certain ideas. I have an inherent dislike for the contrivances of political life, which makes it difficult for me to believe in the sincerity of a politician giving a speech that is manufactured to depict the speaker in a certain light, however, all that said, I found Michelle Obama beautiful as she spoke and I think the words she spoke were inspiring and informative. It was good to see her in the simple yet elegant outfit she wore, it was good to see her both nervous and confident at the same time. I hope more people are exposed to her so that people will not believe in the preposterous rumors that dog both she and Barack. Michelle is not a scary person, in fact she is actually decent and hopeful. Her strength lies in the fact that she is both her own woman and a capable partner simultaneously. She would be a good first lady.
Nailed it Gordon.
You say the obvious my man.
What if it all backfires?
What if America actually realizes what it is on the precipice of doing?
Can this nation's voters be counted on to put man of mixed race in the White House? Has it grown up enough?
McCain is a near perfect warrior corporate prince. How will they be able to tear themselves away from him for a community organizer from Chicago with a fancy degree and a wife who wears peacock colored clothes--or was it teal?
I hope they get the lighting right for Obama's speech.
The right wingers don't like the idea of a black guy and they hate Hillary. We could have shoved both down their throats simultaneously.
nothing really makes me feel safer or happier than being comfortably infantilized.
Why would you assume that Michelle Obama is wearing a wig? Or hair extensions? Is it because her hair is straight?
My hair is straight (its called a relaxer...black people in America have been doing it for years) WITHOUT the help of extensions or a wig. It all depends on how thick your hair is before the relaxer whether or not your hair comes out looking full or thin. And relaxers are very tough on your hair; my mom lost chunks of hers and was forced to wear a wig for most of her twenties. But, oh well, she should have gone to work at the bank looking like a bald headed chicken rather than oppress those Indian woman who are probably more happy selling their hair than their kidneys or their lady parts.
The fact is Maureen, I find this whole conversation very offensive. Black woman in particular are VERY sensitive about our hair; those of us who get extensions and wear wigs do so we can fit in with the white fashion aesthetic, especially if we are "professional" women. Having a 'fro or wearing corn rows is not considered professional. But I will cut you some slack since your are not American, you are certainly not black, and you just wanted to instigate some negative bullshit about Michelle Obama and make fun of her hair.
Dear Salon writers,
I have been away a bit, and was looking forward
to checking in here and see what people are discussing.
I'm dismayed to find the flamers destroying this forum.
Salon staff, could you discuss with us what steps you are considering to deal with this problem?
Could we find a way to corral certain writers or certain types of letters into one pen, so to speak? so the rest of us could continue an interesting exchange of diverse opinions
marked by consideration, civility, and honest desire for true dialogue?
Thank you.
cahcap
ps: Re the subject, Michelle was intelligent, inspiring, disciplined, warm-hearted and articulate, in my opinion.
She thus inspired such a desperate push-back by racists.
This so-called Middle America--"real America" (watch me fade from existence)--seems to describe the lot that is determined to believe that a man just like them can lead this country. Or that they themselves, with God and good judgment, should be able to lead this country.
The truth is, it takes an extraordinary individual to make a great president. Not all extraordinary individuals succeed, but it's pretty much guaranteed that those of incurious intellect and narrowness will sit like lame ducks and/or exploit unforeseen (and foreseen) tragedies to their advantage.
After a while, the suffering becomes familiar. Comfortable, even. Stay the course; you don't want it worse. Do you? Do you?
if you pull your punches any harder they’ll be landing on you.
Careful. This is journalism, remember?
Great speech, beautiful woman, wonderful delivery. I don't know how the Rush Limbaugh crowd is going to spin this, although they'll surely try. But they'll have a much harder time convincing anyone but the most die-hard dittoheads that Michelle bears any resemblance to the ludicrous stereotype they've been promoting.
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
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
