"We're going to be interviewing Matthew Broderick, she will participate in that," [Barbara] Walters said. "Another segment will be what makes a good breakfast. It will be a normal show; instead of five, there will be six."Chatter. You can learn a lot about a person by their chatter. Oh, how I would love to hear the behind-the-scenes chatter between Michelle and her handlers about going on the show. Did Michelle bitch about the need to soften herself for dimwitted American women in flyover states? Or did she think it would be fun to have a free-for-all with those smart, funny women? Did her people tell her that the important thing is just to smile and look comfortable and not say anything too smart or too stupid? Or did they tell her to be herself and enjoy this chance to let everyone see the Michelle Obama we all know?
Walters said the show was put together as normal, and guests booked in advance.What? Matthew Broderick was not a special selection for Michelle? I'm sorry, I find that impossible to believe. He's too perfect for the occasion, isn't he? Married, delightful, mild, warm... squishy yet masculine... white. Watch her not call him "whitey" — though the man is stark white.
And, if today resembles the typical day on the popular daytime show, there will be plenty of give and take between the hosts on serious and not-so-serious topics.
And making a good breakfast? Come on! That's too perfect of a set-up for them to talk about — we all want to know! – what's Barack Obama like at breakfast?
You can really learn a lot about a man by seeing what he's like at breakfast. He's helping the girls find their mittens and testing them last-minute on their spelling words, I bet. Or is he grouchy? Is he all Why can't I just eat my waffle?
ADDED: The women walk out in pairs, with Michelle and Barbara Walters in the lead. Michelle is much taller than the others, and she looks fabulous in a fitted, black-and-white, floral print sundress. Her hair is neatly tousled, and she has pearl earrings and really pretty soft makeup. They sit at the table, Whoopi Goldberg enthuses an introduction, and Michelle says: "I have to be greeted properly. Fist bump, please."
All the ladies bump fists with her. Whoopi's all "I'm sorry. What'd that mean? Should I be worried about doing that with you?" in a Valley Girl voice. Barbara leans forward and yells: "It's a terrorist attack!" Michelle responds: "It's now my signature bump, but lemme tell ya. I'm not that hip. I got this from the young staff." Joy Behar says: "I thought it was for germ freaks." I'm thinking: good idea! And then: potential new smear: Michelle Obama, a germophobe!
Whoopi says they've got "a million questions" for her. Oh! So then, she's not just another co-host. She is being interviewed. Barbara waves the New York Times article that is the first link in this post. Is Michelle here on "The View" to soften her image after all these attacks? Michelle finesses this into the new introduction that the NYT said she is seeking. She grew up on the south side of Chicago, etc.
Barbara interrupts to ask what it causing the attacks? Michelle refers to the pervasiveness of the media and the competition of politics. And people are "tired" of all this hostility. Elisabeth Hasselbeck takes this as a cue to chatter about how the media think that she (Elisabeth) is going to be fighting with Michelle (and is enemies with the other View ladies). By this point, Michelle is visibly sweating. (If she weren't wearing a bare sundress, you wouldn't see it.) But she gamely talks about how she puts her heart out there, taking a risk by showing passion. And she's not worried. Over time, people will get to know who she really is.
Michelle is asked if she thinks there was any sexism against Hillary Clinton, and she says, "Yes, there's always a level of... people aren't used to strong women... We don't even know how to talk about 'em. So, yeah, there was obviously that. There was also, um, you know, there were elements of racism and that will go on." But she resisted veering into the subject of racism and, wisely, kept to the subject of sexism but ended on a positive note. Hillary had cracked the glass ceiling, and had made it so "my girls, they won't have to feel it [sexism] as badly."
Barbara asks if, then, Hillary should be the VP nominee. Michelle insists that she willl have "nothing to do" with the decision. Elisabeth breaks right in an offers an opportunity for Michelle to talk about getting away from politics and paying attention to the kids. A commercial break swiftly descends.
Sherri Shepherd wants to interrogate Michelle about her toned arms. Michelle is always going sleeveless, setting a trend that is rough on women who are flabby. But the subject is immediately shifted to how long it takes for a woman to do her hair and makeup in the morning. Whoopi starts riffing about how up until now all the black women we've seen on the news are toothless or have gold-rimmed teeth. (How many people did she just insult?!) What she's trying to say is that Michelle with be a good role model. Joy Behar has the classic "who farted?" expression on her face.
Barbara raises the hot topic of pantyhose. They say not wearing pantyhose makes you look young, so she (Barbara) went without pantyhose to some event and someone yelled "No pantyhose!" Funny, especially since Barbara Walters is nearly 80. But the point here is: Michelle Obama is not wearing pantyhose. Michelle says: "I stopped wearing pantyhose a long time ago because it was painful."
Much talk of raising the kids. Barack and Michelle think about their daughters "every single day." She quotes 10-year-old Malia saying — when asked how she deals with going in front of a big crowd — "I'm just a kid... They just think I'm cute, so I just wave and I smile and then I'm outta there."
There's talk about Barack Obama's Father's Day speech. Michelle says she's most touched when Barack says that "the greatest gift he can give to his kids is to not be who his father was."
Barbara asks if Michelle wanted Barack to run for President, and she says she didn't even want him to go into politics, because it's "a mean business":
I knew the man that I loved. He was sweet and pathetic. I thought...Pandemonium! I think each of the 5 view ladies exclaims "Pathetic!" Michelle's all: "Right, I know, he's pathetic." She does a dismissive hand wave. I take a few TiVo passes at the chaos, there's a reference to a comma, and I figure out she was saying:
He was sweet, empathetic.Whoopi spells out the whole word to the camera and makes big hand gestures to get the point across: Empathetic.
After the break, they bring out Matthew Broderick. I think he's wearing a bad wig. He's got a bulky black suit on and a red tie. He fist bumps everyone, and they sit down on little puffy gold chairs. He crosses his legs just like Joy Behar. He's not wearing pantyhose, but white and black striped socks. He has largish feet.
It's established that Broderick's 4-year-old son supports Barack Obama. Why? "He likes the man to beat the lady." Michelle makes a cute grimace then distances herself from that remark. Kids are drawn to Barack Obama, she says. Some think his first name is Baracko.
Michelle must sit through the promotion of 2 Matthew Broderick movies, which is slightly painful, especially since they show a clip that has him talking to a young woman who's prating about how easy it is to be a stripper. Michelle basically keeps her mouth shut here.
Fortunately, they go to commercials, and when they are back, Michelle, Joy, and Sherri are standing with some woman under a big orange sign that says "Best of BREAKFAST." The woman — Elizabeth Somer — has written some New York Magazine cover story about breakfast and she starts ranting about how people who eat breakfast are better than other people. She's a raving breakfastist. Guess what you can eat for breakfast? A bowl of cereal with milk in it. And have you heard? You can put fruit on your cereal and also drink a glass of fruit juice. Michelle asks a question about pomegranate juice. She looks uncomfortable, and she doesn't get a straight answer, just a warning about apple, grape, and pear juice. Michelle munches a nugget of Autumn Wheat cereal and pronounces it good.
Joy asks Michelle what she has for breakfast, and she says:
"Toast, fruit, and I do my protein as: bacon. We're bacon people."Joy does a mini-cheer: "Bacon! Bacon!" The audience shows enthusiasm. Somers in all seriousness says if you're going to have bacon, you should have Bob Evans Canadian Bacon. Michelle and just about everyone laughs at her for that absurd suggestion. Somers also recommends turkey bacon and "smart bacon" — and much grumbling is heard. "Smart bacon" is soy. Michelle is all "soy, sounds good" as she elbows Joy Behar. Those 2 seem to be bonding over bacon. Whoopi sneaks over to join the group: "I'm just going to say leave the bacon alone. We'll eat anything, but don't touch the bacon." Ha ha. The health nannying is shot to hell. "Does Obama eat bacon?" Joy asks. Michelle: "He will eat the bacon." Ha ha.
Final shot at the table. Everyone's looking happy. I find myself smiling. Okay. Worked for me. Broderick and Somers were stodgy and dull, but Michelle was just lovely and excellent. Her one little flub/nonflub ("pathetic") was hilarious.
Time for me to go get some bacon.
ADDED: Plenty of video here.
Posts
105 comments:
Maybe they will ask her how it was that her salary tripled to $400k per year a few months after her husband was elected to the U.S. Senate.
Or maybe they will ask here how it was that she was able to buy a house for $300,000 less on the same day that Tony Rezko's wife bought the adjoining property.
Maybe they will ask her if she ever stood up and cheered in Trinity church while the pastor bashed white people.
Maybe they will ask her why she is so opposed to private school vouchers while she sends her own kids to private schools.
Maybe they will ask her these things. Maybe not.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck is scheduled to be on Hannity and Colmes tonight to do the after action review.
I bet Bill O'Reilly's body language expert will do a segment on it, too.
Sloan: Since she's co-hosting, all that would be completely inappropriate.
Will Spike Lee object that they should have interviewed a black man?
From the NYT article, quoting Claire McCaskill: Mrs. Obama must stop sounding like a lawyer trying to win an argument
One could say the same thing of many Presidential candidates as well. Still, I prefer the challenging wife such as Michelle to the blonde vapidity of Cindy McCain.
Ann Althouse said...
Sloan: Since she's co-hosting, all that would be completely inappropriate.
so it's a free media appearance without MO having to answer any questions? or just not anything but softballs?
The real danger is if one of the co-hosts goes on an BDS diatribe. Michelle will have a very narrow envelope in which to respond: If she goes along with it, mainstream Americans will think she is a nut. If she is too harsh on the ranter, she will alienate a lot of Obama's base--which think just like the ranter.
"those smart, funny women"
Don't they explain gross generalization in law school? You probably have an appropriate legal slang term for it. Smart? Maybe a couple. Funny? Not much.
Half of the women are ventriloquist aides with constantly moving orifices. Michelle will fit right in with them.
Drill Sgt:
It's a way to show she's not an angry black woman who attends a racist church that believes white people are still slave owners oppressing black people even today, goddamn them and the USA they rode in on.
Nope. Not she's not all that at all.
She'll be as Oprah-esque as she can stand without vomiting.
Still, I prefer the challenging wife such as Michelle to the blonde vapidity of Cindy McCain.
Blondophobe!
Let’s not be too hard on Ms. Obama.
She’s got her eyes on the prize and that means she’s got to be packaged.
You know, sort of like this stuff: LINK.
so it's a free media appearance without MO having to answer any questions? or just not anything but softballs?
I suspect it will be similar to when Cindy McCain co-hosted back in April? March? Can't recall exactly when.
I love "Why can't I just eat my waffle?" It strikes me as one of the most honest things we've heard Obama say. In fact, I think I'll start using it when my kids are pestering me in the middle of something I'd like to finish... like breakfast.
As for M.O. on The View, I'll wait for the after-action reports to comment. Could be great, could be boring. I'm betting on boring. For all her bristly race-consciousness, Michelle is not so stupid as to give the McCain camp anything really juicy to use against her husband, is she?
John McCain has to respond to Michelle Obama going on The View immediately. I'd put Cindy McCain on television as fast as I could. Like in a beer commercial.
Still, I prefer the challenging wife such as Michelle to the blonde vapidity of Cindy McCain.
Wow, um... you don't know a thing about Cindy McCain do you?
Here's a few things:
She was a special needs teacher.
After her father died she became chairwoman of his beer distributing firm. Sales have doubled in her tenure.
She made JOHN sign a prenup to protect HER assets.
She's involved in clearing land mines around the world.
She adopted a child from bangladesh at Mother Teresa's behest... a baby with a severe cleft palate. She did, and didn't stop to ask John for permission. They adopted the girl and she's had a dozen operations to repair her palate and other medical conditions.
She has a Family Foundation for children's causes.
That's a funny definition of vapid... maybe you should stop judging by a appearances maybe? Blonde white girl... vapid... hmm, your bigotry is showing.
I've mentioned several times that I've a negative gut reaction to Cindy McCain. She could be the nicest Mother Theresaish women. That doesn't change my gut reaction to her.
Mrs. Obama has a bit of those crazed Cynthia McKinnie type eyes IMO. Have to watch The View today and see if they were able to mask it. What time is the show on? Not during Phils game I hope - they play at 105PM today.
"...the man is stark white."
I'm stark white. And proud of it.
Is Michelle proud of being stark or dark black? I'll bet she is. But no right thinking person dare say that! Not if they want to stay within the warm embrace of all other right thinking people.
Don't blame me. I voted against women's suffrage.
The bumper sticker for people who are having only one.
Ah, sloan. So few facts, so much bitterness:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/09/hospital_offici.html
"She's terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.
Hospitals spokesman John Easton told the Tribune that Michelle Obama's salary is in line with those of the 16 other vice presidents at the not-for-profit medical center.
Riordan told the Tribune that the promotion and salary increase had nothing to do with Obama's husband becoming a U.S. senator. "She was hired before Barack was Barack," Riordan said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-zorn-10-jun10,0,3997821.column
2. The Obamas did not get a special discount on the house. Yes, the original asking price was $1.95 million and the sale price was $1.65 million. But the sellers have confirmed that the sale price was the result of routine real estate negotiations and was the best offer they received on the house.
3. The sellers rejected two lower bids—$1.3 million, then $1.5 million—from the Obamas.
4. The Rezkos did not pay an inflated price for the vacant lot. Obama has said his broker told him another interested party had already put in a bid on the lot at or close to the asking price of $625,000. No one has challenged this.
5. The Obamas didn't get a special discount from the Rezkos when they later purchased one-sixth of the vacant lot to enlarge their yard. The price the Obamas paid, $104,500, was a neat one-sixth of the price of the lot and more than double the value Obama said his appraiser put on the strip. The remaining portion of the vacant lot reportedly sold earlier this year for $675,000.
6. The Obamas did not receive or borrow any money from the Rezkos to buy their house. They took out a $1.3 million mortgage and paid the balance with proceeds from Obama's best-selling books.
Michelle's employer offers employees 50% tuition remission at any school operated by the University of Chicago, including the Lab School. Alumni of the University of Chicago Laboratory School include Erwin Chemerinsky and Garrick Utley.
I'm curious now. Did The View ask Cindy McCain about how her drug addiction drove her to steal drugs from charity? How about how she felt when her husband cast his crippled wife aside for her, a trophy wife almost half his age?
I've mentioned several times that I've a negative gut reaction to Cindy McCain. She could be the nicest Mother Theresaish women. That doesn't change my gut reaction to her.
Very open minded of you. Then again a similar sentiment expressed about Obama or his challenging wife would only result in being called a racist.
a trophy wife almost half his age?
As hot as Cindy McCain is, most guys reserve the term trophy wife to firm and perkey twenty somethings.
Cindy I would say falls under the category of MILF.
FLS said:
"She's terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962."
Yeah I used to love getting those one-word annual performance reviews at work with the word "TERRIFIC!" scribbled across the top and getting almost a 200% increase in pay.
Yes, those were the days - then Clinton left office and family incomes were stagnant (except for the Obamas and Jim Johnson).
Hoosier, my mind isn't my gut. But I'll say that things go awry when you don't follow your gut. Gavin de Becker's The Gift of Fear is a great book on the subject.
If I had such a reaction to all blondes, then you could call me a blondist. As it is, I'm just a Cindy McCainist.
If I had such a reaction to all blondes, then you could call me a blondist. As it is, I'm just a Cindy McCainist.
Fair enough. But the flipside is that the same sentiments expressed about Obama and Michelle are always viewed with the tint of racism when its simply the same gut reaction of dislike, skin color versus hair color notwithstanding.
the blonde vapidity of Cindy McCain.
I didn't even know all the facts cited by dark eden, but the vibe I get from her is not "vapid," but "fearsome." I don't think she's used to not getting her way. Like a character from "Dynasty."
I think Michelle and Cindy are actually a pretty interesting matchup. It's too bad a debate is out of the question.
madisonman said...
If I had such a reaction to all blondes, then you could call me a blondist. As it is, I'm just a Cindy McCainist
Heads up, MadisonMan. Senator Obama wants to have a word with you:
“I think families are off limits. I would never consider making Cindy McCain a campaign issue, and if I saw people doing that — I would speak out against it. And the fact that I haven’t seen that from John McCain I think is a deep disappointment."
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/394137.aspx
FLS:
".."She's terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.."
CHECK OUT OBAMA'S EARMARK TO HIS WIFE'S EMPLOYER IN '06 AND HIS WIFE'S RAISE IN '06
WHAT ARE THE ODDS IT'S COINCIDENCE?
"Or did she think it would be fun to have a free-for-all with those smart, funny women"
I'm sorry, I thought you said she'd be on The View - my bad.
The difference is that Cindy MacCain is not running to be a co-President, a la HRC and now MO. Maybe she would be a good president or co-president, I don't really know, but what I hate is teh Dems using their spouses as full-on political surrogates and then claiming that to criticize their very public and political statements is to attack the candidate's wife - you can't have it both ways like that (well, the MSM will cover for you, but you'll at least get called out in the blogosphere).
As hot as Cindy McCain is, most guys reserve the term trophy wife to firm and perkey twenty somethings.
I'm talking about when Cindy was a firm and perkey 24 year old marrying an old crock of 43. This is the earliest picture I could find, of the 27 year old Cindy:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-080309cindymccain-photogallery,0,6419465.photogallery
Thank you, Dark Eden, for your post. I had never been informed of those facts before. They give one a different impression of Cindy than one might form by superficial observation or by reading the fly specks that are usually posted about her drug addiction and McCain's marital history... The left talks of swiftboating and the Republican attack machine, but they are rather good at publicizing their opponents' flaws--real or imagined. I suggest the term swiftboating be replaced by the term doonesburying. Swiftboating has come to mean libelling an opponent, especially as regards to their service record. I remember a series of Doonesbury cartoons that suggested that the elder Bush had bailed out of his plane too soon and left his fellow crew member to die.
The difference is that Cindy MacCain is not running to be a co-President, a la HRC and now MO.
Where do you get that vibe? Both CMC and MO are campaigning as dutiful spouses -- both are career women, both are active parents of their children.
"Did Michelle bitch about the need to soften herself for dimwitted American women in flyover states?"
Isn't Illinois a flyover state? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is.
Only one post this morning?
Are we interrupting your waffle?
FLS, your link to the USA Today story doesn't support what I take to be your claim that there's nothing in Sloan's insinuation that Michelle's improving fortune had to do with her husband's influence. At the core of its argument are two red herrings: all agree that Michelle's pay raise resulted from her promotion, and USA Today defends her by noting that her salary as a vice-President "is in line with those of the 16 other vice presidents at the not-for-profit medical center," and that Michelle "was hired before Barack was Barack." The former is irrelevant because no one has suggested that her pay is out of kilter with others at her grade. The latter is irrelevant because the allegation does not go to why she was hired, but rather, why she was promoted. She was hired in 2002, and arguendo, let's say that this was "before Barack was Barack." She was promoted, however, scant months after her husband lucked into the U.S. Senate and became a shooting star in the Democratic party. Inescapably, that looks like suspicious timing, a fortiori when it happens in Chicago, a city notorious for backscratching. Instead of fobbing people off with red herring, the appropriate inquiry is this: what were the backgrounds and experience of the other vice presidents, including Michelle's predecessor, at the time of their appointment? If Michelle's resume is roughly comparable to theirs, that's not conclusive, but it's dispositive.
Both CMC and MO are campaigning as dutiful spouses --
Has CMC said anything like this then?
" Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual "
That's more than 'dutiful wife' fluff.
The left talks of swiftboating and the Republican attack machine, but they are rather good at publicizing their opponents' flaws--real or imagined.
Your kidding right? The amount of typing and ink dedicated to criticizing Michelle far outpaces anything said about Cindy. Some Democrats have gone overboard and decided on a bit of payback and have gone after Cindy, but it is an attempt at payback for the smears against Michelle. Read a few recent posts about Michelle and tell me again who is better at "publicizing their opponents' flaws--real or imagined".
And you can see how easy it is for the Right to attempt to Hillaryize Michelle. They've even tried to shoehorn her into that "2 for the price of 1" which is from the Clinton's not the Obama's. But facts don't matter much, when the smears start.
So few facts, so much bitterness:
Those are great rationalizations fls.
However, it is clear that Michele Obama's drastic increase in salary is basically a kick back by an organization that shops at the trough of public funds to Obama's senate election. There is no other reasonable explanation.
Moreover, Obama saved $300,000 on the purchase of his property because Rezko was willing to purchase the adjoining land (which has a limited use). This is clearly a kickback from Rezko to personally enrich Obama. The deal was consummated when Obama and rezko took a tour of Obama's house together a day before the purchase. The money for Rezko's purchase, by the way, originated from a pro-palestinian arab living in the UK. Apparently, it was just a coincidence that his money ended up buying a vacant piece of land next door to a newly elected U.S. Senator who was the member of a rabidly pro-palestinian church for 20 years.
These things don't happen to normal people. They happen to U.S. Senators like Obama who play footsie with ethics.
I don't think she's used to not getting her way. Like a character from "Dynasty."
Well, I do agree her character would fit right in on Dynasty, what with being the other woman and a recovering drug addict! But how does she look in dresses with immense shoulder pads?
Sloan has a point on the salary. Name me ONE other Harvard Law School grad who's pulling in $300 grand a year. Just ONE.
It's impossible. You just can't bring in that kind of money when you go to a pathetic school like that. Impossible.
FLS,
I'll buy your defense of most of the points but the salary one doesn't ring true. Not your fault. From wiki below, she had the same job at $120k and got a $200k raise do to the same job?, perhaps with some added duties. They changed her title and gave her comparable salary to the other VP? I can't believe the extra duties were $200k worth
In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May, 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.[22]
Whoopi's all "I'm sorry. What'd that mean? Should I be worried about doing that with you?" in a Valley Girl voice. Barbara leans forward and yells: "It's a terrorist attack!" Michelle responds: "It's now my signature bump, but lemme tell ya. I'm not that hip. I got this from the young staff." Joy Behar says: "I thought it was for germ freaks."
Fist bump!! Signature bump! I think I'm going to puke.
What a bunch of supercilious, pretentious snarky c*nts. May all their hair fall out.
What a bunch of supercilious, pretentious snarky c*nts. May all their hair fall out.
Is this your first time watching? Maybe someone should have warned you.
What a bunch of supercilious, pretentious snarky c*nts. May all their hair fall out.
"Is this your first time watching? Maybe someone should have warned you."
I have never watched this show or Oprah, or Doctor Phil or any other daytime show geared towards women (ptooey). I was taking my response from Ann's written words.
Barbara raises the hot topic of pantyhose. They say not wearing pantyhose makes you look young, so she (Barbara) went without pantyhose to some event and someone yelled "No pantyhose!" Funny, especially since Barbara Walters is nearly 80. But the point here is: Michelle Obama is not wearing pantyhose. Michelle says: "I stopped wearing pantyhose a long time ago because it was painful."
Wow. Now here is an issue that is of earth shattering importance and deeply affects not only the women of the United States but undoubtedly the women of the world. How did we ever overlook this powerful women's issue? Much more important that Sharia law, Sutee, honor killings, stricken single motherhood and trivial things like that. Maybe Michelle can convince Obama to have the United Nations take up this crucial topic and establish committee or something. They could probably fly to Switzerland for a week of discussion on panty hose versus garter belts or shaving legs versus non shaved.
I guess they think that women are just "downright stupid". I guess if the popularity of this show is any indication....they may be right.
PS. I remember when they invented panty hose and between wearing those or sitting on the tabs of a garter belt, for pain you can't compare. However, for sexy....garter belt wins ;-)
It's true, I've seen a lot more comment about Michelle Obama than I have about Cindy McCain. But couldn't that be because she's a much more vocal surrogate for Obama than Cindy is for McCain? And couldn't it be because Michelle's words and actions have been a lot more controversial than Cindy's? Not to mention that they often are at odds with the "can't we all get along" rhetoric of her husband?
We all know now the "whitey" video was a fabrication of the Clinton campaign (kind of felt like the old Carville days, didn't it?), but was it so far-fetched, considering what we know about her? Apparently it wasn't for the Obama campaign, since they apparently took it seriously enough to investigate it.
If Cindy McCain was running around sticking a spoke into the wheels of her husband's campaign, I imagine we'd see a lot of talk about her too.
eeerr.. poverty stricken single motherhood.
proof-reading can be your friend
Name me ONE other Harvard Law School grad who's pulling in $300 grand a year. Just ONE.
Worthless sarcasim. We are still waiting to see Michele's LSAT scores. It would be nice to know if she got a special preference or if she was accepted on merit. I guess some poor soul who lost their spot to Obama and ended up going to the UW rather than Harvard is missing out on the $300k salary at a 9-5 job.
Besides, Obama keeps claiming that he decided not to earn the big bucks and be a community organizer instead. Hmmm...
Obama keeps claiming that he "sacrificed" when he took his community orgainizing job in 1984 with a salary of $12,000 per year and a free car.
Get real. $12,000 was a decent job for a new graduate with a liberal arts degree in 1984. I know, because I made $17,000 with my first job only 6 years later and I never thought I was "sacrificing."
Obama is a liar.
However, it is clear that Michele Obama's drastic increase in salary is basically a kick back by an organization that shops at the trough of public funds to Obama's senate election. There is no other reasonable explanation.
Sorry, you're going to have to show that the University of Chicago Medical Center received an unreasonable or undeserved amount of federal funds as a quid pro quo for promoting Michelle. Barack's political adversary, Congressman (and former Black Panther) Bobby Rush is claiming credit for securing $550,000 for the new U of C Comer Children's Hospital, including their pediatric emergency room.
The University of Chicago receives federal funds because it is one of America's premier medical research universities. As an example I am familiar with, the mother of a friend of mine, a professor there since 1969, was the first researcher to link a particular kind of chromosomal abnormality to cancer, particularly leukemias and lymphomas. For her work, she received the National Medal of Science in 1999, long before the hospital hired Michelle Obama.
Barack and Michelle think about their daughters "every single day."
Unlike the rest of us shitty parents who think about our kids maybe twice a year?
Or was this utterly pompous statement quoted out of context?
300k for community relations, bla, bla - like the "community" doesn't know what a hospital is. Of course a Harvard Law grad could make well in excess of $300k/yr, even as a senior associate, nevermind as a partner, but MO wanted to "give back to the community" and not work those biglaw hours. Why does a not-for-profit hospital need 16 VPs, each at over $300k/yr, esp in Chicago with a cost of living dramatically lower than NY or SF? It sure seems like someone is making a profit (which is fine, profits are good, but don't take home that kind of dough and then put yourself out there as a martyr).
Community Organizer, Community relations - are these just patronage jobs for Dems to fund them while they run for office or wait to do so, or am I just becoming a bit cynical? How come nobody ties Obama to ACORN's electoral frau shenanigans?
You're all welcome to research the bios of Michelle's peers at the U of C medical center, find out how much they get paid, and satisfy yourselves that Michelle is receiving an undeserved increment. I doubt that she makes as much as the VPs with MDs, or even the CIO, however. Scroll down to Michelle's name to find her peers:
www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_009249.pdf
To help you get started, here's the bio for the Medical Center's VP for Development, Michele Schiele, who may have a comparable job. Rather than an MD, she was a staffer for a politician who went to prison for bribery, then helped raise $550 million:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?portal_id=35&mpid=35&page_id=2089
The hostility you bring to these comments reliably, predictably, ever running down worn partisan tracks, is obnoxious. I hope to be around when the veins in your neck explode. I'll be the guy in the distance wearing the level A Hazmat suit, you're just that toxic. I'm certain now, your single aim is to stink up the place as quickly as possible to clear it out, because you have to know you're not going to change anybody's opinion with your stupendously one-sided prattle. I encounter here in print the type of people that in real-life I avoid like a plague. You are a plague. I read 1/10 of what you write and feel ill. I feel ill about what you've allowed your party politics to make of you. Here's my statement to you, beholden to your party: keep your distance from me, nothing good can come of it. My promise is to do the same.
As to Michelle co-hosting The View, I wish her well. I've no doubt she'll class up the joint and put the rest on their better behavior which would be a nice change. I've learned to avoid the show like I avoid a few commenters here. The thing that saddens me most about The View is its tendency to take wonderfully funny comediennes by providing the platform and through partisan politics wrench them into decidedly unfunny commentators, notably Goldberg eminently watchable, now more hateful than anything, her remark about Justice Thomas not being really being black is unnecessarily divisive and straight-up racist, and, Behar, who used to be and still occasionally can be tremendously funny, who through politics entirely partisan, becomes stupidly and poorly informed and now just malicious. Two first-rate comediennes intent on spreading toxin much as a few commenters here.
That is all. I'm off to do something creative. Later, something with people who are a delight to be with. Later perhaps something with plants. I'd actually rather be by myself than associated with you. But whom am I addressing? Jesuschristonacrutch, if you have to ask.
For the record, I really like the Obama family. Now, there's a family I'd really like to know personally. But then, I'd also like to know the Bush family too.
Chip, we are sorry that it upsets you to hear that Obama may be just another corrupt politician. However, facts are stubborn things. Obama has never fully explained his dealings with Rezko other than modifying how much Rezko had raised for him and calling the relationship boneheaded.
The oddly timed boost to the 300k salary is one thing all by itself, but the part that makes it a hoot is her preaching to young people to not sell out to corporate America as she fancies herself and her husband to not have done.
16 Vp's who earned $300K or more at a major hospital?
Yes I believe that is a fact but suspect 75% or more of them possess medical/ technical/ finance skills that warranted the big bucks. Most of us probably agree it is a big stretch for a Community Relations VP to get the big bucks too.
Of course, "Big Stretch" may be Michelle's nickname- didn't she play a bit of basketball?
The hatred of her on this site is mind boggling.
And you people talk about BDS.
You people need to take a walk or get your cocks sucked-something to get your minds off all of the hate.
Or get a pet.
Time for me to go get some bacon.
Oscar Meyer! Nueske's!
Dowd has a great editorial today and that deserves a link-oh wait it isn't about Bambi or Hillary-never mind.
After the break, they bring out Matthew Broderick. I think he's wearing a bad wig. He's got a bulky black suit on and a red tie. He fist bumps everyone, and then sit down on little puffy gold chairs. He crosses his legs just like Joy Behar. He's not wearing pantyhose, but white and black striped socks. He has largish feet.
Max Beerbohm
``Zeuleika was not strictly beautiful. Her eyes were a trifle large, and their lashes longer than they need have been. An anarchy of small curls was her chevelure, a dark upland of misrule, every hair asserting its rights over a not discreditable brow. For the rest, her features were not at all original. They seemed to have been derived rather from a gallimaufry of familiar models. From Madame la Marquise de Saint-Ouen came the shapely tilt of the nose. The mouth was a mere replica of Cupid's bow, lacquered scarlet and strung with the littlest pearls. No apple-tree, no wall of peaches, had not been robbed, nor any Tyrian rose-garden, for the glory of Miss Dobson's cheeks. Her neck was imitation-marble. Her hands and feet were of very mean proportions. She had no waist to speak of..''
I enjoyed this.
I didn't understand what Michelle meant when she said that she thought about her children every day.
Does that mean once a day?
How could you have children and not think about them at least once a day?
They must be in some other class from most people if it's worth remarking that they think about their children every day (as if most of the people that they know never think about their children, or only think about them every other day?).
Very odd. I think she might have said that Barack was pathetic. A lot of leftist women bond by making disparaging remarks about their husbands. That's what she was doing when she said he was stinky and left his socks all over the place.
You're not supposed to love your husband if you're a leftist. You have to love other women first, and just put up with your husband.
Your husband is the oppressor, so you have to hate him. He's the bourgeoisie, while you're the proletariat. So you have to hate him or else you're a victim of false consciousness.
So I think she did mean to say that he was pathetic. That kind of talk endears you to other leftists, I think.
"those smart, funny women"
Yuppers. Think I'll go off now and do something equally smart and funny, like inspecting navel lint.
Can you imagine the field day the right wing would have if Michelle, like Cindy McCain, was a beer heiress who used to be a drug addict? Instead, all they've got are "terrorist fist jabs" and misconstrued quotes about being proud.
Pathetic.
No need, Zachary. Since Obama already admitted he's abused cocaine, we're all set in that department.
Michelle's just sewing up the I-Hate-America part of standard leftist sentiment.
Matthew Broderick = Zeuleika?!
He is a bit effeminate, I'll grant you that.
Anyone notice that Ann herself hardly ever makes comments anymore?
She's like a popular taproom owner who does not come into their own saloon much. She has built her brand and now she just opens the door, throws some cats or bees or NYT rubbish into the place to get the customers going then she goes on her merry way.
Ann, may I suggest a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I'm sure you'd like it more than an egg salad sandwich. Besides, Al Gore would be very happy.
I'm talking about when Cindy was a firm and perkey 24 year old marrying an old crock of 43.
Wow, is 43 the new 'old'? Damn...that sucks.
I think you're just jealous FLS.
Let's see if I've got this straight....did Michelle Obama use the word "pathetic" when she should have used "empathetic?" It sounds as if Whoopie had to quickly step in to cover for her. I'm starting to think that Ms. O isn't too smart, Ivy League degrees notwithstanding. I read one of her rants - I mean speeches - where she was complaining about not testing well when she applied to college and how very unfair it was that she had to take these horrible tests. Yet somehow she got into Princeton and Harvard Law School. I'd bet a million dollars that a white person with her test scores and credentials wouldn't have come close to sniffing the Ivy League.
Why does a not-for-profit hospital need 16 VPs, each at over $300k/yr, esp in Chicago with a cost of living dramatically lower than NY or SF?
Because the U of C Medical Center is a big deal:
Average Beds in Service 596
Admissions 26,933
Patient Days 174,995
Deliveries 2,773
Visits to the DCAM (ctr for Advanced Medicine) 394,718
Emergency Visits 79,534
Revenues for patient care at the University of Chicago Medical Center were more than $869 million. In addition, the Medical Center is one of the largest providers of uncompensated care in Illinois and provides millions of dollars in unreimbursed care every year.
The Medical Center and the University are the largest employers on the South Side of Chicago. The Medical Center has approximately 9,500 employees, many of whom live in the Hyde Park area. Care is provided by more than 700 attending physicians--most are full-time University faculty members--620 residents and fellows, and more than 1,000 nurses.
How come nobody ties Obama to ACORN's electoral frau shenanigans?
Because there's no connection. You may be thinking of Obama's work for Chicago's Project Vote!, which added more than 150,000 African-American voters, causing an all-time high number of new voter registrations, and creating a black majority voting bloc.
When Newman called, Obama agreed to put his other work aside. "I'm still not quite sure why," Newman says. ''This was not glamorous, high-paying work. But I am certainly grateful. He did one hell of a job."
Within a few months, Obama, a tall, affable workaholic, had recruited staff and volunteers from black churches, community groups, and politicians. He helped train 700 deputy registrars, out of a total of 11,000 citywide. And he began a saturation media campaign with the help of black-owned Brainstorm Communications.
I won't say that 43 is now old -- because I'm past 43 and not old, I hope -- but if my daughter at age 24 is marrying a just-divorced 43-year-old, you can bet that I'll be asking my wife what our daughter sees in an old man.
Can you imagine the field day the right wing would have if Michelle, like Cindy McCain, was a beer heiress who used to be a drug addict? Instead, all they've got are "terrorist fist jabs" and misconstrued quotes about being proud.
Right....Axelrove and Obama just hate their opponents being demonized unfairly and misconstrued statements being used against them don't they.
Send memos out to the media of a "troubling" truncated statement with no context.
Have clownish scribes like Andrew Sullivan and Josh Marshall send it up the flagpole with dire warnings of what it could mean. Give false choices. "Was it a lie, or was it merely malicious"?
Have Obama condemn it passively aggressively and say it has no place in politics, but it can happen to anybody and we should really move on [to the next troubling statement].
Rinse. Repeat.
Invis: The amount of typing and ink dedicated to criticizing Michelle far outpaces anything said about Cindy
Maybe because Michelle Obama's religion craves "the love of a God that participates in the destruction of the white enemy" - Cone.
Here are some invidious comparisons between Cindy and Michelle. Cindy was born good-looking, rich, and bright enough. That's pretty much the trifecta of birth endowments. I don't know much about her biography but apparently there was something in her family history that predisposed her towards drugs. Michelle was also born good-looking and bright. She was not born rich but as a counter-balance to that she had a very supportive family. She was also born black. If this gave her an edge before the admissions committee, the edge also cut against her in many other situations...I am not especially enamored of either of these two women. I think the rungs for Michelle were spaced wider and the climb for her was more difficult. It was an achievement for her to climb the ladder, and I do not begrudge her cashing in at the top. That said, it must be observed that although she climbed the ladder, she did not create the ladder. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a civilization to create a ladder....I came from a lumpenprole background and have reached a modest level of affluence. This was due a lot of hard work and a certain amount of luck. But with all due respect to my many admirable qualities, a great deal of my success is due to the simple fact that I live in the USA. In America hard work is not irrelevant to success and there are many investment bets that have favorable odds. This is not true of many places in the world. I do not think that Michelle gives due thanks to that fact.
Guess what you can eat for breakfast? A bowl of cereal with milk in it. And have you heard? You can put fruit on your cereal and also drink a glass of fruit juice.
LOL
1. Cindy McCain and drugs. As I understand it, she had a knee operation, was prescribed vicodin etc. became dependent. she also had a medical outreach charity that she donated large amounts to, and raised money. Faced with the addiction to drugs that she previously was prescribed, she diverted (stole) drugs belonging to the charity for her own use. She eventually got trqeatment and when somebody was threatening to reveal (whistleblow or blackmail depnding on the POV) she came clean.
2. ACORN. That community organizer gig that Obama had right out of college was ACORN. So yeah, ACORN voter fraud could be an issue. ACORN<->VOTER FRAUD<->CHICAGO POLITICS resonates on many levels.
3. Salary. I went out to Salary.com and queried Chicago Public Releations Director. Got a median salary of $133,338. Now a non-profit is typically lower. so she was paid the right salary at $121k before Barack got his Senate seat.
Mmmmmm.....Bacon...
Can somebody please explain why it takes 5+ different co-hosts to interview one (1) guest ?
"Can somebody please explain why it takes 5+ different co-hosts to interview one (1) guest ?"
Because it takes all five of them to equal one semi-functional brain and be able to squeeze out one coherent thought.
I just wonder how Mary Todd Lincoln would have come across on "The View"...and we would have missed out on our greatest President. ::sigh:: I don't know how I feel about candidates and their families appearing on talk shows and entertainment television. No matter how likeable they are -- whether it's Michelle, or Bill Clinton blowing a sax, or Huckabee on SNL -- it just seems like it adulterates politics -- haha -- just realized that's kind of an ironic statement. Maybe what I mean is that it detracts from the honor of the office and issues and confirms that it is indeed more of a popularity contest nowadays. It just seems way of garnering support from voters who are bored by/apathetic about the real issues. But I've got to agree with you, Althouse -- Michelle is quite impressive as a social presence!
and confirms that it is indeed more of a popularity contest nowadays.
Even worse, it increasingly resembles reality TV shows. Less Survivor or The Bachelor than Tila Tequila.
I am tired of these Obama lovers who go on and on about him at work. And if you don't support Obama in a discussion with a black person of course you are viewed as a racist.
Most black people loved the Clintons in the past, but now they make excuses to denigrate them in order to justify their support of Obama. What hypocrisy!
".....the temps working at the offsite location have to sign in and out to use the bathroom. An attorney at that space was driven to smearing his feces on the wall of the men's room there. "Lily" surmised that the substance was actually chocolate. The temps kept in the dungeon of the firm's main office have to use grimy hall passes to the bathroom. The ceiling of the men's room crashed down into a stall and was left in that state for a week. All of the toilets regurgitate waste in the same manner of the firm's work product-billing system. The floor beneath the bathrooms is rotting, and the stench invades the air. One time, they refilled the soap dispensers with flourscent pink gummy goop. People of the same and opposite gender were indeed followed to the bathroom by the ex-communicated on-site coordinator. At one point, the temps were told they would have to deduct bathroom breaks from their paychecks. No wonder people are driven to smearing feces on the walls . . . "
Just your basic, high-achieving, top-law school graduates, no doubt.
AJ Lynch said..."Anyone notice that Ann herself hardly ever makes comments anymore?"
I've made 10 comments in the last day. 11 now.
That community organizer gig that Obama had right out of college was ACORN.
It was not ACORN, it was the Developing Communities Project, run by a coalition of South Side churches. His closest connection to ACORN came a decade later, when he trained budding community organizers identified by them and other groups, in the mid-nineties.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/archive/barackobama/
I went to Salary.com and queried Chicago Public Releations Director.
Such figures no longer apply, because Michelle Obama is a Vice President, and no longer a director. So you must compare her pay to Vice Presidential compensation at comparable institutions. The U of C Medical Center would rank 73 among Chicago companies in terms of revenue. Look up how much Vice Presidents of comparable corporations make on Salary.com Compare total compensation, because non-profits do not pay bonuses or stock awards, of course.
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago-companies.htm
The surreal has just become normal.
Ann Althouse said...
"[AJ Lynch said 'Anyone notice that Ann herself hardly ever makes comments anymore?'] I've made 10 comments in the last day. 11 now."
Which is more than I have, I think, and I think I comment a lot. A premature burial of the Althouse comments persona, I think, AJ.
Professor Althouse doesn't need to make comments, seeing as how she's got Maxine as her doppleganger.
Yeah Ann & Simon but it ain't the old, nitty gritty slug it out Ann type of comments. These days for example it's more like what did you say about dark lipstick- I am not wearing dark lipstick.
God Bless her - Ann has become an Impresario of her Blogosphere. She organizes the three rings, calls in the clowns (that is us) and stands back to watch the circus.
There is nothing wrong with this - I am just saying.
I don't much care what the candidates wives are like since I am not voting for them--as to Ms. Obama's salary--FLS puts forward a spirted defense of her salary raise, but I remain unconvinced--were I the CEO I would raise the salary for any employee I had whose spouse was US senator--its a good business move! Its simply a suck up with a view for getting earmarks and legislative consideration down the line. Whats so hard about that concept?
So FLS--while I appreciate the virtuosity of your defense, it really fails the no shit test. If you believe her salary increase had NO RELATIONSHIP WHATSOVER with Senator Obama's election, you are gone to be really upset when you find out about the easter bunny.
"No need, Zachary. Since Obama already admitted he's abused cocaine, we're all set in that department.
Michelle's just sewing up the I-Hate-America part of standard leftist sentiment."
Heck of a lot of good that did so far. Ditto with Bill Cinton. Ditto with George W. Bush. And as if Obama's age at the time couldn't be mitigating. Facts, facts, blah blah blah.
After Obama wins I suspect a lot of rabidly hard-core conservatives are going to need some therapy. Their circular firing squads are turning further inward than ever before. Maybe then they'll finally come to a more accurate - and unexpectedly personal - understanding of what hate really is.
Iconoclast:
I'd become a call-girl before I'd tolerate those kinds of working conditions.
And, why not? I'm hot enough, and I'm sure I could make more money, more perks, and fringe benefits servicing the partners and clients, rather than working for them.
People need to stop writing about Michelle and start writing about the important stuff.
Like, when did First ladies in waiting have to visit second rate TV shows? Why would anyone care what those boring broad think? Hell, Althouse you should be on "the view" You're smarter & funnier than any of them.
And has any straight man watched "The View" for more than 5 minutes without the help of booze or drugs? I doubt it.
Yes, A.J. ---really, all Althouse is able to do is to stand back and watch the parade of freaks and their spectacle, as they pass through here.
As we've been told time and time again: Professor Althouse has no control over who walks through the doors. In a perfect world, of course, she'd love to cherry-pick the exact group of people who conform to her personal worldview, but she can't. So, she's reduced to simply observing the dregs of society, in all their glorious dysfunction and depravity....as they make their way into this comments section.....
"Yes, A.J. ---really, all Althouse is able to do is to stand back and watch the parade of freaks and their spectacle, as they pass through here."
Thanks for joining us.
AJ, it depends on the subject and what is intriguing me at the time. There have always been some posts where I go back and forth and others where I let it go on its own (except to correct something that especially bugs me).
I agree w/ AJ's last.
Forget about Althouse, where is Trooper?
Listen Maxine:
I said most of us here can be clowns not freaks!
Think of Althouse' blog as a virtual Volkswagen and we all pile in.
Michelle O is now sporting false eyelashes. I guess that's important.
Michelle's pay raise is going to be like Hil(l)ary's $100K cattle deal, only not as subtle.
I'm a little scared to comment in this superior company but just have to say, The View really has a very high cringe factor for me, which is why I don't watch it. The scary thing is this: how many people will be influenced by MO's appearance on this inconsequential TV show, talking about what BO eats for breakfast?
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