Althouse: "He gets to be President, and I have to sit around like a kindergarten teacher..."

April 22, 2010

"He gets to be President, and I have to sit around like a kindergarten teacher..."

I'm just trying to interpret the look on Michelle Obama's face here.

64 comments:

Unknown said...: ......yawn.....

everyone has pics taken of them that are not flattering.

why the red meat for your Michelle haters !?!?; 4/22/10, 10:36 PM
Unknown said...: far more interesting was jon stewart taking on revolution muslim on his program tonight, and taking on fox news yesterday.; 4/22/10, 10:38 PM
Jeremy said...: "The Queen" makes fun of our First Lady...

And you're a law professor?

Duh.; 4/22/10, 11:00 PM
Irene said...: She gets to be First Lady, and I have sit around like a dog, 'giving paw'."; 4/22/10, 11:13 PM
Unknown said...: The usual suspects want to close off any discussion.

I'm shocked, shocked!

I'll bet they had no problem making fun of the First Lady before 1/20/09.

As for Mrs. O, for the first time since I became aware of her existence, I actually feel sorry for her. She's probably thinking, "Another 'What's it like to live in the White House?'! Can't these white kids show some originality?".

She actually thought she was going to have some power, call a few shots, but she's shunted off to the sidelines the way Hillary was because the PR types are scared to death she'll say the sort of things she said on the campaign trail.; 4/22/10, 11:14 PM
Adam said...: "I'd rather be golfing."; 4/22/10, 11:22 PM
jimspice said...: You very well may be looking at the first woman to hold the office of POTUS.; 4/22/10, 11:26 PM
bagoh20 said...: Yea wow, look at the crazed wing nuts tearing at that red meat. They are so cruel in your projected reality.; 4/22/10, 11:31 PM
Unknown said...: oh please bagoh. there are plenty of Michelle haters who follow Althouse. maybe they're sleeping now, but i'm sure there will be plenty of off comments when more people see Ann's post.; 4/22/10, 11:51 PM
Dustin said...: Of course there are plenty of people who are disgusted by Michelle Obama, Danielle.

Is that supposed to prove something bad about them? Why?

She said she was never proud of our amazing nation that made her a hypersuccessful millionarre. She saw a transformation from democrats who hate blacks to democrats who were race hustling for blacks.

She saw millions of other reasons to be proud of this country. We saved peoples, explored space, made so many academic advancements and medical discoveries. Our agriculture techniques saved about a billion lives.

And she was never proud of the USA until the day her husband was nominated.

I think it's very hard not to have a problem with her. You probably actually want to believe there's something wrong with me.

Althouse is just making fun of a funny picture. So what? You didn't see her bash Palin a while back?; 4/23/10, 12:05 AM
Dustin said...: And of course, it's via Michelle that Barack met all the psychos in his life.

Tim Mcveigh of the left (I guess Tim Mcveigh, being in love with a massive fascist government ideal, wasn't really of the right, though) Bill Ayers, Dorhn, Rev Wright.

He didn't just bump into them at Starbucks... Michelle Obama was friends with a lot of radical nutjobs. In Chicago, that means she was very helpful to a prospective politician, since being a nutjob is such a great thing for democrats in Chicago.; 4/23/10, 12:08 AM
Fen said...: daniellle: oh please bagoh. there are plenty of Michelle haters who follow Althouse

Haters? Oh please.

Name them. Or STFU.; 4/23/10, 1:18 AM
jamboree said...: I took Ann's comment as a bit of a backhanded compliment...as in Michelle actually has better things to do and is being muzzled and treated like every other First Lady when we all thought she'd have more of a voice.

Therefore, she's annoyed.; 4/23/10, 1:26 AM
Janis Gore said...: She looks dead tired.

Laura Bush was accused of being plastic, but she was an experienced first lady in Texas, and like an actress, knew how to keep a face.; 4/23/10, 1:49 AM
Dustin said...: Michelle Obama doesn't like Disney Land or hugs.

She smells like gritty toes.

She's got all the loving tenderness of a State Department SUV.; 4/23/10, 2:25 AM
Janis Gore said...: Charmed, I'm sure.; 4/23/10, 2:27 AM
Dustin said...: Laura Bush was never proud of her country. Not for a single damn day. Not until her husband won the GOP nomination for President!

That's really hard to even imagine.

And just imagine if Laura Bush had been a bribe conduit via a fake job the way Michelle was. I'm sure there would have been so much noise about that. Or if she was close pals with some failed terrorist nutjob... maybe the left would have mocked her.

we can't even laugh when Michelle takes a silly looking photo without giving danny a heart attack.; 4/23/10, 5:27 AM
AllenS said...: Michelle used to work in a hospital. I'm not sure what she did, but she must have been a very important person to make $300,000 a year. She probably misses the old days when she was somebody. Now? Feh.; 4/23/10, 5:42 AM
Scott said...: This is classic Althouse. Throw something up there to see how the blog comment groundlings project themselves into the image or topic.

I think the way the blogmistress amuses herself is somewhat unhealthy.; 4/23/10, 6:18 AM
Mark said...: I'm wondering why, in a presumably friendly paper, they chose this unflattering shot. I can't believe they didn't take more than one picture, and have a better one in hand. An expression of animosity perhaps?; 4/23/10, 6:25 AM
KCFleming said...: "An expression of animosity perhaps?"

Or maybe the rest were even worse.

And 'Michelle haters'?
Hmmph.

I'm more jealous, myself. I'd like me one of them there $317K/yr jobs as 'vice president for community and external affairs' for a hospital in Chicago. Nice! Sounds like fun. And good coin, too.

Instead of seeing messy patients every 15 minutes for hours on end, and listening to their complaints of pain and gross and yucky stuff for less than half that dough, she helped create the program at The University of Chicago Medical Center to "redirect" low-income patients to community hospitals "while reserving its own beds for well-heeled patients requiring highly profitable procedures".

Is dumping Medicaid patients part of the new health care bill?
I dunno, but whatta job!
I'm no Michelle hater, I'm a Michelle jealouser.

Nice work if you can get it.
Me: *jealous!*; 4/23/10, 6:47 AM
KCFleming said...: An even better job would be working for the SEC.
*wink wink*; 4/23/10, 6:49 AM
Anonymous said...: She looks Chicago normal; like one really angry, African-American woman taking names and kicking ass.

Now just imagine your kids being subjected to such a specimen - the little tykes coming home throwing up uncontrollably.

But you can be sure she's happily married to the one man primed and devoted to bringing down the country. A mutual reparation society - a get-even duo bent on destruction; moral, fiscal, and political.; 4/23/10, 6:51 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm wondering why, in a presumably friendly paper, they chose this unflattering shot.

Two possibilities:

1) That's the best shot they had (likely).

2) Out of guilt, they're trying to convey what rubes the voters are (equally likely).; 4/23/10, 7:02 AM
AllenS said...: Scott,

If you think that topics on this blog are unhealthy, don't read the blog. It's that simple.; 4/23/10, 7:06 AM
KCFleming said...: Every blog needs a concern troll.; 4/23/10, 7:10 AM
Gwen said...: What's wrong with being a kindergarten teacher?; 4/23/10, 7:16 AM
kjbe said...: Thanks, Gwen.

Anyway, I love those shoes.; 4/23/10, 7:23 AM
Anonymous said...: Michelle used to work in a hospital. I'm not sure what she did, but she must have been a very important person to make $300,000 a year. She probably misses the old days when she was somebody. Now? Feh.

Yeah, but that was a no-show job. She didn't have to do anything for the $300K.

Ostensibly, she was the diversity apparatchik. What else?

The job was created for her after Obama became Senator, for the purpose of trading off his clout.

The job was so important that the hospital didn't bother to replace her after Obama was elected.

Now, Michelle is not only expected to show up for work, but she's not even getting paid.

In short, Michelle got paid $300K for being black and being married to a Senator.

She's and Barack are eating off the quota system, and they are enforcing the quota system, too.

Years ago, before liberals re-constituted this as a virtue, this was known as... corruption and self-dealing.; 4/23/10, 7:25 AM
KCFleming said...: "She didn't have to do anything for the $300K."

Tut tut.
$317,0000 a year, if you please.
'Didn't do anything'???

Why, as I noted above, she made it possible for the University of Chicago Medical Center to dump Medicaid patients, "primarily poor, black people" on its neighboring institutions so it can see paying patients.

Bonus info:
'David Axelrod, co-owns the firm, ASK Public Strategies, that was hired by the hospital last year to sell the program -- called the Urban Health Initiative -- to the community as a better alternative for poor patients."

*jealous!*; 4/23/10, 7:35 AM
Der Hahn said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/10, 7:48 AM
Anonymous said...: Obama shared that her girls wake up at 6 a.m. ("they could get up later if they moved faster")

And she once again says unflattering things about her own children to the public. Nice mom.; 4/23/10, 7:50 AM
Der Hahn said...: I see Mark sorta beat me to it, but it ain't like this photo was posted on Drudge or RedState. This is the photo that noted right-wing journal the Washington Post picked to illustrate their story.

Yes, everybody has had unflattering photos taken of them.

Very few people have those photos posted on the websites of national media or the White House Flickr page.; 4/23/10, 7:51 AM
AllenS said...: Concering the photo of Michelle. Maybe that photo in the Washington Post was the best one that they had that day.; 4/23/10, 7:53 AM
AllenS said...: Concerning the photo of Michelle. Maybe that photo in the Washington Post was the best one that they had of her that day.; 4/23/10, 7:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Is it so unflattering? I just think that the First Lady looks weary. And it isn't as if she's always relegated to events like these; she was in Mexico several days ago representing our country (and telling Americans that it was safe to visit, as six people were gunned down in Acapulco).

Come on. I've seen a few websites that like to post goofy candid shots of Sarah Palin.; 4/23/10, 7:55 AM
AllenS said...: Concerning my photo. I look the same way each and every day.; 4/23/10, 7:56 AM
Scott said...: What I said went right over your head, didn't it. Read it again.; 4/23/10, 7:57 AM
KCFleming said...: Probably so, Scott!; 4/23/10, 7:59 AM
AllenS said...: Well, Scott, please explain to me this: I think the way the blogmistress amuses herself is somewhat unhealthy.; 4/23/10, 8:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Ah, the crushing burden of privilege.; 4/23/10, 8:29 AM
roesch-voltaire said...: Interesting to read the projections here: "She looks Chicago normal," which is of course an angry black woman, never white? And she says unflattering things about her children because she admits their slow in the morning like most every other kid, including my two--really I think it shows a bit of understanding. She looks tired and the Post wanted to match the photo with the head, and Ann wanted to match the photo with a backhanded comment on gender roles.; 4/23/10, 8:48 AM
KCFleming said...: That's not what 'projection' means.; 4/23/10, 8:54 AM
KCFleming said...: Perhaps by 'Interesting to read the projections here: ', you meant to say: 'I disagree with the following:'

There's really no need for the faux-psychology term.; 4/23/10, 9:09 AM
former law student said...: That's a mom look: brow slightly furrowed and eyes flicked upwards. "You know, if you did your homework right when you came home from school, you'd be able to watch all the good shows later."; 4/23/10, 9:27 AM
former law student said...: I had hoped that pogo would have defended our idiot system of using emergency rooms to provide primary health care to the uninsured. Mrs. Obama's employer wanted to send sick people to nearby clinics instead of to their Level 1 Trauma Center. What's wrong with that?; 4/23/10, 9:38 AM
KCFleming said...: "Mrs. Obama's employer wanted to send sick people to nearby clinics instead of to their Level 1 Trauma Center. What's wrong with that"
Only that when anyone else does it, it's a violation of EMTALA rules.

But rules are for little people.

Were these poor black people in fact "using emergency rooms to provide primary health care to the uninsured", as you argue?

WaPo said only that the uninsured poor had "what the executives considered to be non-urgent complaints". Where's the proof this was so?

And wasn't it a violation of U. Chicago's large, nonprofit hospital's tax-exempt status to shrug off care of the poor?

indeed, "the hospital told state regulators it spent $10 million on charity care for the poor in fiscal 2007 -- 1.3 percent of its total hospital expenses ...below the 2.1 percent average for nonprofit hospitals in Cook County".

"Edward Novak, president of Chicago's Sacred Heart Hospital, declined to discuss the center's initiative in particular but dismissed as "bull" attempts to justify such programs as good for patients. "What they're really saying is, 'Don't use our emergency room because it will cost us money, and we don't want the public-aid population,' Novak said."; 4/23/10, 9:55 AM
KCFleming said...: I do agree it's an idiot system.

The new health care bill just made it even more idiotic.

Heckuva job, Barry!; 4/23/10, 9:56 AM
roesch-voltaire said...: Pogo, no I think projection read as "Whenever a person is convinced that the awful qualities seen in another person have nothing to do with him or herself, a projection is mostly likely being engaged" works to some extend.We all criticize our children, but do not like to own it, and a great deal of anger gets expressed on this blog and so we find it in others. But perhaps you are right I should use a different word, Still I do not disagree with the descriptions of Michelle, but see her more as "sign" that gets linked to various mental constructs of what Michelle means to each viewer, which I find more informative about the viewer than the photo itself.; 4/23/10, 10:04 AM
Joe said...: Give the woman a break; if someone followed you around with a camera, they'd get plenty of pictures with strange expressions.

My caption for the picture is "Thank God I stopped at two."; 4/23/10, 10:17 AM
G Joubert said...: everyone has pics taken of them that are not flattering.

Michelle seems to have it happen a lot.; 4/23/10, 10:20 AM
David said...: It's not so much the face as the body language. Slumped, tired. Take enough face shots and you will get a lot of funny outcomes.

Maybe she was tired. It happens.

I'll tell you though. No Kindergarden teacher is going to be wearing those clothes. They are about four months salary.; 4/23/10, 10:20 AM
David said...: I have a different take on Michelle's turn as First Lady. She has impressed me as being willing to put herself in the background, in that secondary role. She plants no stories about what a key adviser she is to Barack. Despite an occasional glitch she has generated little distracting controversy, even though we know she can bite pretty hard and stumble conspicuously.

She is gracious and attractive. The kids have not had any blowups. Plus I love the pictures when she towers over the foreign visitors in all her magnificent blackness.

For me, a solid A as First Lady.

Now about that husband of hers . . . . . .; 4/23/10, 10:29 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Obama shared that her girls wake up at 6 a.m. ("they could get up later if they moved faster")

They would probably move faster if you let them sleep longer. That's how it works for me. Plus a couple of strong cups of coffee, but I imagine that Michelle probably doesn't want to go there with the kiddies and caffine.

Funny picture. "Sigh, I have to do this crap with these annoying chidren....AGAIN?"

Nice shoes and pants, I just once wish she would wear a sweater that wasn't 3 sizes too small.

@danielle. It isn't hating to point out that M.O. dresses like crap most of the time. That is factual.; 4/23/10, 10:35 AM
Scott M said...: People on both sides need to take a long, sober look at the word "hate". It's being used so much now, and it so many varied contexts, that it's loosing it's impact to describe. This is certainly obvious in this thread.

While her "proud of our country for the first time" comment didn't engender any overflowing feelings of empathy from me to the First Lady, it would be an extreme exaggeration if not an outright falsehood to claim hate.

Use your mind as a filter for your typing.

For the picture at hand, everyone everywhere has unflattering pictures taken of them. This is no different. If you were to show me video, though, and she held that gaze along with bored and dismissive body language, I would be inclined to believe she definitely didn't want to be there. Absent that, it's just a bad picture.; 4/23/10, 10:45 AM
former law student said...: Only that when anyone else does it, it's a violation of EMTALA rules.

The statute merely says that hospitals must treat patients with emergency medical conditions. Where does it say that everyone who wanders into the ER with a hangnail must be treated there?

the uninsured poor had "what the executives considered to be non-urgent complaints". Where's the proof this was so?

Fine, audit them.

And wasn't it a violation of U. Chicago's large, nonprofit hospital's tax-exempt status to shrug off care of the poor?

indeed, "the hospital told state regulators it spent $10 million on charity care for the poor in fiscal 2007 -- 1.3 percent of its total hospital expenses ...below the 2.1 percent average for nonprofit hospitals in Cook County".

Apples and oranges. University of Chicago Medical Center's expenses include what they spend on teaching, training, and research. Even so, it has the second-busiest ER in Chicago. If you came in with a gunshot wound, wouldn't you rather not wait behind someone with the flu? Similarly, if you had the flu, wouldn't you rather not wait till after all the gunshot wounds and heart attack patients were treated?

"Edward Novak, president of Chicago's Sacred Heart Hospital, declined to discuss the center's initiative in particular but dismissed as "bull" attempts to justify such programs as good for patients.

I had to look up Sacred Heart Hospital as I had never heard of it. In fact, the vast majority of hits on the Chicago Tribune site were for "Scrubs." Chicago's Sacred Heart is a 119 bed community hospital that does no significant teaching or research. And while it does have an ER, it encourages patients to use its "Golden L.I.G.H.T" clinic.; 4/23/10, 11:06 AM
former law student said...: Another significant fact: The minimum cost to treat a patient in the U of C ER is $1200. Pogo can verify, but I believe an office visit would cost 1/10th that amount.; 4/23/10, 11:08 AM
Trooper York said...: "Michelle used to work in a hospital. I'm not sure what she did,"

Did you ever see the episode of the Soprano's where the guys are sitting in the sun on lawn chairs at the construction site getting a check for a "no work" job. It's like that.

Just ask another good fella Senator Pedro Espada!

It's the way big city politics work.

Sharpen up.; 4/23/10, 11:38 AM
veni vidi vici said...: That's one of those photos-taken-while-face-is-in-transition-between-expressions types of things. They probably have one or two on that reel with the same expression and her eyes closed, which would be interpreted out of context as steaming irritated rage, but c'mon already!

I'm trying to figure out how much those coiffed sweatpants cost, and why a first lady would wear them to a public function.; 4/23/10, 11:47 AM
former law student said...: Here's all I could find about Sacred Heart Hospital:

An investor group, led by Sacred Heart's CEO Edward Novak, bought the former Franklin Boulevard Community Hospital in 1988. It serves a poor and elderly population, and receives more than half its revenue from government.

To me it's a little odd that a profit-making hospital adopted a name so closely connected with Christianity and the Catholic Church in particular. It would be like McDonald's changing its name to St. Anthony's. But I digress.

Sacred Heart employees, like those at U of C Medical Center and Rush Medical Center are members of Teamsters Local 743.; 4/23/10, 11:59 AM
AllenS said...: I've never watched one episode of The Sopranos. Or Idol, or Dancing With The Stars, or....; 4/23/10, 12:16 PM
mariner said...: Thank God Michelle doesn't get to do any more.; 4/23/10, 1:22 PM
Unknown said...: you're just another hater redirecting your prejudice i'am surprised you didn't say she looks monkey like since thats your speed. you're nothing great to look at either, i wonder what that look on your face says? i don't look to misintrepret you who are you to misintrepret 1 little photo. take your hate and direct it to the people responsible for screwing up this country and not the guy working like hell to try and straighten it out. its easy to critize i don't see you adding anything substantial to any worthwhile discussions but your joe mccarthy opinions.; 5/9/10, 7:29 AM
Anonymous said...: Cool blog you got here and thank you for the valuable information. This is truly a great read for me and definitely be back to read some more.

www.n8fan.net; 1/16/14, 1:58 AM