१६ जून, २०१४

"Malia Obama has been working as a production assistant on the Los Angeles set of Halle Berry‘s TV series 'Extant'..."

"... the upcoming CBS sci-fi produced by top Obama bundler Steven Spielberg."

Is this wrong somehow? She's not skipping school. It's summer vacation, and she's working, working with the stars. Maybe someone else's teenager would like the slot that went to the President's daughter, but she's reportedly "an aspiring filmmaker."

Is this a campaign finance issue? Daughters of politicians getting glamorous summer jobs from campaign contributors? Any potential for corruption there?

ADDED: Bad timing for this story, so soon after "Chelsea Clinton paid $600K by NBC." Last paragraph at that link:
Yet Clinton’s appointment did not mark the first time NBC Universal had hired children of high-ranking politicians. In 2009, it hired George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna Bush Hager to serve as a correspondent on the “Today” show. In 2011, it hired Sen. John McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain as a contributor on MSNBC.
Why are all these stories about daughters? Is it because we keep choosing — for our high-ranking politicians — men with daughters? Is it because big media more easily accommodates females? Or do females find it easier to hop onto a career path built with political favors?

AND: Whatever they're giving Malia, it seems they're getting their money's worth in PR. I'd never heard of the TV show "Extant." And Halle Berry shifting into television is an indication of her waning star power. But... suddenly, Malia!! "Extant" and Halle Berry's career are... extant.

In case you hadn't noticed, Halle Berry's career is so well known to be in bad shape that people talk about "The Halle Berry Effect." What could be more helpful than juxtaposing her radiant face with the radiant daughter of the most radiant face in all of history?

१०६ टिप्पण्या:

Jason म्हणाले...

Nah. Pass.

W.B. Picklesworth म्हणाले...

Barack Obama rolling out of bed in the morning is an opportunity for corruption. His first breath is the guarantee.

The Drill SGT म्हणाले...

Chelsea is paid $26,000 a minute when you divide her $600k annual salary by her air time (poor as it is).

I hope Malia is getting at least that.

Michael म्हणाले...

No potential for corruption at all. NBC, as an example, recognized the talent of the Clinton daughter, Chelsea, and attracted her to their network for a mere $650,000. I am sure that the Hollywood people are extending a helping hand because they have seen similar emergent talent.

Brando म्हणाले...

The biggest thing wrong with campaign finance reform is the idea that it could work. Of course someone like Malia Obama is going to get special treatment and of course no law will ever prevent that. Whether disclosures should be required is another matter, but the idea that we can separate the powerful from one another is naive.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Wisconsin's blacks are in the shape they're in, and this is your concern?

That's how Wisconsin's got it's reputation,….

Jane the Actuary म्हणाले...

Is Malia doing anything wrong? Not really - she's just taking an opportunity. And isn't this the way Hollywood works -- it's all about being connected?

But it certainly confirms the impression that many have that the Obamas are far more interested in hobnobbing with celebrities than governing.

Abdul Abulbul Amir म्हणाले...


Not to be confused with the administration hiring family members of network journalists.

Martha म्हणाले...

No corruption unless Malia is getting paid $600,000/year for her inimitable contribution.

mccullough म्हणाले...

I hope she's getting paid. I can't imagine how bad it would suck to grow up with your Dad as the president. Must be suffocating.

Kelly म्हणाले...

She's working, I think that is a great thing for a teen even if it's somewhat glamorous.

Birkel म्हणाले...

Crack meant to say:
"If everything about which I care is not 'solved' in a manner I approve, then nothing about which you care is or can be important. Ever."

Me to Crack:
Nobody will play your game. Run along.

----

Althouse:
Has there ever been a system of government in which the children of the privileged did not gain such advantages? The answer is no.

This is yet another argument for diffused power. If power is diffused the people who would buy that power will be less likely to do so. Every cartel needs an enforcement mechanism and government is the ultimate enforcer (what with their monopoly on legitimate force) and the easiest to pay off.

What Capone did for businesses in Chicago -- making them more profitable -- is exactly what Obama is doing for businesses. And the businesses have to pay the piper in one way or another.

Rockport Conservative म्हणाले...


Luke Russert comes to my mind. Of course, his father was not a political figure, but he was sure in a lot of politics.

David म्हणाले...

The Crack Emcee said...
Wisconsin's blacks are in the shape they're in, and this is your concern?


Halle Berry says it's ok.

Michael K म्हणाले...

The male children of politicians are probably doing something important. Jim Webb's son was a Marine officer. Romney's five sons all spent two years on missions learning to be successful executives .

Hagar म्हणाले...

I think this is a bit over-wrought.

The question is: How old is Malia? Should Michelle allow her to do this?

Larry J म्हणाले...

Is this a campaign finance issue? Daughters of politicians getting glamorous summer jobs from campaign contributors? Any potential for corruption there?

No, it's a bribery issue. It's the same as when a corporation or charity hires the wife of a powerful member of Congress for an inflated salary to perform a do-nothing job. It's a way to funnel money legally to a politician ("We're not bribing that Senator, we're hiring his wife!"). It happens all the time on both sides of the aisle. DC corruption business as usual.

Jane the Actuary म्हणाले...

I take back my earlier comment. If Malia is getting paid for something that would otherwise be done by a recent graduate as an "internship" then this is shady. And who is she staying with?

sakredkow म्हणाले...

"Is this a campaign finance issue? Daughters of politicians getting glamorous summer jobs from campaign contributors? Any potential for corruption there?"

That's pretty funny in my view. Like campaign funding isn't completely corrupt. And this is supposed to be a threat to that pig sty?

kjbe म्हणाले...

It's about being connected - always has, always will be. Not much new here.

Charlie म्हणाले...

Can you imagine the enhanced security that's going to be inflicted on that show's set. It'll be a pain for everyone else who works there.

CWJ म्हणाले...

I alluded to this in the last Abramson thread. The elite scratch each other's backs. Its a constant since homo sap sap invented human society. You may as well wish the rain didn't fall.

So as long as they leave room enough for the rest of us to make a living, Malia getting a leg up is to be expected.

Drago म्हणाले...

Two words: Ronan Farrow.

'nuff said about this.

David म्हणाले...

Good for Malia. The girls pay a price for living in the White House. A "normal" life is impossible. They also get considerable benefits from their status. This is one of them. Dad is successful. She gets some intros. Nothing wrong with that.

A grown woman getting $600k for mediocre part time work? That's not quite a bribe, but it's close enough that we can see the motivation.

Real American म्हणाले...

Malia getting her first real taste of cronyism and nepotism. Her parents must be so proud of her lack of a real accomplishment.

machine म्हणाले...

must...criticize...everything...about...him.

Brando म्हणाले...

"But it certainly confirms the impression that many have that the Obamas are far more interested in hobnobbing with celebrities than governing."

Let's be fair here--is Malia Obama supposed to be governing anything? Because if she is then our problems are more serious than I thought.

Though I'd rather have the Obama children--or even the Obama pets--making decisions running the country instead of Harry Reid and Nan Pelosi. A cat with a dartboard would do a better job.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Leave Presidential kids alone, even if they're parents were to parade them around on some policy issue.

A good rule a lot of people can agree on.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Will The Halle Berry Effect contaminate the last years of the Obama Presidency?

Malia will be 16 on July 4th. Kind of young (IMO) to be away from home for a summer job in LA.

The Drill SGT म्हणाले...

Michael K said...
The male children of politicians are probably doing something important. Jim Webb's son was a Marine officer.


Jim Webb's son is/was a Marine SGT.

John McCain has two sons as well as the nepotistic egotistical daughter.

Son 1 is a USNA grad and Naval Officer
Son 2 is/was a Marine SGT



Wince म्हणाले...

"Make me feel good."

अनामित म्हणाले...

Mr Emcee,

What reputation are you referring to? I know cheese, beer, and deranged socialists. Google searches don't provide much more than that.

Larry J म्हणाले...

MadisonMan said...

Malia will be 16 on July 4th. Kind of young (IMO) to be away from home for a summer job in LA.


For most 16 year olds, yes. However, most 16 year olds don't have Secret Service protection plus a father who has "joked" about using drones to attack any boy who gets too close, as well as to use tax audits against anyone who crosses him.

Renee म्हणाले...

As long as the pay is comparable to the work. For Chelsea Clinton it was the amount of compensation.

Renee म्हणाले...

You get to live in the White House and be in DC, but you rather be in Hollywood?

If I was the President's child, I would want to have a summer job at the Smithsonian!

Renee म्हणाले...

You get to live in the White House and be in DC, but you rather be in Hollywood?

If I was the President's child, I would want to have a summer job at the Smithsonian!

Michael K म्हणाले...

"must...criticize...everything...about…him."

Well, it would be nice if he had any accomplishments to praise.

Sgt Ted, thanks.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Sorry Drill SGT.

I had one of those one time.

William म्हणाले...

Bush was famously criticized for being born on third base and thinking he had hit a triple. Nepotism like so many other human qualities is only a vice when practiced by Republicans.......This is the way the world works. I think both Dems and Republicans are equally likely to look out for their kids, but Dems are definitely more hypocritical about using wealth and power to advance their family interests.

donald म्हणाले...

Brando,

Apparently you did not see the final episode of the American version of Life On Mars.

My god, it's all coming true!

I'm Full of Soup म्हणाले...

Summer in LA and a chance to ogle Halle Berry daily.

I bet the secret service agents were fighting over which of them got this assignment.

I'm Full of Soup म्हणाले...

My first job at 16 was in a hot factory where I was paid $1.40 per hour and I loved it! Paid for my beer on weekends and trips to the shore.

donald म्हणाले...

Sergeants!

I had assumed they were both officers.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

Daughters of politicians getting glamorous summer jobs from campaign contributors?

Maybe in some other case. Production assistant is not a glamorous job. It is an entry level job with low (sometimes no) pay.

It sounds like she's starting out like anyone else would. Kudos to her.

William म्हणाले...

I think Chelsea Clinton is being criticized unfairly. I saw her three part series on the Today show about recognizing the early signs of dementia in your aged parents and how to choose the appropriate nursing home for their needs. It was professionally done and her stage presence had something of her mother's gravitas.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

You get to live in the White House and be in DC, but you rather be in Hollywood?

I think I'd rather live almost anywhere than DC.

Heather म्हणाले...

I'd much rather her work, and PA's do work, rather than spend our tax money on a luxurious vacation.

Revenant म्हणाले...

And Halle Berry shifting into television is an indication of her waning star power.

Berry never had "star power" in the first place.

But I wouldn't make the assumption that television is a step down for her. If you're an actor, television is where the money, the audiences, and the good scripts are.

Revenant म्हणाले...

And Halle Berry shifting into television is an indication of her waning star power.

Berry never had "star power" in the first place.

But I wouldn't make the assumption that television is a step down for her. If you're an actor, television is where the money, the audiences, and the good scripts are.

ALP म्हणाले...

And Halle Berry shifting into television is an indication of her waning star power.
********
No, TV is where its at these days. More and more big screen actors taking on TV roles.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-ca-tv-fall-preview-critics-notebook-20130915-story.html

Don't try and argue with a TV freak - you don't have enough time to be one.


अनामित म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

To those of us that remember Michelle's $300K patronage job at Chicago Hospitals, this is not a shocker.

More of the same from the worst administration ever.

Deirdre Mundy म्हणाले...

How much is her unpaid Hollywood internship costing the US taxpayer in terms of travel, Secret Service, etc? Who is supervising her after work? Why should Americans who can't afford to let their teens work unpaid internships (These are really the province of the wealthy--people who don't NEED to save up for transportation/school/clothes) be subsidizing Malia's unpaid internship?

It's just another example of how we've all become serfs serving our masters in DC.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

You really ought to be absolutely certain you're going to be able to send your daughter to the very best schools before you name her something so close to malaria.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Althouse got a mention and quote on Rush at 14:15 eastern.

MayBee म्हणाले...

I think it sounds great, as long as none of Halle's cray-cray rubs off on her.

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

Tags: radiant, ridicule

Jason म्हणाले...

and her stage presence had something of her mother's gravitas.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one!

अनामित म्हणाले...

Glamorous is in the eye of the beholder; I got a summer construction job at 17, worked hard outdoors in the Houston heat and sun all day, and sweated like a mule. I also got a tan that couldn't be beat, working man muscles, and a great (for a 17 year old) paycheck. That added up to being able to pull beyond my wildest dreams, and buy beer without getting carded. I felt like a rock star.

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

I'll be sure to relay this story to my friend at work, whose son after doing 4 years in the air force , then putting himself through 4 years of film school is in living in LA desperately trying to eek out a living in the entertainment industry.

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

I'm trying to imagine her fetching coffee and donuts for the cast and crew. That's what interns do, right?

John henry म्हणाले...

I hope it is not a no-show job. If it is, that will teach her something.

On the other hand, if it is a real job where she goes in every day and actually does stuff good on her. Even if the stuff is as mundane as being a coffee gopher. Real world work experience is always a good thing.

As for the connection, I won't get that worked up about it. Isn't that a parent's job to help their children? I got my son a job, as a production line operator, one summer when he was in college. It was a great experience for him.

I took my daughter around with me on sales calls in the summer so she could meet engineers and see how manufacturing plants, of different types work.

I imagine that each of us here would call in favors to help their kids.

John Henry

Levi Starks म्हणाले...

And another thing, there was no "slot" that could have been taken by some other teenager. That's preposterous. The last thing a film crew wants is a teenager who's not part of the cast wandering around getting in the way, especially not the presidents daughter who they have to pretend to like having around.
I'm not sure exactly why this has touched a nerve with me, Maybe it's because I know so many struggling 20 something's trying to make their way in an increasingly difficult world. A world that isn't being made any easier by multitude of new rules and regulations that are supposed to make their lives easier, but in the end just make them a slave to the system.
I'm sick of it.

Mark O म्हणाले...

Do you know why it is illegal to bribe a government official? Because it works.

Charlie Martin म्हणाले...

Any potential for corruption there?

I'm sure there's not a smidgen of corruption here.

jeff म्हणाले...

"That's how Wisconsin's got it's reputation,…." Wisconsin got a reputation as a cheese state with a football team up by the lake from Althouse posting something on her high content blog that you feel is unimportant? Seems unlikely.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Welcome to the oligarchy.

JAL म्हणाले...

Malia is 15 years old.

She will be 16 July 4, 2014.

Explain this to me.

Where is she living? Who is with her? How many Secret Service agents?

Does she have a work permit?

http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DLSE-CL.htm

http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ChildLaborLawPamphlet.pdf

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

Being a PA is a lot of work. Somebody wants coffee. Somebody wants water. Nobody picked up their trash over here. Oops, we need a clear pitcher for a scene, go buy one down the street. Block off that hallway. Clean up this mess. Pick up the donuts. Run these papers to so and so. Find this guy. Ask her about this. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I'll be sure to relay this story to my friend at work, whose son after doing 4 years in the air force , then putting himself through 4 years of film school is in living in LA desperately trying to eek out a living in the entertainment industry.

He is almost certainly not angling for a job as a PA.

Milwaukee म्हणाले...

The Crack Emcee said...
Wisconsin's blacks are in the shape they're in, and this is your concern?

That's how Wisconsin's got it's reputation,….


What does this have to do with anything other than your sense of victimhood?

Malia will be able to cash in on some Affirmative Action benefits, seeing as she is 3/4 Black.

Are any of the Blacks in Wisconsin responsible for any of their own poor choices, such as the high rate of illegitimate births, the abortion rate higher than Whites or Hispanics, or the rate at which their young men are incarcerated? Who is getting all those women pregnant?

Rob Crawford म्हणाले...

"I'm trying to imagine her fetching coffee and donuts for the cast and crew. That's what interns do, right?"

I'm pretty sure that's craft services and, in Hollywood, unionized.

jr565 म्हणाले...

I would love to be the daughter of a president and get a cushy job that pays ten times the average salary purely because I'm the daughter of the president

n.n म्हणाले...

When a position has low skill and knowledge requirements, it is difficult to distinguish between cronyism and merit.

Don M म्हणाले...

By contrast, Teddy Roosevelt's son Quentin got to die in WWI and his son Teddy Jr got to die of a heart attack in WWII after being the only general officer to land by sea at Normandy with the first wave. Archibald and Kermit also served in WWI and WWII.

FDRs son got a chance to join the Marines. Admiral McCain's son got a chance to get shot down in Vietnam. Senator Preston Bush's son got a chance to get shot down as a naval aviator in the Pacific. Representative GHW Bush's son got to be an F-102 interceptor pilot. Albert Sidney Gore (Sr.)'s son got to go to Vietnam as a journalist.

That is the kind of help that sons get.

Jason म्हणाले...

Pulling a shift as a cashier at the local Burger King wouldn't be a terrible thing for her, but you can't have Secret Service hanging around all the time at Burger King, and if she's somewhere all day long for weeks at a time that doesn't have some kind of organic security on site she becomes a target.

TV and movie studio sound stages are already secure, so security hassles are minimal. If she works in an office, that has some security too, no doubt - or it was installed before she showed up.

I think if the young lady wants to be a filmmaker, and it's a good match, then good for her. Best wishes.

Much better plan than the two girls going to Mexico, unaccompanied, like they did last year. That was stupid on stilts.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Well we are now in the third generation of era after the civil rights movement.

First generation: denying that blacks were anything but second-class citizens.

Second generation: allowing that blacks were second-class citizens in theory but resenting blacks who achieve middle and upper class status in practice

Third generation: grudgingly accepting blacks who achieve middle and upper class status in practice (yes grotesquely exaggerating the percentage of blacks who benefit from affirmative action is "grudgingly") but furious that the children of successful blacks receive the same privileges that the children of successful whites always have.

This nonsense over Malia Obama is just the latest manifestation. More recently you had vicious outrage over Jaden - son of Will - Smith getting movie roles. This despite the fact that children of celebrities have been getting roles, recording contracts, plum jobs in major production companies and large studios etc. for 100 years, and frequently rich people who don't even work in Hollywood use their influence to get their kids roles. It happens so often that the media that covers Hollywood doesn't even bother to point out the nepotism anymore. Now of course if your issue is with Hollywood's being liberal on one hand and hypocritical towards equal opportunity and giving legs up to the poor on another, fine, but don't use Malia Obama and Jaden Smith as your opportunity to freak out while ignoring that Rooney Mara, Sofia Coppola, Drew Barrymore etc. have been getting these opportunities all along with no one complaining.

Now on one hand, it is human nature, and stuff like this will pass, just as black factory workers getting promoted to manager no longer provokes violent riots as it did in Detroit in 1943 (you know, the Detroit riots that conservatives never talk about, preferring to focus on the ones in 1967 for some reason) and you no longer have hospital emergency room patients refusing to be treated by black doctors and nurses, which happened from time to time until the 1990s. But on the other hand, I do wish that the people who get worked up over stuff like this would have the intellectual honesty to admit the double standard. For goodness sakes, the same folks who gave us the son and grandson of Senator Prescott Bush to run for president in 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004 and the son of George Romney to run for president in 2012 and would strongly consider supporting Jeb Bush for president in 2016 need to really re-think their lives over their rage and fury over whether Malia Obama is taking the precious opportunity from some more deserving (white) kid.

Indigo Red म्हणाले...

Meanwhile, Mummy and Daddy are house hunting in nearby Palm Springs.

Michael K म्हणाले...

" I saw her three part series on the Today show about recognizing the early signs of dementia in your aged parents and how to choose the appropriate nursing home for their needs. It was professionally done and her stage presence had something of her mother's gravitas."

Do you think she has any personal experience to draw on ?

H म्हणाले...

If you are rich and powerful (like the Obamas or Clintons) and if you sincerely care about inequality of income or wealth, then you must avoid using your wealth or position to give your children a leg up. Otherwise you are exposing your professions of concern about inequality as drivel intended to mislead the stupid.

fivewheels म्हणाले...

"Being a PA is a lot of work."

It sure is ... if you're not the daughter of the POTUS. Do you think an assistant director on set is going to bark at her equally? "Hey, get an apple box under that! Pronto! Move your ass, kid!"

fivewheels म्हणाले...

As for the white nepotism screed: It reminds me of feminists who are so ensconced in their outrage cocoon that they are oblivious to any adversity or obstacles that men encounter.

Google "Rooney Mara nepotism" and you get 285,000 hits. Everyone talks about it. You only think they don't because it doesn't offend you to the core when you hear it.

Deirdre Mundy म्हणाले...

Random string of characters guy-

I don't think this is racial at all. People complained about the Bush twins and about Chelsea.

This is a very different situation than "Hollywood star gets son a place in the family business" (The Smith thing is more like "The guy who runs Chick-Fil-A has bequeathed his business to the kids."

This is about people who are supposed to be public servants using tax dollars to improve their resumes, line their pockets, take luxurious vacations and generally live high on the hog.

It's a problem because it's another way in which the political class has taken over and gained too much power.

Also, it would be less of a problem if she interned somewhere close to home, where the taxpayer wouldn't have to pick up the tab for a traveling security detail and whatnot.

What, there weren't any unpaid internships in Washington DC? She had to go clear to LA for one?

Jason म्हणाले...

Being a PA is a lot of work. Somebody wants coffee. Somebody wants water. Nobody picked up their trash over here. Oops, we need a clear pitcher for a scene, go buy one down the street. Block off that hallway. Clean up this mess. Pick up the donuts. Run these papers to so and so. Find this guy. Ask her about this. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Totally. "Hey, kid! Go ask Mr. Coppola for the Black and Decker Board Stretcher! We need a box of color balance! These lights are too dim. Hey, Malia, run and find us a bottle of halogen fluid!

Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

Re Jaden Smith: we liked him in The Pursuit Of Happyness, and thought it was cute and heartwarming for Will to include him in his movie. We put up with him in the Karate Kid remake, even though it was formulaic and didn't have nearly the heart of the original. Then came the steaming pile of excrement known as After Earth, and everyone got pissed at Will for sabotaging his own career to make overpriced dogshit with his kid in the starring role.

Race has nothing to do with it, and trying to compare Jaden to Drew Barrymore is just stupid. Drew is good.

Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

Apparently you missed the howls of derision aimed at Sofia Coppola when Godfather III came out. It was brutal.

She has proven to be much better behind the camera than in front of it.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

You guys are so lame.

The Case For Reparations in The Atlantic's last edition has been the biggest seller in the history of the magazine. It's been around since the 1840s or something. It's still on the website's main page. It has generated a slew of articles in agreement and reply and people are being moved to action.

In an age when whites say print is dead.

In an age when whites say people won't read long form journalism.

In an age when whites say race is depressing and nobody cares.

In an age when whites say reparations will never happen and it's so crazy you might as well not even bring it up because WHITE.

In an age when whites say people want to be distracted with American Idol and blinking lights, more blinking lights, more, more, more, more, more.

Shine that light on Malia!

Neither she or Halle Barry is old money, by any stretch of the imagination, so neither of them's hardly comparable to Jenna Bush pretending she has to do anything. But that angle's not interesting or "sexy" I guess. Better to pretend they're spoiled and undeserving, rather than "firsts" behaving like whites always have. Nobody has a history in white world, they're all individuals, born in a vapor-locked vacuum, always beautiful, rich and famous.

Ta-Nahisi Coates is now a rock star. (But not to you guys.) He was interviewed this weekend and people were scalping tickets like at a show. He says the piece has brought "joy" to blacks, which I'm sure everyone here disagrees with, always being so insightful into the difference between them and the perspective I present to you daily.

Birkel said:

"Me to Crack:
Nobody will play your game. Run along."

Crack says:

"Me to Birkel:
This game is playing out with or without you. You've never really controlled it. Blacks make the words of this Constitution matter. You can't change that."

And it will continue to matter,...

अनामित म्हणाले...

Deirdre Mundy:

No, people complained about the Bush twins' illegal drinking, wild partying and their not setting an example by signing up for military service during the Iraq War. People complained about Chelsea Clinton getting lucrative, influential media positions despite a lack of credentials, accomplishment or talent. NO ONE complained about the mundane stuff like their going on vacations, getting summer jobs, going to Broadway plays, and anything and everything else people feel resentful that they can't afford to give their own kids. Yes, it is the very same reason why Obama's vacations are A WASTE OF TAXPAYERS MONEY when Reagan and Bush took MORE VACATIONS than Obama did ... folks being really bothered by Obama availing himself of the same privileges as every other president has ... the first president in history that people expect to act as if he is some low level desk employee driving Chevy station wagon with 85,000 miles on tires that need to be replaced, and we all know why.

"What, there weren't any unpaid internships in Washington DC? She had to go clear to LA for one?."

And the Bush daughters absolutely had to go to the University of Texas and Harvard? Why couldn't they have saved the taxpayer a lot of money by going to nearby Georgetown, American or Catholic?

fivewheels:

OK, if you want to play the Google game, see how many hits you can come up with to the effect of "Nancy Reagan moocher." Meanwhile, Michelle Obama is the only first lady in history to be called a moocher (commonly called Moochelle) of taxpayer dollars. No one pretended as if Betty Ford or Barbara Bush should have worked as a maid or secretary or something while being first lady.

Sorry guys. Looks like we got a couple of generations after the civil rights act before this nonsense ends. Yes, I do agree that blacks could help matters by behaving better - by eschewing illegitimacy, crime, welfare, dropping out of high school, drugs, the Democratic Party etc. - but that is a story for another day.

JamesB.BKK म्हणाले...

But when children of politicians are hired in China by, say, JPMorgan Chase Bank, this government would see a problem. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-29/jpmorgan-bribe-probe-said-to-expand-in-asia-as-spreadsheet-found.html

Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

When Reagan and GWB went on vacation, guess where they went - home! They didn't go to 5 star resorts in exotic locales on the public dime.

And I suppose you don't remember the shitstorm of controversy when Nancy Reagan had the temerity to replace the tired White House china with a new set (that Hillary! later walked off with).

Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

Okay, let me see if I can get the picture here: a black dude writes an article about how the government (presumably made up of white people) is supposed to cut big fat checks to black folks (borrowing more money from China in the process) and those same black folks line up to hear about it. No shit. What a huge fucking coincidence.

And of course white America is obliged to jump up and take notice? What for? What is so different about a subset of the population famous for sticking its hands out for free shit, sticking its hands out for still more free shit? Why should I care? I have my own problems. I can barely afford those. What makes you think I'm about to pay for yours?

CWJ म्हणाले...

Lots of letters, numbers and hyphens person last posting at 8:30.

I've read the entire thread. Failed to see the vicious outrage to which you refer. Did see quite a few paragraphs written by you at best tangentially related to Malia Obama. Suggest you take a deep breath and get a grip.

Sierrapundit म्हणाले...

I read "The Making of Star Trek" in 1971, which means I've forgotten more than little Malia knows about sci-fi movie production. Why can't I get Spielberg to return my calls?

chickelit म्हणाले...

f94bad80-f59d-11e3-bb7c-1fa1d4c6ea1f said...folks being really bothered by Obama availing himself of the same privileges as every other president has ... the first president in history that people expect to act as if he is some low level desk employee driving Chevy station wagon with 85,000 miles on tires that need to be replaced, and we all know why.

Fuck you and your lack of respect for the average person.

chickelit म्हणाले...

The Crack Emcee said...

The Case For Reparations in The Atlantic's last edition has been the biggest seller in the history of the magazine. It's been around since the 1840s or something. It's still on the website's main page. It has generated a slew of articles in agreement and reply and people are being moved to action.

I just wanted to memorialize and bookmark that foolishness for future reference.

papertiger म्हणाले...

Malia is prepping for her future career as a whore.

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

Third generation: grudgingly accepting blacks who achieve middle and upper class status in practice (yes grotesquely exaggerating the percentage of blacks who benefit from affirmative action is "grudgingly") but furious that the children of successful blacks receive the same privileges that the children of successful whites always have.

Anti-white racist bullshit. Maybe you think that way. I don't. GFYS.

Skin color has nothing to do with it. The obvious cronyism is what we're talking about here. Chelsea Clinton got the same sort of cronyism job and it is just as wrong.

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

Dude (f94bad80-f59d-11e3-bb7c-1fa1d4c6ea1f) pops in here with his faculty lounge, Black Studies 101 progressive horseshit about race and tries to lecture everybody here, like he can see into our hearts.

When all it is? The Same ol, Same ol that any critique that happens to be directed at a minority that is a favored Democrat is automatically "racist".

It is pretty fucking obvious that the only reason Malia got the "job" is because Daddy is the Prez and that's the entire issue. Full stop.

All it deserves is a hearty "Fuck You" and a finger in the air.

That shit might get you an "A" when you parrot it back to the Prof, but it is strictly bush league here.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Crunchy Frog,

"Okay, let me see if I can get the picture here: a black dude writes an article about how the government (presumably made up of white people) is supposed to cut big fat checks to black folks (borrowing more money from China in the process) and those same black folks line up to hear about it. No shit. What a huge fucking coincidence."

Black folks can't spend that kind of money - it was Jews who lined "up to hear about it."

So, as usual, you don't have the picture - because you're too full of yourself to do so. There's no room in that head of yours for anything but your prejudices.

Too bad,...

Birkel म्हणाले...

The Crack Emcee just decided to air a little of his anti-Semitism.

Good times.
Good times.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

Birkel,

"The Crack Emcee just decided to air a little of his anti-Semitism."

It's anti-Semitic to say a black man was interviewed, in a synagogue, and Jews gladly lined up and paid to hear it. They even appeared to enjoy and agree with the message, of paying reparations to blacks, as much as blacks do. I guess I hate them for that.

You're a gentleman, and a scholar, and hearing things, Birkel,...

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

chickelit,

"I just wanted to memorialize and bookmark that foolishness for future reference."

You've already lost - it made it to Stephen Colbert last night,…

Birkel म्हणाले...

Blacks don't have the money.
The Jews have the money.
The Crack Emcee is not anti-Semitic at all.

Got it?

chickelit म्हणाले...

Sorry Crack, but Colbert ceased to be funny when his team prompted that camel to slip on the ice: Althouse link.

Step on a crack, break the camel's back.

brother-john म्हणाले...

The real story here is that a teenager got a job. Under this administration that's news worthy.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

In case you hadn't noticed, Halle Berry's career is so well known to be in bad shape that people talk about "The Halle Berry Effect."

Bad shape if she was white, I guess, but that's not the proper context to judge the ONLY American black woman with an Oscar for a leading role.

How her career is doing, compared to other black beauties in the past, is the only metric worth noting and she's doing great.

Thanks to America,...

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

chickelit,

"Sorry Crack, but Colbert ceased to be funny"

Ha! You don't like Colbert so you think that cancels out the fact your claim is totally wrong:

Reparations HAS got legs.

Just white crazy all day long,...