९ नोव्हेंबर, २०१८

"Secretaries claimed he was both brilliant and 'cute,' although Michelle Obama was skeptical, writing that white people went 'bonkers' any time you 'put a suit' on a 'half-intelligent black man.'"

"She also thought his picture had a 'whiff of geekiness.' But she was more than impressed after meeting him, by his 'rich, even sexy baritone' and by his 'strange, stirring combination' of serenity and power. 'This strange mix-of-everything-man,' when she finally let him kiss her, set off a 'toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, wonder.'"

From "Michelle Obama rips Trump in new book" (AP).

I chose to focus on something other than the ripping of Trump. Toppling blast of lust, gratitude, fulfillment, wonder — now, that's amusing! It's hard to picture Michelle Obama toppled. But how is anyone supposed to write in a dignified, appropriate way about the fact that they're sexually excited by the person they married? "Toppling" is as good a word as any, and you say "lust" but in a mix of other more exalted concepts.

I note she used the word "strange" twice — "strange, stirring combination" and "strange mix-of-everything-man."

Anyway, I'm less interested in Michelle Obama's shots at Trump than what she can say about random ordinary white people — like those secretaries — and what she thinks they think of any "half-intelligent black man" that you (who?) "put a suit on." Can't half-intelligent black men put on their own suit? But I like anything half-honest about how it felt to be an accomplished black woman in a Chicago law firm and trying to succeed despite suspicions and whatever real inequities prevailed at the time and looking to meet a man who could make a good-enough match for her. And then getting Obama! That really is strange!

ADDED: I'll just say one thing about the Trump ripping:
She remembers how her body “buzzed with fury” after seeing the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women.
Is the book written in — speaking of "ripping" — bodice-ripper prose? We saw above that Michelle was toppled and blasted by a first kiss, and here we see that she experienced the "Access Hollywood" story as a bodily "buzz." Does she grasp things intellectually or do they happen in her body? And isn't that what Trump was really saying when he made that "grab them by the pussy" remark?
When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.
The stardom itself reaches into the body and readies the woman to receive him — that's what he was saying.  Trump's impudent verbalization of that process angers Michelle Obama, but the way those words worked was to cause her body to "buzz" — as if Trump's voice were a vibrator.

९३ टिप्पण्या:

rehajm म्हणाले...

It’s a Freudian from a black woman about a half black man.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

It's nice that she loves her husband. Of course, much like Hillary, she did marry well...

But why does anybody anywhere give a crap what Michelle Obama has to say about anything? What's she ever done that merits interest? Much like Hillary, she married well, and that's about it.

Diogenes of Sinope म्हणाले...

Speaking in terms of "white people" acting in any preconceived way is both stereotyping and racist.

Wince म्हणाले...

"...any time you 'put a suit' on a 'half-intelligent black man.'"

Isn't that saying Barack Obama's intelligent half was entirely white?

And I won't even touch the Ed Sullivan connotation of "put a suit on".

Who ghost wrote her book? David Duke isn't even that malignant.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

She's writing for the faithful. Whether there's any self-awareness is hard to say.

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

The least interesting people are the homogenized, deracinated lawyers in corporate law firms.

As Henry Miller said, it's better on the bottom. He meant the double entendre, too.

The money is great in corp law. The bland, air conditioned life corp law offers is a nightmare.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

Sidley really tries to be a welcoming place to talented people. Their blue-chip corporate practice is built on doing first-rate legal work while “not charging all that the market will bear” to clients. If Michelle had stayed, she would have been a big success—they would have made her a success. She just wasn’t interested in being a success in Sidley terms. She wanted something different.

What she writes in her 50s about what she was like in her 20s is informed by a lot of history. She has been FLOTUS. And clearly, she knows BHO better than anyone else—his strengths and his weaknesses. She has a unique view of the man. She has his number.

wild chicken म्हणाले...

Obama was cool, I'll give him that. Great figurehead for a liberal regime consisting of the usual suspects plus a few new players like Rahm. All ready to go for Beto to front.

Wish Trump had some of that cool.

The Bergall म्हणाले...

Funny. I read last night she is giving all the proceeds to charity.

Guess which one?

The Obama foundation..............

wendybar म्हणाले...

Racist. Imagine saying "Black women go bonkers, whenever you put a suit on a half intelligent black man"?? Whatever.

William म्हणाले...

I saw a C-Span interview with Charlotte Pence, the VP's daughter. She has a book out about her experiences on the campaign trail.. In her book,, Charlotte writes openly and movingly about how she coped with the loss of her pet dog. I suspect it will sell less than Michelle's book, but, speaking for myself, there's a far greater chance I'll read Charlotte's book. By far greater, I mean after every book in the Library of Congress has been read, I will turn to Charlotte rather than Michelle to while away the hours.

dreams म्हणाले...

Well, she's right about those "— like those secretaries —."

madison mike म्हणाले...

Wasn't she asked or told to leave her internship in a law firm because she wanted work of importance versus the usual scut work done by interns?

William म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Hagar म्हणाले...

Michelle should have read the manuscript before allowing it to be published in her name.

chuck म्हणाले...

Am I weird, or does this read like a manuscript recovered from the trash heap of a vanished civilization?

William म्हणाले...

Bad enough that all those Presidents feel compelled to write their memoirs, but now their wives and children are getting into the act. Can someone knowledgeable about the genre say if any of these works have succeeded as literature. There's Henry Adams (technically a grandson) and then there's.........

gspencer म्हणाले...

"Toppling?" My, my, that's such a big word for an AA "graduate." You had help, didn't you?

Sydney म्हणाले...

@William - Ulysses S. Grant's memoir has endured. I can't think of any by a wife that endured, unless you count Abigail Adams's letters.

Kevin म्हणाले...

Is this the book where Michelle demonstrates how she goes high?

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

Just like commenter rhhardin says. Written for the "soap opera women".

I wonder if the cover has a lurid portrait of Michelle Obama in a typical Bodice Ripper Pose with Obama cast as a bare chested (and improbably) buffed out pirate or something.

How embarrassing for Michelle (if she is capable of such self awareness that is)

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

She remembers how her body “buzzed with fury” after seeing the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women.

Did her body shake and buzz when she realized Bill Clinton is a sexual predator - a real one, not just male bravado on tape.

William म्हणाले...

There will be a few juicy bits that will be quoted extensively. Why would anyone want to know more than the juicy bits in Michelle's book.They are probably self serving and maybe fabricated anyway........Queen Victoria kept a journal most of the days of her life. She wrote dozens of letters daily. They say her collected writings would account for more than seven hundred volumes if published. That does not include all the journals and letters that were burned after her death.

Meade म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Meade म्हणाले...

Michelle wasn't talking about YOU, Trump.

Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...

Bodice Ripper cover.

Imagine Michelle and Obama in this pose.....now go hurk and rinse your mouth out and get a new cup of coffee.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

But how is anyone supposed to write in a dignified, appropriate way about the fact that they're sexually excited by the person they married?

Well, you can't. So there's that. Maybe that's something that simply does not need written about, in the interest of good taste. Why would anyone want to know about how Barack made Michelle get all tingly?

Other than hardin's soap opera women. So I just answered my own question.

There is something weird about the lefty women who will read this and get a little stirring in their pantaloons because they too find Barack Obama to be quite sexy. And they insist we take them seriously.

The worst and best thing about hardin is that he's so right, 80% of the time.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

lol DBQ

I was writing while you were posting.

Virgil Hilts म्हणाले...

I don't think MO was that "accomplished." She failed the bar exam (how many HLS grads fail the bar exam!) and only stayed in a law firm for 2-3 years before she started working for and with the Chicago power structure. Kind of like Hillary (also failed the bar exam on first try - how many YLS grads fail the bar exam!) who but for finding a husband with the charisma (such as BO's) that maybe 1 in 100,000 men have, probably would have remained a lesser light. Similar Kamala Harris (far less intelligent/honorable than MO or HC) worked her way into CA power structure through early romantic affair w/ much older and charismatic heavyweight.
There are a lot of powerful and smart women who really do "accomplish" fame and respect on their own. Sad that these 3 are considered among the brightest lights. Ann is much more impressive than any of the 3.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Ann:

Can you start a tag: The Obamas go away?

Caligula म्हणाले...

"Is the book written in — speaking of "ripping" — bodice-ripper prose?"

I dunno, but, who actually wrote this book?

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...


She remembers how her body “buzzed with fury” after seeing the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women.

She has a well-documented fondness for rap music; I wonder if that genre's treatment of women makes her "buzz..." with fury.

Speaking of which, how does a person's body "buzz," exactly. Who wrote this pantload?

M Jordan म्हणाले...

@wildchicken: “Obama was cool, I’ll give him that.”

Cool has a short expiration date. My feeling on Obama’s coolness is that he’s lost the luster. I watched him campaigning for Dems and, without the presidential star power he just seemed ... pathetic. Ever been to a 20-year high school reunion? The cool kids aren’t so cool anymore.

chickelit म्हणाले...

Michelle has zero sex appeal herself, lacking what she thinks it takes to succeed in politics. She’s pretty much in it for the money. She will be richly rewarded by women who fantasized about her husband. Meanwhile, the Trumps are still in the White House.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Virgil is right. There is no way a Princeton undergrad and Harvard Law graduate should fail the bar exam.

The bar exam is graded anonymously. Same with law school exams.

Here's a funny story that Althouse can appreciate. A woman (quite well-endowed) had a long law school affair with her Contracts professor. She failed the bar exam a number of times. Nebraska has a law (or the Bar has a regulation) that after so many bar exam failures one has to go back to law school and retake the class in the area where one is failing. And what class did she have to retake? You guessed it: Contracts.

True story.

But nothing like that would ever happen at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Right?

LilyBart म्हणाले...

This woman is tedious.

wild chicken म्हणाले...

I'm old enough to not equate "cool" with virtue. It's just an affect and obama had it in spades.

Oops!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

“How embarrassing for Michelle (if she is capable of such self awareness that is)”

Yeah. I get that she’s just monetizing Obama-worship will she still can, but is she really that careless of her dignity? Does she not see how she is pandering to the very racist stereotypes that, I’m pretty sure, she viscerally hates? Of course, they had to pander to those to get the votes of White liberals, so perhaps this kind of self-abasement is reflexive by now.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

white people

White people are bad.

'half-intelligent black man.'

Who is she babbling about? That crooked mulatto? Why doesn't she call him "white"?

Sally327 म्हणाले...

I know we're supposed to believe that the Obamas have this wonderfully romantic love story but it's never really seemed that way when they're together. He's incredibly passive-aggressive and she's just seething. I guess it's part of the fantasy, along with the idea that he's an intellectual giant and she's a singular beauty. We can't just let them be two ordinary folk with ordinary intelligence, looks and subject to the same failings and flaws as most ordinary folk.

narciso म्हणाले...

No more like the fellow you sent your daughter to intern for Harvey weinstein

Darrell म्हणाले...

Didn't Drudge have a link this week about Michelle selling private time with her for $90K? I wonder if she shows her dick for that or if that's extra.

LilyBart म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
LilyBart म्हणाले...

wild chicken said...
I'm old enough to not equate "cool" with virtue. It's just an affect and obama had it in spades.


But he doesn't seem to have it anymore. I watched a couple of speeches he gave this election cycle and found myself thinking, "dude, what happened to you?".

rcocean म्हणाले...

If she "Buzzed with anger over the Pussy tape" how did react to Clinton's getting a Lewinsky in the White House or Paula Jones sexual harassment?

Quake with rage?

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"She failed the bar exam (how many HLS grads fail the bar exam!)"

Probably more than you know.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
LilyBart म्हणाले...


Honestly, she always sounds so unhappy, and so bitter about life. It really hard for me to understand how people find her 'inspiring'.

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

"She remembers how her body “buzzed with fury” after seeing the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women."

I'm still mad at NBC for leaking it. Holding them accountable seems to be an afterthought (if that) for everybody else, who only want red meat for their tribe. We get our nation's ethics so screwed up this way.

Just as they are.

rcocean म्हणाले...

I like the Obama's on a personal level. Compare them to the Clinton Crime Family or Jimmy Carter and his dangerous moralism.

rcocean म्हणाले...

My body tick-tocked with concern.

Obama was late!

The Crack Emcee म्हणाले...

LilyBart said...

"Honestly, she always sounds so unhappy, and so bitter about life. It really hard for me to understand how people find her 'inspiring'"

While I generally agree with this comment, I swear, you guys and this constant harping on who sounds unhappy are as determined to become a nation of grinning idiots as any cult group[.

Darrell म्हणाले...

Crack.
You seem unhappy.

Matt म्हणाले...

Looking forward to reading the section about how her sad face pic and twitter hashtag campaign freed hundreds of young girls from the clutches of vile terrorists.

narciso म्हणाले...

Now that situation happened in part because of some well healed bankers connected to the Clinton foundation who had looted Nigeria dry.

Martha म्हणाले...

Malia and Sasha were conceived via IVF.
Now that is news.

narciso म्हणाले...

Where is vera Baker btw, still in martinique.

The California shooter btw is keen on gun control.

wendybar म्हणाले...

Yeah, WHERE is Vera Baker??

AllenS म्हणाले...

"For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country" -- Michelle Obama -- Mar 12, 2008

Sound like she only took an 8 year hiatus, and now it's back to her normal hatred.

Wilbur म्हणाले...

She can just claim she was misquoted.

It worked for Charles Barkley.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

Orientalism: Eroticizing the Other.

truth speaker म्हणाले...

This woman is a racist, through and through.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

"Report all suspicious packages"

steve uhr म्हणाले...

She says that she will n ver forgive trump for the birther stuff and she thought it put her family in danger from kooks out there. I believe that many (most?) of the Althouse commentators still believe Obama was born n in Africa. A racist slander.

Rosalyn C. म्हणाले...

If Michelle wrote an honest book about her physical reactions to Hillary and Bill Clinton that would interesting.

Rosalyn C. म्हणाले...

I never thought that Obama was born in Africa. I thought he probably lied about his birthplace on some college applications, much like Elizabeth Warren's attempt to gain beneficial consideration by claiming to be Native American.

Kevin म्हणाले...

But how is anyone supposed to write in a dignified, appropriate way about the fact that they're sexually excited by the person they married?

rhhardin said... "She's writing for the faithful."

The Dems have an unhealthy fascination with "the one" who will lead everyone to righteousness through the force of their looks, power, and personality. It's the only way they can so easily proclaim Beto, loser in Texas, as a hot property in the next Presidential election.

As such, Michelle needs to state she and everyone around her were consumed by the lowly and powerless Barack, to confirm for millions of women it was his innate charisma, and not simply the power he held over them, that lead them to their own swooning.

It's likely this was an essential part of the book deal, one she was contractually obligated to provide it.

Wince म्हणाले...

Martha said...
Malia and Sasha were conceived via IVF.
Now that is news.


Especially the inspiration behind Barack's use of the plastic cup.

"You look like a Kardashian."

NSFW

Kevin म्हणाले...

She says that she will n ver forgive trump for the birther stuff and she thought it put her family in danger from kooks out there.

I'm guessing she leaves out the part about the more recent and imminent threats to Trump, Scalise, Cruz, McConnell, and others who don't share her faith.

rcocean म्हणाले...

I don't believe all that crap about "not forgiving Trump" - to me it sounds like red meat she needs to toss to the Lefties.

I don't think she cares/likes Trump anymore then Romney or McCain or any other Republican.

But she seems to have a special relationship with George Bush for some weird reason. they seemed to be big buddies during the McCain funeral. Maybe its Bush's singing and swaying that she likes.

rcocean म्हणाले...

The whole Birther thing was laughable. Of course, the Democrats called it racist, EVERY criticism of Obama was "racist".

But trying to disqualify an opponent because of foreign birth is an old game. People attacked George Romney in 1968 because he'd been born in Mexico, and McCain in 2008 because of his Panama Canal birth.

Why Obama took so long to produce his Hawaii birth certificate is anyone's guess.

AllenS म्हणाले...

Politico 9/16/16 --

"“There has never been evidence that Clinton or her campaign started the birther rumors,” said Ben Smith, editor in chief of BuzzFeed, who as a POLITICO reporter in 2011 linked the origin of the “birther” movement to a fringe politician in Illinois. Some hardcore Clinton backers circulated the rumors in 2008, but the campaign itself steered clear."

All of this birther shit started before Trump said anything about it, or was even on the political scene. So, quit blaming Trump.

AllenS म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Rory म्हणाले...

"believe that many (most?) of the Althouse commentators still believe Obama was born n in Africa."

Obama was born in America, but the guy in the White House wasn't Obama.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

"But I like anything half-honest about how it felt to be an accomplished black woman in a Chicago law firm ..."

Well, Michelle Obama is certainly a black woman, and somewhat less than entirely honest. As to "accomplished", she's about as accomplished as Hillary Clinton. In fact, she's exactly as accomplished as Hillary Clinton. You feminists are really impressed with women who marry well, aren't you? That seems kind of strange, but then, no one expects consistency from feminists.

Pianoman म्हणाले...

That confirms it. Michelle Obama is a racist.

I wasn't certain before. Now I am.

cacimbo म्हणाले...

People need to give a crap about what M.O. says because she is revered by all most all black women in this country- a voting block Republicans need to try winning over.
I have to agree with MO that BO looks like a geek. He just looks wimpy, never understood all the women gushing over his looks.
While I am not a MO fan, I do sympathize with many of her complaints about being a first lady. It is a shame that the Presidents family today is basically turned into prisoners in a golden palace. We want them to be normal people but our crazies have made that impossible.

RigelDog म्हणाले...

Sigh. I don't understand why it was necessary to impute bad motives to white women who mentioned that Obama was cute. I try to give people what they are due, and I acknowledge that Obama is a pretty handsome guy. I think that would have been apparent even to typical white women of thirty years ago. I also give Obama credit for seeming to really love his kids and for not (AFAIK) screwing around on his wife.

Jim at म्हणाले...

Never in my life have I seen a person given so much for doing so little act so, fucking miserable.

What a bitch.

stevew म्हणाले...

Life sure has been a difficult slog for Michelle.

Doug म्हणाले...

You're right, Althouse. Her ghost writer sucks.

Michael Fitzgerald म्हणाले...

SMH@ the people who think:
A) douchebag puts Barry Obama is, or was ever, cool.
B) Aunt Esther Obama is intelligent, accomplished, and/or attractive. Stupid ugly cunt sums her up perfectly.
C) That the Obama's are nice people. Look around idiots, you see antifa? You see BAMN? You see BLM and OWS? You see Republicans being assaulted, deplatforming, shot, stabbed, villainized? You see the government working on behalf of one political party to harass and hinder innocent American citizens? Obama built that, you idiots, and he is still building it, because you dipshits think those criminal scumbags are just so cool.
You're fucking pathetic.

Bill Peschel म्हणाले...

Does anyone remember that it was Obama who claimed he was born in Kenya in the 1991 booklet circulated by his literary agent?

It may not have sparked the birther nonsense, but it certainly shows he was willing to lie about his past if it made him look good to whatever audience he was selling himself to.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2012/05/17/the-vetting-barack-obama-literary-agent-1991-born-in-kenya-raised-indonesia-hawaii/

walter म्हणाले...

Trump dildos

and via Altmazon

walter म्हणाले...

(Once you see "Hutch", you understand her shoving a facsimile of Trump up her snatch is true aggression...)

gadfly म्हणाले...

So Meeshell My Belle was really upset by Trump's "birther" comments (a subject put forth long before Donald knew anything about the subject).

Michelle Obama: Speech to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee in New York City (June 2008)

"Barack has lead by example. When we took our trip to Africa and visited his home country in Kenya, we took a public HIV test—for the very point of showing folks in Kenya that there is nothing to be embarrassed about in getting tested."

But Obama's birthplace has never been disproved but neither has his real birth record been made public. The last published COLB for Barack Obama at the White House website was a composite construct, not a photo of the original document. And the state of Hawaii will not release a photocopy.

walter म्हणाले...

"Composites" integral to the Obama mystique..

gadfly म्हणाले...

@Pianoman said...
That confirms it. Michelle Obama is a racist.

I wasn't certain before. Now I am.


"My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'blackness' than ever before. I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances under which I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second." ~Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community" (1985)

walter म्हणाले...

"I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong"
See "affirmative action"/holistic admissions criteria, yada yada

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

It's not sexual assault if they let you do it.

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

"I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong"

Try being responsible for your own feelings for a change.

Tom Grey म्हणाले...

"his 'rich, even sexy baritone'". Great voice, terrible policies.

There's been far too little written about how important a good voice is.
Obama has the greatest voice in any President since voices started being recorded -- probably the best voice ever. Yes, better than Reagan, who was also great.

Trump's voice is fine.

Hillary's is terrible. I like Palin's policy, but can't stand to listen to the vocal quality of her voice -- most women have voices I find difficult to listen to, if not actively annoying. (My wife's is great).


Many women, perhaps especially among those millions who bought 50 Shades of Grey, are not yet comfortable with their own, true, sexual attractions. Too often, the men and actions they think should be attractive are, somehow, not such big turn-ons, yet the bad boys being masculine and dominant ARE a turn-on. Rich, famous, high status men enjoy the hypergamy that many women act upon.

As mentioned, it's not assault if the woman lets you do it. Many women do allow it, if the man is high status "enough".

Crime definition under the rule of law where "all men are treated equal under the law" conflicts with women who want to allow actions of high status men that are forbidden to normal guys.