Michelle Obama Remarks Stir Controversy

Newsday:

Here's a quote from Michelle Obama, via the Globe and Politico, that seems to have trouble written all over it:

"For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country," she told a Milwaukee crowd today, "because it feels like hope is making a comeback."

A lot of Republicans, and Democrats, and Independents will be surprised to learn that pre-Obama, there was no reason to be proud of America. Probably she didn't mean that. But what did she mean?

Read the whole story: Newsday

Comments

[kbrc81]

I believe that Michell Obama, in her own way, was simply thanking white America for granting her husband an opprotunity to become the first African American President of the United States, and nothing more.

[seilnotnilc]

I Love Michele Obama AND I Am Proud Of Her.

One feels love or doesn’t for love is an emotion and not subject to thought. If cognition were involved we would not love some of the people we love or have loved. Pride involves cognition and can be scrutinized therefore, there must be a reason to be proud. E.g. people with spouses/ch­ildren/pol­iticians in jail can love them but usually are not proud of them until they turn their lives around. It is no different with our country. I believe Michele Obama has always loved this country and now has found reason to be proud of its actions.

[CharliePfromHB]

A rookie mistake for someone in the national spotlight. The real story is that the Obamas are a shining light on the hill beaming out Family values. Michelle is very smart and a great wife and mother who will make an outstanding first lady. The McCain image, helped by the NY Times, will continue to emphasize his political and personal moral strength. Michelle and Barack Obama will trump the McCains. Michelle should be out there showing the best spousal image since Nancy Reagan's rapture stare of Ronnie. Michelle is the 21st century first lady. She loves her man, is articulate, and a fast learner. She just got a crash curse in Primary politics. That's why they have primaries. Now she's ready for the election.

[iluvsam]

Thanks for making Sen. Clinton's point of how inexperienced these people are. UGH. We don't need anymore "rookie mistakes", thank you.

Breath or fresh air or not, experience is more important than the BS you just rambled on about. Obama's Presidency has the potential of being an incompetent nightmare that we will have to live through. I'll vote for him if he's the nominee-- for no other reason than party unity and the fact that I can't live through another 4 years of Repig hell.

[The 13 Colonies]

The people are now making themselves heard. That's something to be proud of. The last 7 1/2 yrs.,have not made Americans proud.....­..........

[Zhonni]

Actually, I just saw the video for the first time and she did say REALLY proud.

Hell, I was fooled to think she did not say that. And besides she was talking about politics and the involment of people during this cycle. It looks soo bad in print because the took out the "REALLY" and then take it out of context.

[Zhonni]

Here it is thanks to Wilburr.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufb46_WvSkQ

[research]

She said "really" in the second speech, but not the first, and it doesn't matter. Anyone who is 100% proud of everything about this counties politics or any other is a dangerous fanatic idiot.

[flodlite]

Michelle Obamma has not appoligized for anything. Wolf Blitzer aired Michelle Obamma when she was to appoligize. She didn't, and she won't. Look at her when her husband is speaking. She very rarely looks at him, WHY ? Both her and her husband's ego will attrubite to their short comings. Can you picture Michelle Obamma in the White House greating foreign dignitaries, trying to be so courtious and humble ? Her attire that day will probably be an armoured suit. I hope no one farts. BUTT,
she will never see the White House as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd lady.

[Zhonni]

What is she supposed to appologize for dumbass. Her statement obviously was taken out of context and obviously did not come out as she hoped. Well, the people that she was with understood she was talking about the political process.

It is one of the reasons why her husband won by +17 points.

[urbanscorpio88]

As an outsider, I have seen you american people elect a complete imbecile for not only one term but TWO. Bush used the experience card, and you went to the polls and gave the office for another term, he royally messed up now you aare all going around moaning that you knew he was an idiot. Hillary is spinnig you the same line that she has had more experience, (I dont know if living in the White House for 8 years as First Lady counts as expertise) you are all fallign for it. Obama may not have experience but there is a good chance that if elected he will do better than the oaf that you currently have in the Oval Office. But hey, like I said I'm just an outsider, though the outcome of these elections will most likely affect the rest of the civilised world.

[AceInTheHole]

urbanseorpio88
We ask that you and the rest of the civilized world to bare with us because our country has been jacked, decieved, and vitiated, by people and other entities, some of whom, we thought to be are friends and fellow Americans.

But the proof is in the pudding , that these people seem to be incapable of giving a damn about the majority of the American people.

But if justice prevails in the world as it often does, more often than not. We the American people, will survive this miscreant cloud that has come over us. Just as we survived and overcame Slavery, the Civil war, two World wars, and the Viet Nam war.

Let us not forget that, in the recorded annals of history, we are yet listed, as a young imature country and niave to the ancient and miscreant ways of the world and therefore from time to time we have been gullible like sheep and prone to let the intrinsic goodwill and honesty of the citizens in our country, be vitiated by bogus and integrity free American ingrates, and other miscreant skallywags, and pretenders, who have over many years developed a great and insatiable desire and astute facility for conniving, stealing, and for tricking, our good people and taking uncrupulous advantage of the vast majority of them. And this scurrilous and miscreant affliction, all started here in America, way back in 1619, with the first arrival of slaves at Jamestown. Unfortunately, thats when a few miscreants in America, severely pierced her and put a hole in her soul, that has never completely healed. But if it is destined, maybe, just maybe, with the election of Obama, that hole in America's soul, just might have a good chance to finally heal.

But if on a higher level, it is determined, that that is not to be the case, we can still rest assured , that in due time, one day for sure, as it is stated in the scriptures, "First shall be last and last shall be first" "And the meek shall inherit the earth" And to put that in colloquial terms, "WHAT GOES AROUND SHALL SURELY COME AROUND BUT IN BIGGER PORTIONS" GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[BoulderSue]

I know exactly what she meant. I'm a white middle-class female. She over-stated what she meant to say, just the way I would have: the last seven years have been a huge blot on our country. I am proud of MY America, the one that doesn' attack countries on bad/trumped up intelligence, treat its citizens like terror suspects or fool around with the most basic tenets of what makes this country MY America. I've been lucky enough to travel to other countries a fair amount, and no matter where I went, even to the most liberal western democracies, or how much I loved a place, I was always glad to return to American soil. One of my lengthier trips was during Reagan's run for the Presidency though, and that was pretty emabarassing: trying to explain to Europeans why he would even be considered. The last seven years have been impossible to explain: way beyond embarassing, worse, even, than explaining Viet Nam. Three years ago my mother was dying of melanoma, was prescribed a drug not covered by Medicare or Medigap insurance, but would have cost, at the lowest viable dose, more than my parents' yearly income. My siblings and I spent weeks trying to find it in another country. I talked to so many Canadian pharmacists who were willing to help if they could. In Canada the drug was cheap, but would have required my parents to re-locate. A long story. Point is, it was pretty embarassing when the phamacists couldn't really understand why my mother couldn't get the drug here without them having to become totally dependent on their children. That was no point of pride! Maybe Michelle got carried away with the way she phrased things, but I know exactly what she meant, and I am still proud that in this country I have the choice of voting for her husband or someone else, and to let my government know what I think. I am a proud American There are just goings-on not very American these days, and those are a true shame.

[Indedave]

I feel for Michelle Obama. The last time I was "really" proud of my country, Bubba was holding court. But since the 2000 mis-election? Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Not a single decision of the Supreme Court, now so stilted to the right and so young it will be a rubber stamp for the right for decades; not a single piece of legislation from the lobbyists' lackeys in Congress; and certainly nothing from the current occupant of the Oval Office.
Our health-care “system,” deplorable for its costs and subservience to the pharmaceutical industry, shames me. Our administratively bloated school systems are an international joke. Corporate compensation has risen to the level of criminality, and we are drowning in politicians without a leader in sight.
So when Michelle said that for the first time in her adult life she was really proud of her country, I winced. Not because I don’t agree with her, but because I have heard this lament so often. I grew up in a mixed-race family and have decades of exposure to what used to be labeled “Black Rage.” In the 1960's it was articulated in the separatist doctrine of Malcolm X, and it endures today through his former student Louis Farrakhan. This precept has become an accepted fact for many African-Americans. It derives from the conviction that we as a nation have failed to atone for the crime of slavery and the 140 years of discrimination that followed. How proud of your country can you be if this premise -- right or wrong -- informs your identity?
I don’t know the curriculum Michelle Obama had to master to earn her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in African American studies from Princeton. But having a doctorate myself, I think I might be granted my inference that one person’s empowerment is another’s oppression.
So I feel for Michelle, I really do. But my spouse isn’t running for the presidency in JFK's mantle, nor does my spouse have to rise above the race-baiters and haters. Michelle's does. I hope she does, too.

[consumerpower]

INDEDAVE. You are obviously a very intelligent person. I am probably not your equal, but have been reasonably successful coming from a poor white family. Until I was 10 years old (1954) I lived in the "then" housing projects in Vallejo, CA. where I believed there were more African-Americans. I did not see a color in my friends and I don't think they saw a color in me, we were just friends. Then we moved to a new house of mostly all white neighbors. I didn't see my past friends until years later when inter-school busing begin. We still liked each other! If you look back 200 years, greed was the cause of most problems including racial. Those white europeans in power used every skin color to become rich and more powerful. Politicians and the super-rich today are motivated by the same things....and these people are not all white. YES, I would agree that whites had a greater opportunity and were used more to build a richer white society. But I don't think that has been true since world war II.There are many great African-American like Bill Crosby who are convinced that most African-Americans simply don't try to achieve a better life for themselves. I am a believer in "we become who we associate with". If we only roam the streets of Watts or Beverly Hill, it's very likely our thinking and actions will be like those in that neighborhood. Today, there are many selfish rich African-Americans who don't seem to care about any racial divide. This is true of all races/nati­onalities. America's biggest problem had always been the people in governmental power. They lie and munipulate all of us. The Bush's & Cheney's of our country should never receive a penny of taxpayers money when they leave office nor any security people. THEY HAVE NOT SERVED THE PEOPLE! Colors of people fight and cause conflict because many simply grow up surrounded by it...others make a profit from it.

[research]

She obviously was discussing politics, if you are proud of rethugs politics since Nixon, hell since Hoover, then you are a rethug idiot.

Kennedy murdered by the right, then King, then the Vietnam invasion, then Nixon and J Edgar's war on hippies and liberals who smoke pot, FBI spying and infiltration, Watergate, Cambodia, the betrayal of Carter and our country by the rethugs, Raygun steels the election by giving Iran weapons to release the hostages late, record deficits, Almost stops Gorbachev from dismantling the USSR with his aggressive posturing, Bushes Iraq war, The rethugs betray the country again and relentlessly undermine Clinton presidency, then King George the Mad lets 9/11 happen while Condi is buying shoes, and invades Iraq to drive up the price of oil.

Maybe none of that stuff makes her proud.

And
being black, she could only HOPE that she would share equal rights with the rest of the people in the USA.

I can see her point of view

[PortiaElizabeth]

There are more than a few people I see posting here and enjoy reading. I have the strong suspicion that soon these reasonable voices will find other venues to express their dismay and disappointment in the Democratic party. I share that pessimism and ponder what has happened to the party I've been a member of since college, years ago.
Perhaps it's time, as someone suggested, to leave the Democratic party and form a new political party. The USA is a large enough country to have ample room and supporters for a third party. No less than Teddy Roosevelt promoted the third party idea. Maybe the time has come...

[Wilburrr]

What happened to the "really"???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufb46_WvSkQ


editing that word out REALLY changes the meaning of that quote...

[Geminess]

I noticed the media has deliberately left the 'REALLY" part out or edited it out. WHY???

[Zhonni]

Ya no kidding! She said "REALLY PROUD", meaning, she has alway been proud but she is exceedingly proud currently about people getting involved in politics.

[Waitaminute]

I love my children, i had at 17. But, they have been BSing since junior high school, about going to school and doing well. Finally, they finished high school with D averages. And said to hell with college. Years later, after they had children themselves, and after all the many years of BSing, they decided to go to college. When they graduated last summer, with A and B averages, i was proud of them for the first time in my life.

Its nothing complicated or unAmerican about it people. Its just the O'rielly's, Matthews AND McCains STILL BSing. Is this making it simple enough. GOT DAM!

[Gracie2008]

You should take pride in your kids, regardless of grades. Shame on you. Their worth is not based on grades, as America's worth is not based on Obama's candidacy.

[elr50]

There has been nothing in the past 7+ years to be proud of.

[user168]

Yet dramatically Increased youth turnout on Super Tuesday is an obvious sign - "for the first time" - many youths are proud to be part of their country and community. These intelligent, passionate, and brave young adults are giving their very concern, love, and support to a true leader who will lead them to better serve their country and the world - "for the first time":

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be."

[fisccon]

Words do matter Mr Obama and when a statement so un-american is stated by a potetial first lady those words need to be scrutinized.

[eddieinc97]

How proud of this country have you been over the past 27 years. With the exception of a few years during President Clinton. Republicans have destroyed our pride as the leaders of the free world. Lets get real. Grow up. You can love your country just like you love your kids. But if you want to help your country as you do your kids, you have to take them to task when your not proud of their actions.

[skeeto]

Hey, lets not drop the ball here. We are all in this together, so let's be a little more careful to listen closer, not believe everything that the talking heads say about anyone, and check things out. Apparently Mrs. Obama comment was edited to make it sound like she had not previously been proud of her country, when in fact that is not what she said at all. As far as Cindy McCain is concerened, why the viciousness? She had a problem with drugs a long time ago and has beaten that problem. Almost everyone knows someone who had had problems and overcame them. Guys, let's be careful with our fellow Americans.