White House Angry Over Poster That Invokes Obama's Children

Washington Post:

The posters went up last week, 14 in Union Station. On each of the large displays, a thought bubble rises up from a picture of a beautiful 8-year-old: "President Obama's daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don't I?"

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[tisfilm]

I agree that poster. but I don't agree that they put Obama's daugther on it.
They are off-limits­.. They are not even teen....

[Open eyes]

She is right! School lunches are NOT healthy. They are supposed to have at least one vegetable - this is usually French fries or tater tots - and one fruit - which is usually " fruit cocktail" in high fructose corn syrup. The meat is usually fried chicken nuggets, corn dogs, fish sticks.

This poster is 100% correct and if using the presidents daughters gets this issue some attention, then great

[IndyGirl19]

I think the poster's underlying message is fine.

However, in this very partisan, and very nasty environment, why invoke specific children at all? Why specifically the President's children? It isn't as if this issue was created by him so why direct it at him? By invoking his children, the poster does just that. It gives HIS face to the problem and creates "blame." Not fair, not relevant, and not helpful.

Why not, more appropriately, "If your children get healthy meals at school, why can't I?" After all, the "village" is ALL OF US.

[mick7191]

Leave his kids out of it.

[tek kwene]

Let's keep in mind that this organization is not about healthy options, it is about vegetarian options. That's a big difference.

[tek kwene]

Not only do I believe this organization isn't doing itself any favors by not honoring the president's wishes and using the Obama girls to advance their agenda in the first place, I also think that the young girl that is featured in the ad is being used as a pawn without an consideration of what this publicity may do to her. After all, it does appear that in the ad she herself is issuing the challenge to the Obama daughters.

[Bude]

Where is the right wingnut outrage?

[tisfilm]

Only for Heath care..

[socalgal59]

The upscale retailer J Crew issued a news release detailing the clothes the Obama girls wore when they disembarked from Air Force One in Moscow. J Crew even mentions each girl by name. J Crew’s press release was entitled, "The Obama Girls Bring Some American Style to Moscow, " and read in part:: "Malia & Sasha wore J.Crew and crewcuts as they exited Air Fore One in Moscow -- stylish in their trenches, they also accessorized with ballet flat shoes."

Despite J Crew's blatant use of the Obama girls for marketing purposes, Obama’s passel of aides never accosted, threaten, harassed, or otherwise made a peep at J Crew.

Interesting how a for-profit company uses the Obama daughters by name to market their clothing--including $200 kiddy trench coat--and the Obama aides have no problem with that blatant violation of their privacy.

Yet when a non-profit mentions the first daughters in the vaguest of terms (refers to them as "President Obama's daughters") to promote healthy lunch options in schools they get a ration of crap from the president's aides.

Perhaps the good Doctor should start marketing $200 kiddy trench coats and send a couple of them to the Obama girls--that should get the White House dogs off his back and create a fund to provide some healthy lunches to boot.

[IGNSTHMD]

why is no one mentioning the racial intonations of using a model that identifies as if she were one of Obama's children: all of the virtue none of the presumptuousness.

[circuitmouse]

Actually, Michelle Obama quickly expressed the family's displeasure at mention of the children, and received a public apology from J Crew.

And advocating for healthy school lunches for all American children was one of the first issues of the Obama administration --even before the Obama children were enrolled in Sidwell School. The mother of the girl in the poster is actually a middle-class college graduate ...it isn't as though she's being served ketchup and having it called a vegetable.

[CanHandleTheTruth]

Who gives a damn if the White House is "angry" over it?!? There's such a thing as the First Amendment, regardless of how much of a media-appointed darling the president happens to be at the moment.

[tisfilm]

The Children is off-limits­..
Do you read it?

[silvertongue]

Seems the sponsors of this ad are not only inconsiderate of the Obama girls; they obviously didn't consider what such controversial exposure would do to this little girl. Hopefully, she's being provided security now that she's 'out there'. I certainly would have had seconds about exposing my child in this manner.

[Halfwit]

So, these people took a time-tested message: Why should the (children of) the least of us get substandard nutrition unlike the (children of) the best of us? Isn't the nutrition of our children, rich or poor, of paramount importance? And then they used a standard rhetorical conceit, in making the President represent the best of us. This is not an attack on his children. It is an egalitarian message.

[OmegaHunter]

No the ad is about wanting to force schools to offer vegetarian lunch options. I've pointed this out twice to you. There is NO righteous message here. The ad is painfully misleading. I'm assuming that since the group supports vegan lunches they will argue that "vegan lunches are super-duper nutritious" and thus they weren't being dishonest.

[Halfwit]

That is the aim of the group, not the ad. There is a difference.
Vegan lunches would be insane.
Forcing a vegetarian option isn't a bad idea, though.
But that is beside the point.
It doesn't matter what the group's aim is, it just matters what the message of the actual poster is.

[Halfwit]

The Righteous message of the poster is feed the children well.
The message of the group is somewhat different.

[Halfwit]

And if you keep looking for hate, you will find it even when it is in your own imagination.

[dutt]

Jasmine, I'm sorry if your not getting healthy lunches at school but it's not Obama's fault. It's because your parents are too lazy to pack you one.

[MrsOrtiz]

Well said! Back in my day (I never thought I'd hear myself saying that), we used to pay for our lunches, or bring them. The kids who got free lunches got only pb and j. I don't have kids, so I don't know if that's the case anymore. Only when it wasn't cool to bring your lunch did we start buying them. By the time I got to high school, I got a buck fifty a day. I'm sure mum could have made a weeks' worth of lunches for what she handed out to three of us. If you want special food, bring special food.

His daughters also live in the white house and ride in limos. Should all kids?

[lissaaylene]

In response not so much to this ad (which is apparently arguing for vegan/vegetarian lunches rather than just 'healthy lunches') but to your request that everyone who wants 'special' food should pack it:

Many children in the public school system are on reduced-fee lunches or free lunches. If their families can't afford to send them to school with a healthy lunch, that is certainly not the child's fault, and he/she should not suffer for it. I personally believe that public schools can and should provide healthy and nutritious lunches to children. Not just because food is a necessity (unlike living in the white house or riding in limos), but because it would take a HUGE burden off of our healthcare system if healthcare were addressed at the root of the problem, i.e. through correct diet and exercise, therefore preventing disease rather than letting it develop until someone needs to go to the doctor, have a bunch of tests done, go on medication, have surgery, etc, etc.

The fact is that lunches in the public school system are NOT healthy. Not that they need to be vegetarian or vegan, but they do need to be healthy. This ad is not criticizing the Obama girls for getting healthy school lunches. We're all happy they are well fed. But it IS about race, socio-economic status, and the existence of gaping inequalities in the U.S. and those are things that I'm happy to see being talked about.

[lilkunta]

I am a BO supporter, an Afr, & a lady.

This poster doesnt "invoke" Malia or Natasha IMO. This poster aska a very valid question.
I ate school lunch in Montgomery County Public Schools from K-12. They werent healthy.

[OmegaHunter]

No the poster is from a group that thinks schools should be forced to give out vegan lunch options. The girl in the poster is a vegetarian.

You'll note the poster doesn't actually say that, it instead tries to play it safe by suggesting that Obama is against school lunch programs..­.or something. And it tries to get your sympathy by not saying "Obama's daughters get healthy lunches. Why don't I get a vegetarian one?" which would be more accurate.

[Halfwit]

Read the article before posting your ignorance for all to see.
It doesn't suggest anything bad. I think it is progress that an A/A family is singled out as the privileged one.

[allonfla]

The ad implies that only the Obama girls get healthy lunches. And you know, I'm sure Obama is getting tired of outside organizations using his name, his image or connections to his family for profit or promotion.

[Halfwit]

Ir doesn't imply that at all.

[Brianfox]

This is another Republican strategy to drill down the hatred to the Obama family - Now loosed Republicans will run w/ this and probably start targeting the Obama kids in their vicious attacks - Pathetic..­.

[myjoyy]

Okay so are the Obama haters using this add to get young children to start hating Obama's girls? Uppity little girls. Way to go. get to the parents through the kids.

[KillBillV2]

"If there is no truth to the ad then it shouldn't upset Obama"

Sorry but if the ad were only talking about President Obama I'm pretty sure he would care less. The whole point is that they mention his "daughters" whom can't defend themselves and never asked for their names to be brought into an Ad whether it's true or not.