Hillary, Michelle and Big Bird

Could there be anything more telling about the difference between Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama?

Michelle Obama -- introduced by Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- tells diplomats and staff at the US mission to the United Nations in New York that she has just come from Sesame Street.

"...I never thought I'd be on 'Sesame Street' with Elmo and Big Bird and I was thrilled. I'm still thrilled. I'm on a high....I think it's probably the best thing I've done so far in the White House."

At the same time in the first term of her husband, Bill Clinton, Hillary was maneuvering to design and implement a plan for national health insurance.

Comments

[debrief]

Calm down. I hear Michelle is going to ride shotgun on climate change legislation. Get a grip.

[AvgPseudoIntellectual]

This is so inane.

FIRST of all, Hillary did not have young children at the time Bill took office.

AND besides she, um... failed. Bravo for her for trying, but part of Hillary's failure, from my reading, was due to personal ambition getting in the way of effective communication and negotiation. (Yes, men do this, too.) Michelle will not make that mistake, at least.

This is sexist nonsense. Michelle has done a lot more than go on Sesame Street, but you choose to highlight that as though it's her sole action. If you have not noticed the affect the Obama family is having on children -- families of color in particular -- you are missing a huge point. Sesame Street reaches out to a very broad, urban population. Her appearance was surely more impactful to those children than a failed effort which doomed heath care progress for nearly 20 years.

[2morrowKnight]

Carol, what was the point of this post?

[i5kfun]

Maybe Michelle doesn't want to put herself out there after the nasty personal attacks she endured during the campaign. But hey, there will still be haters out there, right Carol?

[ljmck]

Yeah, and we're still paying the health care industry to bleed us dry, so maybe that's not an "accomplishment" you want to bring up.

[cleveyucks]

And we all know how well that worked out for Hillary.

[michyh]

your point?

[MocksNix]

I'd much rather have a glass of wine with a classy lady like Michelle than a shot & a beer with Hillary!

[PennP]

Michelle Obama's appearance on Sesame Street was amusing and fun. Hillary Clinton's disastrous mishandling of a solution to the healthcare crisis in this country was anything but.

In terms of "telling differences," I'll take the one who's not doing us harm.

[tel8034]

Hillary was always a "political junkie", WITH HER OWN POLITICAL AMBITIONS, so heading the health care initiative (and rejecting input fom others for HER PROJECT) while her husband was president, was designed as jumping off point for her own political career ................. Even though her efforts failed on the health care front, she still pressed on after leaving the white house, ran for the senate and won, and eventually ran for the white house as a presidential candidate.

Michelle on the other had got involved in her husband's political career "kicking and screaming", and even after he became a state senator and then a US senator, she remained put, and stayed grounded in Chicago (she didn't follow her husband into the limelight, or into the Springfield or Washington DC world). Like Hillary, Michelle is supportive of her husband, but she differed from Hillary who was constantly at Bill's side during his presidential campaign ............... Michelle only showed up when it was convenient to leave her daughters behind ................. Her daughters' life came first, and the campaign second.

Michelle sees her role as first lady differently from the way Hillary saw it, because Michelle has no political ambitions for herself, and she has no need to build a political resume for any future political endeavor .............. So there is no point in comparing Hillary and Michelle as first ladies....­..........­.... It's like comparing apples to oranges.

Hillary was comfortable with the path as first lady, just as Michelle is confortable with her

[mamak]

good observation.

[DVSDVS]

Still mourning the Dem primary results, I see.

[SparkyDash]

LOL!

[Carol Felsenthal - Huffpost Blogger]

I wrote a profile of Michelle Obama, I believe the most detailed and comprehensive magazine profile yet written of the First Lady. It ran as the cover story in Chicago magazine's February issue. Here's the link:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2009/The-Making-of-a-First-Lady/

For my take on Hillary Clinton, see my book on Bill Clinton's post presidency (CLinton in Exile: A President Out of the WHite House, Wm. Morrow/Har­perCollins­, 2008)

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061231599/Clinton_in_Exile/index.aspx?WT.mc.id=Pub_WM_AV

[Jafo360]

As a professional, perhaps you should just rise above the petty back and forth of the blogosphere comments section, and quit trying to defend yourself. It's a little sad.

Perhaps you should just admit to yourself that this was a poor, vague article that did not convey the point or levity you had hoped, and move on.

[Freesia2]

Thank you for the link Ms. Felsenthal. I've bookmarked it and will read later (dinner things going just now). I find her fascinating - she really is an example of the American dream come true - and will look forward to reading it.

[channelerchik]

The heart-centered caring and nurturing that is the special province of women (altho of course many men are heart-based too) is what actually heals our society, altho it generally goes unnoticed except on Mother's Day. Michelle has tons of love, and shows it. That's why we love her.

[ruthinking]

and Hillary's health plan, which she planned in a closet with no input, never came to pass. FL Obama is planting a garden, encouraging kids, and providing the public an example of good family life. Michelle Obama is a success, because she is true to herself. BTW, Hillary had not given up on her health "plan" by this point in Clinton's adminstration, so what exactly is the comparison?

[dreffein]

I'm not sure I understand the point of this article unless it's to point out that someone as talented and gifted as Michelle is limited in what roles and causes she can take on. I think everything Michelle has done has been great but I'm sure she could do more if people were more open minded on the role of the First Lady.

[Freesia2]

I'm having a pokey day here and am also in a grumpy mood. I am about to go out and help stimulate the economy by getting a much needed couch. Our old one has to go and that means shopping and I'd rather have a root canal. (I hate shopping.)

So I'm sitting here in my bad mood trying to understand what point is being made here. I don't have an opinion - I'm trying to understand yours.

Thinking....I was never comfortable with Hillary's role in that. It was done behind closed doors and as she wasn't an elected official I thought there was something a bit over the line there. I don't doubt she meant well though.

Just as I don't doubt that Michelle Obama is carving out her own role. Her interests lie in education and families. Sesame Street is an American iconic show. She's a graceful woman who brings a variety of American interests and input to the table. (Though personally I was an "Electric Company" gal. I loved Morgan Freeman i.e. Letterman - faster than a rolling O, stronger than a silent E, able to leap capital Ts in a single bound! :-) )

I'm confused.

[SparkyDash]

Freesia, myself and all Americans thank you for stimulating the economy. I am also sorry you had a pokey day, but hope a new sofa will bring cheer to your patriotic heart.

You are not confused...you are spot on and provided a wonderful argument. It is the fact that such a post is encouraged that is the head-scratcher. Let's hope no money exchanged hands.

In my own bumbling synopsis: Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama are different because...now take a deep breath...are you ready?....they are not the same person.

Or simpler: We are all unique individuals and have different talents to offer.

or

Vive la différence!

[Freesia2]

Oui Oui !

Well I bought the couch. It physically hurts me to spend money. But my husband convinced me that our old couch needed to go where good couches go when it's their time, and that it really wouldn't want to be remembered in this condition. So I stuck out my tongue at him and bought a dadburn couch. It's blue. And I treated it to a matching chair so it would have a friend. :-) I hope President Obama is proud of me.

And I think that Michelle Obama is going to be the First Lady she is going to be. And I think she's really terrific. We've needed warmth and intelligence beaming from that White House - it's a reflection on our country - and in tandem with her husband, I think she's striking just the right chord with the country. It pleases me because during the election the right wing zealots tried so hard to paint her as cold and angry. (???) She's given the lie to that. It tickles me every time I see her in action. Class.