It's A Whole New Ballgame, Michelle
This is the second time Michelle Obama has said something really dumb (the first being her quote that she'd "have to think about it" when asked if she could see herself working to support Clinton if she won the nomination). [Ed. note: Corrected quote.]
This one's a lot more serious.
This will really turn a lot of people off. For somebody who held a highly-paid PR job, she doesn't seem to have a clue about how things sound. Someone has to tell her this is a whole new ballgame, especially when the famously sharp Sasha Issenberg is covering her on the campaign trail. Look what he caught her saying today:
MILWAUKEE -- So what did Michelle Obama think of the United States before her husband decided he wanted to run the place?
"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."
Those words will come back to haunt her.
It's almost impossible to control the surrogates on the campaign trail, because they always seem to think the candidate isn't aggressive enough and decide to throw a few bombs. It's even more difficult when the person shooting off his or her mouth is the candidate's spouse. (As Hillary Clinton can tell you.)
Voters aren't into nuance. They just know when it sounds like someone's attacking their country, and the Republicans will take every opportunity to remind them.
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most americans cannot stand the truth. everything must be watered down to make america look good all the time.
lets see proud americans. a country based in imperialism and war mongering and capitalism that cares little for its citizens.
a country with so much potential but chose selfishness and human and corp greed over compassion.
Well, I'm not surprised by this. Turn the focus from the candidate to his wife. It is exactly what frustrated cowards do in politics.
Can't touch him, go after her.
How much pride can anyone take in that?
Ms Madrak = Another Clinton supporter who sees negativity when there isn't one.
The quote is: "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."
Most adults I know are very cynical about politics in America, and only 1 year ago, would have laughed ludicrously at the idea that this year, "hope" could be "making a comeback" in our country, which could "make you feel proud to be an American again".
Only die-hard Republicans who support Bush, or Ms Madrak, would still think that the state of our country during the last decade is "something to be proud of".
Geez, why is this news?
From a country that elected 'W' not just once, but TWICE. I don't think she said anything unpatriotic. There is a difference between loving your country and being proud of your country and certainly this country has done very little to be proud of over the last 8 years.
Was it smart to say something the Repubs can pounce on, maybe not but if it isn't this it will be something else.
Besides, the more I think of it, the more I think 'good for her' - The Repubs have a lot to answer for and we shouldn't be afraid to call them on it from time to time.
Do you really feel that Obama is such a strong candidate that you have to lie and distort in order to attack him and his wife?
You said:
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This is the second time Michelle Obama has said something really dumb (the first being her quote that she'd "have to think about it" when asked if she and her husband would support Clinton if she won the nomination).
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Here is a video of the full interview:
http://abc
Here is the salient part:
~~~~~~~~~~
ABC: Could you see YOURSELF WORKING to support Hillary Clinton if she gets the nomination?
Michelle: I'd have to think about that. I'd have to think about her policies, her approach, her tone.
ABC: So that's not a given?
Michelle: You know, everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee is.
~~~~~~~~~~
Michelle was never asked " if she and her husband would support Clinton ..." She was asked about herself personally. The only collective statement she made was "everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee is."
I don't know what compelled you to twist and distort the context to be something it was not. If you had bothered to see the complete interview (or if you had read the recent Newsweek cover story) you would have discovered that Michelle doesn't like to campaign. She is not planning to run for public office herself and she said that if Barack doesn't win this time around then she won't put her family through another presidential run.
Michelle Obama is concentrating on keeping her family together and as normal as possible under the unbelievable strain of a presidential campaign. Campaigning is not her first priority even when it is for her own husband. In the full context of everything she said, I think her response was understandable.
But what I don't understand is why you want to do the Republicans' dirty work for them and spread lies about a fellow Democrat. Shame on you.
How about Mrs. Clinton telling George Stephanopolous the race would be over by Feb. 5th.
Sounds dismissive of the candidate she claims to have respect for.
If Obama is inaugurated January 20th next year.... it will be the first time in my life that I can truly say that I'm proud to be an American. I've been saying this for months now.
I don't have any problem with what she said... because i know where she's coming from.
you should have a problem.
I was " really proud for the first time to be an American, back in grade scholl - when i understood just what this country was founded on.
There were times I hated my government like during vietnam, and protested accordingly.
But iwas, and always will be proud to be an American. we have our flaws, but we are one of the good guys.
Are you serious InDaZone? Have you ever lived in other countries? If you had, you would not say this. As much as I loathe the Bush administration, I will always be proud to be an American. Having lived elsewhere and taught citizenship classes to immigrants who could have cared less about Bush but just wanted to be a part of America, I can tell you that America is not so bad. BTW, I don't remember anyone saying anything negative about the US when Clinton was prez. Michelle Obama really should have known better, but that is not the point. Furthermore, to say that you are not proud to be an American is an affront to all the activists, administrators and soldiers who have worked so hard to make this country what it is. Do you think that a black man would have a shot at the presidency in Germany or France, two very democratic countries? Do think a woman could become head of state in Saudi Arabia or even Russia for that matter? Please-if you hate America and are not proud to be an American, I suggest you move to Canada with their 35 million people and supposedly great health care.
....She is _BLACK_
Do you _HONESTLY_ think that she had a reason to be proud of her country in the 70s, 80s?
And what were we doing that was so great in the 90s beyond, oh, I dunno, screwing those who needed it out of Welfare, giving massive amounts of money to corporate heads, and screwing the working class through Trade Deals such as NAFTA.
America is finally nominating a Woman or a Black Man for office, instead of just another good Ol Boy.
I'm pretty damn proud of America for hte first time in MY adult life too.
The voters aren't into Nuance when their only source of information is those who talk _at_ them. That's what Obama's campaign has demonstrated-- the Internet has provided us the ability to Dialogue with our leaders..
And that's why this ridiculous, stupid hit-piece will end up disappearing, being lost into irrelevance, as it should be.
are you crazy? seriously.
why dont obama supporters want to see bary and michelle for who they are? extremely liberal, out of touch... they have no clue what anyone in the middle class goes through?
he is isnt even black sweetie. he's exploiting that too... do your homework!
http://ken
everybody's got their opinions..
but how do people say Barack ain't Black?
wtf is he then?....h
if they came in the room arresting Black people, he'd be gone...he'
wow.
Extremely liberal and out of touch with what people in the middle class go through.
AND hes lying about being Black.
so...hes..
His Father is from Kenya....a
Kenya= Africa
Kansas= America
but hes NOT African-American.
o.......k.
I thought it had become taboo to mention BLACK by the Obama campaign
We do not all have the same American experience and so we do not all have a similar or positive level of regard for America at any given time. Black people have basically had but 54 years to start getting "really" proud of this country. Even then, we've had some setbacks along the way. Before that, we simply worked for America without any pay or little pay after that, and we have died for America in every war America has fought. (Black soldiers who were members of the "greatest generation" were made to get off of trains headed south and get on the back of those trains while captured German soldiers were allowed to ride in the better accommodations in the front of the trains. Were those Black soldiers supposed to be proud of their country?)
My country right or wrong? Sure. That does not require that I be proud of it. Indeed, I'd like to know how that feels just once before I die.
"Voters aren't into nuance. They just know when it sounds like someone's attacking their country"
Oh, sorry... right... I forgot, I'm so supposed to be so stupid that I immediately slap a flag on my forehead and demand that she either love America or leave it.
Give me a break.
Not this bunch. They like it. This is like some spooky third party candidacy.
I am sorry, but anyone who is arrogant enough to say, "We are the ones you've been waiting for...."
Well, that pretty much says it all.
Of course she's not proud of America.
They hadn't yet arrived.
For God's sake, get your facts straight. The line was, "We are the one's WE'VE been waiting for."
Well, it's a good thing they didn't say "We are the ones you've been waiting for.." What WAS said was an old Hopi incantation, "We are the ones we've been waiting for." Hopefully, you understand the difference.
You are misquoting
it is "we are the ones WE have been waiting for"...
That is to say that we are the ones who can bring change to our country by standing together and standing up for what is right. Obama never has said he can fix every problem on his own, he has said we can do it together. He is a leader and can inspire us to work together for a better future.
Listen to him speak and listen to Hillary speak and compare. Obama is ...we,we,w
Being inclusive of course has a negative connotation only to those who feel it is their "right" and that they are entitled - sounds familiar..
Huh? Obama has NEVER said "We are the ones you've been waiting for."
What he said was: "We are the ones WE'VE been waiting for, we are the change that WE seek."
It means: Change will not come if we wait for someone else to do it, or wait for some other time.
WE are the ones who must save ourselves. It was a speech about empowerment, for christ's sake.
Lets see- the country is founded on land stolen from native people massacred by good Christians in thanks for their hospitality, built by unpaid labor by stolen Africans under the whip and chain of of good Christians.
We have overthrown the governments of Iran, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and now Iraq as well as arranged for lifelong thugs to rule over others.We condemn untold millions to destitution under dictators so we can take their natural resouces for almost nothing or have them work in factories so we can buy cheaply at Walmart.
We avoid any kind of social net in the fear that people of color , women or children may get something for free, while we freely dole out corporate welfare to CEO friends of the elite.
What"s not to be proud of?
Oh yeah - 9/11- our shining moment,where many of our finest civil servants worked 70 hr weeks exposed to the best toxins the chemical industry had to offer without protection and are now denied disability.
The government of this country is not only hopeless , its shameless!
yeah I guess the author hasn't read "a people's history of the united states."
recommended reading for those who aren't content to live by a myth.
http://www
preach, tbone!
You are free to leave this country at any time.
For the first time in my adult life, I'm starting to feel proud of America, too.
Proud of the fact that a woman and black man are serious contenders for the presidency.
Proud of the fact that the country seems willing to finally say NO to decades of dynastic rule, insider politics, lobbyists, bad economic policy, and the corporatization of nearly every aspect of our lives.
I'm proud of the fact that we might soon be able to repair our reputation as a nation around the world.
I'm proud that we finally seem willing, as a nation, to step out of the shadow of fear and restore some of the rights that have been taken away from us in this so-called "land of the free."
I'm proud of the fact that we have a younger generation of bright and bold voters coming up who are shaking us all out of our apathy.
Why should Michelle Obama be faulted for saying what so many of us feel? I admire her honesty and forthrightness.
These kinds of "those words will come back to haunt her" threats make it make it seem like the Gulag is still watching us.
http://www
right on, Oz. I couldn't agree more. Bottom line: Bush-Clint
This comment is one of many lately (from all sides) that leads me to suggest that all candidates and all of their supporters should shut up long enough to engage their brain before speaking. I know, for some that could be a very long and painful pause. But the silence would be truly golden for the rest of us!
Wisconsin is tight. It's testy time, for sure!
I can't figure out why Wisconsin is so tight, to be honest.
I thought Obama had it sewn up.
If you look at the demographics it is obvious that Hillary should be up by 10 - 20 points there. She should take WI.
I'm not surprised at all that many of you Obama supporters agree with her.
I've decided that quite a lot of people who support him are very bitter, angry, and have been for a long time.
That explains the uncivility towards Hillary Clinton, the rudeness toward anyone who doesn't agree with you, and the complete inability to discuss real issues.
You truly are the disenfranchised.
And you relate to this woman's very sad and demeaning statement that puts down so many wonderful people in our country.
Only she and Barak are even worth talking about, right?
What arrogance.
Who does the statement put down?
Everyone who has worked hard to make the country better, everyone who has earned the right to feel proud of their accomplisments, everyone who participates in life and loves seeing progress made.....
It's just a kind of negativity that she and Barak both seem to leak out.
I honestly saw it a long time ago. Not that I would have ever supported his candidacy. Not my cuppa tea.
But I don't think she should try to change. Frankly, I doubt she can.
It's an attitude.
Your dismissive attitude is very rude, Ann.
Hey....lik
sad and demeaning ? You need to get out more...
AnninCa you embody the very characteristics of the Clinton supporters I cant stand. Since the beginning of this campaign you have adopted your candidates dimissive, partonizing, and insulting attitude toward a fellow DEM who has done more in his "short" (exactly 4yrs more lengthy than Hillarys) career than Hillary has been able to do in "35 yrs". You have been angry and self-righteous in believing this was her due and that the voters who disagree(all 23 states) should be ridiculed and dismissed.
And if the game still doent go your way the rules should change in the middle. I remember hating another candidate that attemped to win a campaign with lies and back-stabb
You are quite wrong. I never thought she was inevitable.
But that's another trait. Loads of assumptions being made here.
Mostly wrong.
Nice try. I'm listening to the speech right now on C-Span. As always when I listen to Michelle, I have to fight to hold back tears as she relates the struggles of her life to the struggles of my own. When she talks about how she couldn't be where she is right now without the help and support of her 70-year-old mother, I think about where I'd be without the help of my 80-year-old parents.
I know what she sounds like - how she sounds. She sounds like my sister.
Shame on you for casting any kind of apsersion on this most powerful voice for us regular folks.
And for the first time in my life, I too feel proud of my country.
That is incredibly sad to hear. I'm sorry you've been such a victim.
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