Quickie Review: Michelle O on "The View"
The Presumptive Nominee is a happy man right about now. He's fist-bumping whoever he's coming into contact with. He's thinking, "maybe I should make MICHELLE the vice president - hey, Hill was veep to Bill during two terms..." He's thinking, "what did Whoopi just say...Oh, it doesn't matter." He's thinking, "man, that dress was expensive but it was worth every PENNY." He's thinking, "behind every successful man, there's a woman...No, I better NOT think that. That's sexist as all get out. Hill would take me to town on that one...doesn't matter, she's not running anymore. Or is she...?"
Of course, I have no idea what the Presumptive Nominee is thinking. I only know what I am thinking: Michelle Obama's appearance on "The View" was a political slam dunk - a performance so adroit and so skillful and so savvy that the political attack dogs out there are writhing in agony. "Why couldn't SHE have said &%$*&@! instead of Whoopi," they're saying. "Why, why, WHHHYYY!!!???"
You know, I'm pretty certain (but, being a seat of the pants sort of blogger, not 100 percent certain) that millions of people suspect Michelle Obama is a Theresa Heinz type - the sort of significant o who just can't HELP but say something that will turn a hundred million Americans against her with just one verbal slip - or as Freud might say, a " lapsus linguae" that'll tell people what's really going on in her sub-conscious.
I'm no Freud, but her sub-conscious seems to match her conscious pretty nicely, if this outing was any indication. She was funny, smart, interesting and - most important - likeable. She even said nice and remarkably disarming stuff about Laura Bush. Michelle O - you don't mind if I call you "Michelle O," do you Michelle? - was seated in the middle of our kaffee klatch crew, and joked immediately (again, shrewdly) about the bump: "It's my signature bump," and Whoopi comes back with a good ice breaker (not that there was any ice to break) with, "you should be really happy it's not a chest bump."
Michelle O got all the hard questions almost before the first commercial break, which - from her perspective - is exactly when and where she wanted them.
How does she feel about all the attacks that have started up - the ones about her patriotism, etc? (Our "View" gals didn't dignify the ludicrous "whitey" slur with a question, to their great credit.)
"I take them in stride. It's part of the process. Of course I'm proud of my country. No where but in America could my story be possible. I'm a girl that grew up on the South Side of Chicago; my father was a working class guy who worked a shift all his life, and got two children through Princeton. He's now the coach of Oregon State - go Beavers! I tell people just imagine the pride that parents who didn't go to college felt through their own hard work to have us achieve the things they couldn't imagine. So I'm proud of my country without a doubt."
Now you may be as cynical as me, and think - "well, what do you expect her to say?" - to which I'd answer: I actually think she's being sincere.
Joy asked her the Hill/sexism question, as in - do you think that Hill was subjected to it during the campaign? Said Michelle O, "yes, people aren't used to strong women and at times we don't even know how to talk about them, so yes, and there were elements of racism that will go on [too.] I think Hillary Clinton has said she's created 18 million cracks in the ceiling and we need to keep pushing on it and keep pushing...so that when my girls come along they won't have to feel it as badly."
Masterful response. Notice the first use of "we," as if to suggest that even SHE might be complicit in this whole sexism thing.
Next up, Babs asked the 'ol "should Hill be veep?" question.
Michelle O stepped up to the plate, squared away, and saw a big fat pitch come right down the middle - without ANY heat or motion - connected, and sent that sucker right into the parking lot:
"My answer, and people have asked me this before, is that the one thing that a nominee earns is a right to pick the vice president that they think will best reflect their vision for the country. And I'm just glad I will have nothing to do with it."
Oh, you're good, Michelle O. You're very good.
(Above: AP photo.)
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Comments (13)
I like Obama, I DON'T like his wife! Before he became so popular in the presidential race, she was quoted as saying, "I'm ashamed of being an American". How could we have a first lady who is ashamed of who she is? How can she sleep at night knowing that she is a hipocrite? Obama - president - yes, his wife... I'll have to retink my position on who I'm going to vote for this November.
Now we are to believe that all those years of hatred all those years of association with Wright and Trinity Church and her condoning it's philosophy of sepratism have disappeared in a week?
What's next on her television rise to fame. I know let's put her on deal or No Deal with convicted felon Tony Resko as the M.C. "Michelle you can buy Mrs. Resko's lot for 40% of it's value; Deal or No Deal?"
Sure let's all run right out and vote for them because the 4th estate is making her a "Television Star."
Elections are not reality television shows. .Especially not this election. With her husband advising he wants our military to give terrorists their Miranda Rights and a court appointed lawyers when captured I don't care if Michelle can juggle 4 balls in the air while standing on one foot with her right eye closed on national television.
Her husband is totally unacceptable as Commander in Chief.
Send Verne his Obama check, in the tank doesnt do him justice, and neither does that liberal weenie report, very objective....
Obama is dumb, not smart, he sounds smart, then he screams Anti-American socialism, talks to terrorists, why should that be new, him and Ayers are old buddies...not to mention Wright, and his buddy Farakhan...
mark my words, wait for the first race issue in the news, I predict Riots everywhere...mark em...I also wrote him a year ago and told him to send his wife home and shut up...didnt listen
For the first time in my life I'm not proud of my country, neither candidate gives a rats ass about the people
Hey Verne (the real one, not the commenter), I think you just got your entire point illustrated rather effectively. Three comments immediately try to jump on Michelle... and not one of them could come up with anything she actually did or said on the View appearance in the process so they had to fall back on the ridiculous internet rumor-mill material.
That third comment there was especially priceless. "Obama is dumb, not smart". Uh-huh... because people who are chosen to edit the Harvard Law Review and teach constitutional law at a major university are routinely sub-par in the brain power department. Riiiiight. And oh look... apparently Obama talks to terrorists. I'm amazed that didn't make the news, you'd think a reporter or two would have noticed something like that. And I'm just oh so surprised that the same comment then manages to predict race riots during the campaign... these online comment-trolls are oh-so-entertaining.
"joe" just doesn't get how Michelle Obama's quote was taken out of context. Too bad.
And what is up with people attacking Obama's qualifications after the most embarrassing, bumbling "president" we've had in my lifetime has damaged this country's standing across the world for 8 LONG years? It can only get better, and Obama will make that happen.
Too many small you know what men on this list posting comments about the big bad woman. Too sad. She's wonderful and you need to get over it. Hiding your racism will make it easier for you in this culture. Racism is going back under its rock. Just watch.
Michelle was great on The View. She's an amazing woman and she's going to be an incredible, and very stylish, First Lady.
Sheep !! You should really think for yourselves !!!
It's the freaking View.
Except for Hassleback - THROW UP
She's amazing ? She's stylish ?
Are you kidding ?
She hates America and I bet (if your not black) she hates you too !!
IDIOTS
SHEEP
Peaple, really you need to think for your selves. Just b/c most of the View buys that b/s does not mean you have to. I know all the cool dems / libs like her so you should to. Go on now and follow.
I bet if Jacqueline Kennedy saw Obama on the View from Heaven (God bless her) she threw up !!!
Oh God, how low we have gone. How far we have fallen.
Sad :(
For the last week, it's been abundantly clear that Newsday is in the tank for Obama. While that really shouldn't surprise any of us, I had held out a glimmer of hope that they would at least wait until the convention. No such luck!
Hey Sheep! Do you really listen to what Obama has to say? Get past the "hope and change" nonsense. He's going to raise the taxes of the rich. Guess what gang? That's those of us on Long Island who are struggling to get by. Your $70,000 dollar salary is barely making it here between school and property taxes....but it's a king's ransom in the midwest!! And we are the ones who are going to get killed in taxes if the empty suit gets into office.
She is a pig and a racist scumbag like her whitey hating hubby and his ilk. The view? you have got to be kidding me. A bunch of man hating lesibians with a viewership of about 27- 300 pound houswives eating ho ho's waiting for jerry Springer to come on. The rest of the audience is comprised of women in offices pretenting to be working while they do what women do best leach off hard working men.
I am really embarrassed for a lot of you people. seriously, some of your comments are so out there, they're laughable! I didn't realize people like "Bill" were still around (and could understand how to use the internet) today. Really guys, all the racist talk is laughable, i really feel sorry b/c you are about to burst from a heart attack, and hopefully have your life saved by a black female doctor.