Michelle Obama standing by her man.
From The Chicago Sun-Times on Michelle Obama's " for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country" comment:
Words matter.
They always have.
Hillary Clinton learned that the hard way back in 1992.
At 44, Michelle Obama would seem to be the poster child for opportunity in America. A daughter of the South Side possessing immense talent and discipline, she went from Princeton to Harvard to a silk-stocking Chicago law firm to public service and on to a six-figure job at one of Chicago's premier hospitals.
Along the way, was there honestly nothing that made her heart swell with pride about this country?
I can't believe that.
Then again, would-be first ladies, even those who graduated at the top of their class, can flunk a test or two.
Hillary Clinton did 16 years ago, when she stuck a foot in her feminist mouth.
In the wake of growing rumors about her husband's philandering, Hillary Clinton dismissed it all by declaring she was no shrinking violet, no "stand by your man Tammy Wynette" type of woman. And she also defended her professional life as a lawyer by saying she wasn't the kind to stay at home, bake cookies and give teas.
It wasn't pretty. And even though her words resonated with those who felt women had been too long treated like second-class citizens in this country, there were many more who thought what she said was nothing short of a slam at stay-at-home-moms and basic American family values, the tone-deaf diss of a privileged person.
Michelle Obama now faces the same challenge and the same criticism.
While there are most certainly Americans who will hear her words as a simple expression of pride that Barack Obama's political trajectory is breaking once-unbreakable barriers, there will be plenty of others who consider it a dismissive slap at a country that has provided wide horizons for many of its citizens, including her.
In 1992, UPI's legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas observed, "Wives of candidates who express their opinions are more interesting than those who think they should be seen and not heard. But there are pitfalls to those who speak out."
Today we know, thanks to Bill Clinton's lack of restraint in South Carolina, that this now also applies to husbands and former presidents.
McCain's wife, Cindy, earlier in the day offered her own not-so-oblique criticism of Michelle Obama when she spoke of her own long-standing pride in America. And John McCain followed up last night, pointedly telling supporters how "proud, proud of the privilege" he felt as a citizen of this country. "I owe America," he said, "more than it will ever owe me."
This will be a long, hard, gloves-off battle for the White House, and don't be surprised to see Michelle Obama's words landing in a campaign commercial somewhere along the line.
The danger in these campaigns is that the roar of the crowd and a sense of righteous mission can trip up even the smartest candidates or their spouses.
Words matter -- and lurk like land mines the closer we get to November.
Words matter.
They always have.
Hillary Clinton learned that the hard way back in 1992.
At 44, Michelle Obama would seem to be the poster child for opportunity in America. A daughter of the South Side possessing immense talent and discipline, she went from Princeton to Harvard to a silk-stocking Chicago law firm to public service and on to a six-figure job at one of Chicago's premier hospitals.
Along the way, was there honestly nothing that made her heart swell with pride about this country?
I can't believe that.
Then again, would-be first ladies, even those who graduated at the top of their class, can flunk a test or two.
Hillary Clinton did 16 years ago, when she stuck a foot in her feminist mouth.
In the wake of growing rumors about her husband's philandering, Hillary Clinton dismissed it all by declaring she was no shrinking violet, no "stand by your man Tammy Wynette" type of woman. And she also defended her professional life as a lawyer by saying she wasn't the kind to stay at home, bake cookies and give teas.
It wasn't pretty. And even though her words resonated with those who felt women had been too long treated like second-class citizens in this country, there were many more who thought what she said was nothing short of a slam at stay-at-home-moms and basic American family values, the tone-deaf diss of a privileged person.
Michelle Obama now faces the same challenge and the same criticism.
While there are most certainly Americans who will hear her words as a simple expression of pride that Barack Obama's political trajectory is breaking once-unbreakable barriers, there will be plenty of others who consider it a dismissive slap at a country that has provided wide horizons for many of its citizens, including her.
In 1992, UPI's legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas observed, "Wives of candidates who express their opinions are more interesting than those who think they should be seen and not heard. But there are pitfalls to those who speak out."
Today we know, thanks to Bill Clinton's lack of restraint in South Carolina, that this now also applies to husbands and former presidents.
McCain's wife, Cindy, earlier in the day offered her own not-so-oblique criticism of Michelle Obama when she spoke of her own long-standing pride in America. And John McCain followed up last night, pointedly telling supporters how "proud, proud of the privilege" he felt as a citizen of this country. "I owe America," he said, "more than it will ever owe me."
This will be a long, hard, gloves-off battle for the White House, and don't be surprised to see Michelle Obama's words landing in a campaign commercial somewhere along the line.
The danger in these campaigns is that the roar of the crowd and a sense of righteous mission can trip up even the smartest candidates or their spouses.
Words matter -- and lurk like land mines the closer we get to November.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 8:05 AM
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