we’re a country that is “just downright mean,” we are “guided by fear,” we’re a nation of cynics, sloths, and complacents. “We have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it every day,” she said, as heads bobbed in the pews. “Folks are just jammed up, and it’s gotten worse over my lifetime. And, doggone it, I’m young. Forty-four!”
So, first she is just now proud of her country at 44. Now, she thinks Americans are "downright mean" and "guided by fear". One anti American statement can mean anything including a mistake. Two anti American statements now are starting to form a pattern. These two comments taken together can form the basis of a hypothesis that legitimately questions Mrs. Obama's patriotism.
Now, it is fairly common knowledge that the media gives Obama favorable treatment. I would be surprised if the MSM gives this anymore than a passing glance, however Obama's opponents now have something of substance to attack. You just don't get elected in this country with an anti American perspective, and this is now the second statement.
While I was advocating control and refrain in light of her original comments, I do believe that the Conservative media must lead the way in exposing these latest comments. The MSM is likely to stay silent so the public will only know if the conservative media tells them.
Now, I doubt very much that Mrs. Obama is really anti American. I am much more likely to believe pompous, however she really never explained her previous comments and at some point she will have to start answering for a growing pattern of anti Americanism. No time like the present, and I suspect the right media, at least, will make great hay of this latest gaffe.
Does it bother you that you're making pretty extreme assumptions about Mrs. Obama? Or is it worse, and you're too intelligent to believe your own self spin and therefore KNOW that she is almost assuredly a normal American who loves her country, but recognizes (or at least in her analysis believes) that the national mood AT THE MOMENT is angry, divided, mean-spirited.... but are nonetheless indifferent about whether or not its true.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong w/ analyzing strategy and recognizing how one can spin normal discourse into the fodder of character assassination; but to be indifferent about its deployment seems sadly cynical about democracy itself; a sentiment that would seem to be, by your own logic, un-American.
Eric
No eric, I think he's called it pretty much right. Since you are somebody who shares Ms. Obama's anti-American sentiments, obviously you see nothing wrong with her opinions, but I ask you this -- how can paying close attention to her own words consitute character assassination, except in the eyes of those who welcome Obama as their political messiah?
ReplyDeleteMrs. Obama is not anti American. She is upset that her country doesn't live up to its expressed ideals as "the land of the free and the home of the brave." She reminds us of Abu Ghraib, torture, the invasion of Iraq, George Bush, Vietnam, Jim Crow, et al. Patriotism is "supporting your govt when it deserves it."
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of folks assigning things to Mrs. Obama that she simply never said.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I never said she was anti American. I said she has now made two anti American statements in relatively close proximity to each other. I said I believed she was pompous.
That said, she said she is just now proud of her country. That means that her feelings go back a long way. Thus, Eric, based on what she said, rather than what you think she meant, she hasn't been proud of her country for a long time.
She also said that Americans are "mean" and "fear mongers". She didn't say that Americans have recently gotten mean or recently become fear mongers, but that they are. Again, that indicates these are long standing feelings.
I frankly am not that terribly concerned about what she did or didn't say, however you can't have a first lady constantly spouting anti American rhetoric, and she has done it twice. Furthermore, I am much more concerned with the press' lack of coverage. Had this been Cindy McCain rather than Michelle Obama, this would have been the number one story for a week.
As to the last comment, I don't know where you decipher Iraq and Abu Ghraib because she never mentioned either. If her impressions of America are rooted in Abu Ghraib then she is terribly cynical. If she is, then Barack had better bring some of his hope to his own home first, before worrying about the nation.
MS. OBAMA HAS A HOSTILE WAY OF SPEAKING AND AGGRESIVE BODY LANGUAGE. I LIKE HER HUSBAND BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF HER EXCLUSIONARY AND, FRANKLY, WHINY REMARKS. SHE WILL HURT HIM DOWN THE ROAD IF SHE DOESN'T TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE MESSAGES SHE'S PUTTING OUT...SHE IS SPEAKING TO ALL AMERICA, NOT JUST "OUR PEOPLE
ReplyDeleteNormally I would chunk it up to to normal liberal speak. But since They want to go into the white house and represent America. I find it troubling.
ReplyDeleteI saw an Obama rally on youtube with Oprah Winfrey. I am not sure what college it was at but it must have had 15-20,000 people in attendance. Oprah was on stage yelling out "I am a free woman".Time and time again she yelled this out. Sorry to tell you all but you put that together with Louis Farrakan, Obama's racist minister and now his wife who reminds me of Hillary on Steriods. Where there is smoke there's fire. These folks are scary.
ReplyDeleteI confess. Ms. Obama is right. I am guided by fear, the fear that the socialist Mr. Obama and his wife could possibly be inhabiting the White House scares the heebies out of me. We should all be fearful.
ReplyDeleteEverybody, get a grip. Mrs. Obama was just characterizing "conservatives without conscience."
ReplyDeleteNo big deal. And, no news either.
People on the right say this means she is anti-American, and people on the left say this is no big deal. The key is that this is the same type of stuff that is used time and again against Democratic candidates, going back to when Jimmy Carter said we were in a "Malaise". And trust me, it will be used against an Obama candidacy in the fall. The starry eyed Obama supporters just don't get it. It doesn't matter what they think about this, it matters what a middle class couple in Ohio think about it.
ReplyDeleteI am a democrat- let me state that first. Mrs Obama is surely making anti-american comments. She is making over $325000 dollars and is priveleged. Dont understand why she is not fond of her country. Maybe she needs to go to Ohio or the industrial belt or even to China where people
ReplyDeletelive paycheck to paycheck.
Guess you don't get the irony that this article proves that, yes, pettiness reigns supreme.
ReplyDeleteActually, people who rely on viral emails as their source of information on presidential candidates are un-American. If Barack Obama was Muslim, don't you think that the lead story in EVERY newspaper would be: "First Muslim Runs for President". But no, no thinking required.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is what is inescapably implied . . . that it is her husband, who not only makes her proud of her country for the first time, but also has the ability to change the hearts and minds of the mean, cynical, complacent sloths that are Americans.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder his supporters treat him like the Messiah - he is!
I don't know which is more unsettling, how they view us or how they view themselves.
If you don't agree with her, I will give you some advice. Turn your radio on to the local AM station and listen to the garbage that Rush, and company put out everyday. If that's not good enough turn on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and listen to there garbage. Log on to liberal and conservative web pages and read there garbage. Now, having done all that think about the statement that Mrs. Obama made about the status of our political world today. Spin that Mike and if you really want to do some good, type in your little blog on how we can avoid having to pay $100 for a barrel of OIL. Becasue, I agree with Mrs. Obama, I sick of this garbage.
ReplyDeleteA few things, I watch Fox News and I have no problem with their content, and I don't feel cynical after watching it.
ReplyDeleteThat said, she didn't say that the media makes her cynical. She didn't say THE MEDIA were "fear mongers" and "mean". She didn't say the media was doing this to her. She called out Americans, not the media.
Once again, you are trying to rationalize and excuse her statement by assigning to her things she simply never said.
If she had gone on a rant about how terrible the media is in general, we would have all applauded, and it would have been courageous given their love for her husband. That isn't what she said. She said Americans are "fear mongers" and "mean". She didn't indict the media but Americans in general.
Also, I just finished a piece on how to get away from oil...
ReplyDeletehttp://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-oil-to-energy-part-iii.html
Mike,
ReplyDeleteHi. A quick observation:
You just chastised someone for
"assigning to (Ms. Obama) things she simply never said."
Then you went on to say, "She said Americans are 'fear mongers' ".
But the closest thing to that which can be found in the original article is when she is attributed with saying we are "guided by fear." Being guided by fear and fear mongering are, of course, two entirely different things.
Worse is the way you misuse a quote from the original Lauren Collins article you reference. You make it appear as if the short paragraph at the beginning of your post is a quote from Ms. Obama, when in fact it is quoting Ms. Collins as she conflates and paraphrases Ms. Obama.
Your entire post is based on just SIX UNSOURCED WORDS: "just downright mean" and "guided by fear" for which we have NO context.
This is not a thoughtful critique of Ms. Obama's character or comments. It is a prepackaged rant that does little to help us understand Ms. Obama or to promote useful dialogue.
Come on everybody...let's stop shouting back and forth and start having some real conversations about things that matter. Let's start trying to understand where one another is coming from, instead of just jumping to our positions at right and left.
Mike, best wishes.
I just like to say that I am not surprised with obama and his group. He said if anyone fired a neg shot that he would fire that person, well? The longer i see obama, the more I notice he has problems with answering questions about some pretty shady stuff and keeping his word. thats what ppl in ohio has seen and now the rest of the nation is starting to see it. oh and by the way, he is not running to be the president of black people. in cali it is very diverse, he didn't win. In texas it is diverse, he didn't win. maybe he is only running for black people, seems that is the only people supporting him. And on the topic of race, obama's campaign and supporters made a huge deal about Bill saying j jackson won s.c. and all but called him a racist, has any1 noticed that 90 percent of black people vote for obama while 30-40 sometimes 50 percent of white people are voting for obama. seems to me white people cross racial lines and vote for whole they feel is better for the country while black people stick with there race. and if any black congressman spend there superdelegate on who they feel is right for the country gets prosecuted by the black community. Who is racist? What did MLK die for? My dad marched with him in selma. He was called a n@@@@@ lover and was beat up for standing for what he and MLK believed in. To here congressman lewis and others getting prosecuted for voting for hillary clinton is a slap to MLK's beliefs and should stop. We are all americans, all votes should be counted and should be there own individual right without force. come on people get with the program.
ReplyDeleteif any1 wants to debate this writing my email is chosen12_12@yahoo.com
Matt, you are right. Mrs. Obama said that Americans were driven by fear rather than fear mongers. I apologize. I mistakingly quoted her wrong.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the quotes I attributed to her are hers. It is inaccurate to say that Mrs. Obama didn't say that Americans were driven by fear and mean. Those quotes are hers and they are among several other cynical quotes that Mrs. Obama said.