The next best thing to a woman president...Ladies, we have MICHELLE OBAMA

[DogPoundPup]

CNN's Brooke Baldwin takes a closer look at the next first lady of the United States.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/11/05/baldwin.michelle.obama.first.lady.cnn

[chimpymustgo]

1. Sorry, that does not come CLOSE to cutting it. Sheez.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. incredibly daft and demeaning post.

[DogPoundPup]

7. geez,

you're not too crass or anything are ya'?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. its not crass to be honest. its crass to suggest the best we can do is be the wife of someone

important.

[DogPoundPup]

15. excuse me, my age is showing I guess...

I was watching a program last night and it was revealed that Michelle had promised her father before he died that she would be a public servant in some capacity using her Harvard College Education...I just think it is wonderful that she actually will be by being the wonderful, beautiful wife of Barack.

The two of them are so perfect...she is an amazing remarkable woman and I love her just as much as I love having Barack as our new president.

[No Elephants]

32. Sorry, being First Lady is not using your degree to b e a public servant, nor is

it progress for women, or we could have quit after Martha Washington.

Michelle Obama has been a public servant herself, in Chicago. In the White House, she will be Obama's wife. A help meet, no doubt, but, so was Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Madison, etc.

[Shakespeare]

47. No, she's 100% correct. n/t

[Chovexani]

21. lololololol

(this is the laughter that comes when your brain just can't handle it anymore, think Heath Ledger as the Joker and you'll see what I mean)

[Phoonzang]

3. Maybe after Barack gets out of office in 8 years she can run for senate

and 8 years after than she can run for Pres. :hide:

[Metric System]

5. NO POLITICAL DYNASTIES!

Now the shoe's on the other foot.

[Breeze54]

20. The 'dynasties' meme had to do with the same family serving as the president... not as a senator.

I don't know Michelle Obama at all but she seems together and very intelligent. She's also
a liberal Democrat. She'd probably serve her constituents in Illinois quite well as a senator. ;)

[Metric System]

24. You must have missed this part:

"8 years after than she can run for Pres."

[dissemination]

35. nah, many did not want Hillary because she was family to bill.

[Breeze54]

37. Not totally true. We were all sick of the Reagan, Reagan, Bush, Bush, Clinton... possible Clinton BS

I believe we are on the same page. ;)

[Metric System]

6. Yes, 8 years before running.

[Metric System]

4. Strange thread title. Michelle will be a great First Lady and role model but I don't like the notion

of settling for the "next best thing."

[Breeze54]

8. How absurd!! Is that you, John McPain! Gheesh!

:eyes: :grr:

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I mean no disrespect to Mrs. Obama, but it's not the next best thing.

[Honeycombe8]

10. I confess that I prefer the more traditional type of First Lady.

I have never been comfortable with First Ladies being political advisors, as opposed to wives. What can I say? I'm middle aged.
:shrug:

[Breeze54]

11. Do you mean more traditional like Eleanor Roosevelt ?

If so, then right on!!

Eleanor Roosevelt 1884-1962



http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande01.html

snip-->

Eleanor became much more politically involved in the postwar era. In 1921 Franklin was paralyzed by a polio attack. From then on, he greatly relied on Eleanor's mobility. He taught her to investigate and observe social conditions closely on her various trips throughout the U.S. so that they could discuss them in detail on her return.

snip-->

To Louis Howe, her husband's political adviser, Eleanor credits her "political education." He informed her of the issues surrounding her husband's various campaigns and positions, coached her on making speeches and appearing in public, and encouraged her interest in liberal reforms.

The Great Depression placed the social reforms in which Eleanor was interested foremost on the public and political stage. Under Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, government came to have more of a responsibility to and regulatory function in society. Despite a growing hostility toward women in the workplace during the Depression years -- the financial strains of the time contributing to a general regression to traditional gender roles -- Eleanor's position as first lady enabled her to gain publicity for marginal groups. She used her role to hold press conferences especially for female reporters and was instrumental in furthering women's issues within the Democratic party. She actively supported anti-lynching campaigns and fought for fair housing for minorities. For the labor movement, she investigated working conditions and supported the right to organize. These issues and others provided the content for her "My Day" columns, which she wrote daily from 1936 to 1962. The columns were published nationally and allowed Eleanor to reach millions of Americans.

Yet despite a life of frenzied activity, Eleanor always thrived on her partnership and her friendship with Franklin. His death in 1945 greatly saddened her. She lost a husband, a friend, and one of her most admired political leaders.

-----------

"What can I say? I'm middle aged." :eyes: - Is that the new code word for 'male chauvinist pig'?

Age has nothing to do with ignorance.

[Honeycombe8]

14. What kind words you have for another's opinion. But you are wrong.

I am not a male chauvinist pig.

I am a middle aged, white, female....feminist. I have probably been reading about, and practicing, feminism longer than you have been alive.

Age does something that you may learn in time: respect for others' opinions.

As I said, and ALL that I said, is that I confess that I prefer a more traditional type of First Lady. Hardly something that you should define as threatening or hate speech in any way.

Roosevelt's activites came about because of her husband's disability, of course. Most other First Ladies after her have been traditional. Rosalind Carter. Did you hate her, too? Jackie Kennedy. Did you hate her, too, for wanting to be traditional?

Traditional, yes. Ordinary, no.

One who was not traditional was Hillary Clinton. And I confess that I very much disliked her. I didn't vote for HER. I voted for her husband, the President.

[Breeze54]

18. You are wrong. Does this "middle age" you speak of have a number?

:shrug:

I'm also "middle aged". :eyes: So, put that in your pipe and smoke it! :P

I don't respect anyone whom thinks the First Lady or any lady that happens to be married should not have political opinions, especially in this day and age! Michelle Obama is an educated woman in her own right and a lawyer, by trade. To think that now, just because her husband got the job, that she should somehow become the "little wifey", just because she's now the First Lady is ridiculous, imho. You're over the top. No one mentioned or accused you of hate speech. Ignorance? Yes. Hate speech? No.

[DogPoundPup]

17. please calm down, I'm sorry for posting this story...n/t

[mtnsnake]

19. I for one know that you had nothing but the nicest of intentions

Some people should just lighten up and not take some things so literally all the time.

Don't worry, there are people who are poised and ready to pounce at the slightest drop of a dime.

[DogPoundPup]

23. Thank you ~

:7

I am so sorry though that I disturbed anybody on such a wonderful day.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. you can you're sexist. nt

[Honeycombe8]

16. Ha! I'm a female feminist. You don't understand feminism. Traditional women are as valuable...

as non-traditional women.

THAT is what feminism is about, sweetie pie.

You need to read up a little more before you get in the tank with an old hand at feminism. I've been living it for...let's see....it's 40 years since I read my first magazine article about feminism.

Get it? I knew that you could.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. i get that you are condescending and limited in your understanding of feminism.

and sexist.

[Lilith Velkor]

25. This is a stupid post, even for DU.

I'll just say this: I wonder if it ever occurs to men like this, that if there had never been a male President, how would he like it if the new female President's husband were called the "next best thing?"

Even though every female President (except one) had a husband? Were all those the "next best thing," too? :eyes:

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

27. Deleted sub-thread

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[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

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[Beacool]

42. Congratulations!!!

Enjoy the new baby in the family, children bring much joy.

:hi:

[Waiting For Everyman]

28. I find it interesting that the abusive people in this thread are great champions

against sexism. Why bother? As Pogo used to say, "We have met the enemy, and them are us".

Btw, fellow-Grannies, do any of you remember Gloria Steinem's first "big" writing gig? I do. A long-running regular feature column called "Teddy Bear Tricks" for Glamour magazine.

They forget whose shoulders they're standing on. Brilliant.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

30. no, i dont forget the feminists of the past at all. i just think its incredibly demeaning

to say this is almost like having a woman president

its not abusive to call people out on their sexism

[Waiting For Everyman]

38. Doesn't it seem a little counter-productive to attack a woman,

who obviously meant no offense to anyone, in the name of standing up for women? What about her? This has nothing to do with rights, it has to do with some imagined offense which isn't there.

And the OP is among the women who, ALL OF THEM, changed the landscape for women (especially in the workplace). Steinem and other celebrity "leaders" didn't do the heavy-lifting for women, no matter what they may say. It was the millions of women (probably like the OP) who broke into jobs and worked their way to respect and acceptance.

And how is there anything wrong with Michelle simply being the wife of the President? To say that work which is unpaid doesn't count, is demeaning to women too. So a woman has to be paid and take credit for what she does, or her work doesn't count? She doesn't count? How about a little respect for ALL women, regardless of their circumstances or life-path?

I think Michelle will be a great role model for women, and not by setting the world on fire at her law firm while she's there in the White House, but by being there and demonstrating the person she is and the character she has. She will very probably be doing some great things for people, UNPAID, UNPROFESSIONALLY... that doesn't count?

IMO Jackie Kennedy was a wonderful First Lady, and her biggest achievements were unpaid, as the wife of the President, much more than anything she did in a paid job before that, or afterward. Is she known for her reporting prior to being First Lady? Or for her editing afterward? Or is she more known for restoring the White House and building international relationships for JFK around the world as First Lady?

The OP was exactly right in what she said. And this thread is an example of what's wrong with how society treats women today.

Thanks OP! I appreciated your post, and I appreciate YOU! And a big congrats on your new baby Granddaughter. :)

Poster above, it IS demeaning to cut someone down whose views aren't exactly like yours. It's disrespect to her as a person, and you assume-away any contributions SHE may have made to your cause during her life, or in what she may have to say on it, by doing so. Yes, the comments to her in this thread are abusive for no reason. Call it whatever "ism" you'd like to. Attacking women to advance women? I call that a waste of time.

In 40 years (since I've been watching), "feminists" have not secured equal pay for women. I give that a big FAIL.

[mtnsnake]

44. Hear, hear!

:thumbsup:

[No Elephants]

33. Yes, but Steinem never claimed to be advocating for women when she wrote Teddy Bear Tricks.

[Waiting For Everyman]

39. Steinem wouldn't have had the opportunity to do more "serious" work

without the "frivolous" start to her career... writing to women on a subject some today would call "demeaning".

Where's the need to put down anything a woman does? How is that advancement? It's nothing but re-painted bigotry and self-programming.

I'll "pass" on that. I don't need any "experts" on "feminism" to reshape my mind for me. As I see it, all they did is create jobs for themselves.

[Nye Bevan]

34. Yes, both of my daughters aspire to eventually become the wives

of rich or powerful men. My only hope for them is that they find good husbands to take care of them. :eyes:

[dissemination]

36. The OP is sad and so is your

scenario.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

41. ...

:thumbsup:

[Beacool]

40. Sorry, no buy.

She is bright and well educated and may become a great first lady, but that doesn't necessarily make her presidential material. In the future, who knows?

:eyes:

[Waiting For Everyman]

45. Some here would count Princess Di as a "zero" then.

I guess she didn't achieve anything. She counts less than, say, Angelina Jolie whose "success" rests on her looks. Sure.

Personally, I don't want any of these women with "aspirations" EVER becoming President. The office isn't there to feed personal ambitions. I will NEVER vote for a woman to advance women. In just the same way, I did not vote for Obama to advance AAs.

This view of "feminism" is more of the "all about me" mentality, which I completely and totally reject. A person's worth rests in themselves entirely... not in their job title, not in what they earn, not in what they achieve, but in nothing more than their BEING. Anyone who doesn't know that is bigoted.

[Beausoir]

46. Pathetic.

[qwlauren35]

48. Poor Choice of Words, Dear.

I understand what you're saying. I hope First Lady Obama learns from the mistakes of First Lady Clinton, and wields her power from behind closed doors. But there is no doubt in my mind that the Obamas will be a power couple. Both lawyers, both self-made, both used to power and respect. I think the biggest difference between the Clintons and the Obamas is a happy, loving, affectionate marriage. But otherwise, they have a lot in common.

Michelle Obama will be as powerful in her role of First Lady as Hillary Clinton was. She's just very lucky that Hillary went first.

America would be a lot less ready for an African-American First Lady with a law degree if not for Hillary.