Michelle Obama, who has a legitimate chance to be the next First Lady of the United States, may have just tripped herself up on the road to the White House.
She publicly said, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm proud of my country." She added that it is not becasue her husband is succeeding in Democratic primaries, but because she detects a yearning for change among the American people.
How can she not be proud of a country that has allowed her to go to an Ivy League school, to be wildly successful, to chase any dream?
How can she expect to represent this country when she has spent her entire life, until now, being something less than "proud?"
This was a major faux pas, in my little opinion, and this will haunt the Obamas all the way to November.
The Obama spin machine is a Tasmanian devil right now, offering this: "Of course Michelle is proud of her country, which is why she and Barack talk constantly about how their story wouldn’t be possible in any other nation on Earth. What she meant is that she’s really proud at this moment because for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who’ve never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grassroots movement for change."
Okay, so that's what she meant. But, it's not what she said. The political waters are starting to boil.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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2 comments:
Yes, you're right... but...
As a person who has conducted countless interviews with people, I though you might be a shade more understanding towards such a slip of the tounge. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've interviewed pepole who misstated their own point and even said the exact opposite of what they meant.
But you're right that she said something pretty stupid (even if she didn't really mean it), and will likely pay a price for 3-4 news cycles (50-60 on Fox News). I imagine this will have blown over long before the spring is upon us, except for the hardcore right wingers who think Democrats all hate America... and they were never going to vote for Obama anyway.
And while Michelle Obama said something extremely stupid, Cindy McCain's response was just as dumb, but she won't pay a price.
She said she has "always been proud" of America. Always? Even when the Abu Ghraib photos came out? How about during the Jim Crow era? Or when we ignored the genocide in Rwanda?
Clearly there's much to be ashamed of in our history, and a great deal to be proud of. Anyone who goes "all or nothing" on the proposition is making a mistake.
Both candidate spouses made that mistake. Only one will get much attention.
They made no mistakes. Let them say what they want. Thought this was America where one was free to express opinions. This includes spouses of political folks.
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