I am amazed by the amount of hype for Michelle's celebrity speech. Am I missing some information about her running for anything? I checked! Michelle Obama is running for the First Lady spot! That is of course a very important and influencial position worth supporting! Yes, vote for Barack Obama so that Michelle can become the First Lady!
Yes, she is probably an amazing woman. Like most of us. But, she is in no way making a history. She is supporting her husband as all the other First Ladies did in the past. There is nothing to celebrate except the same old, same old. Stand by your man...
I am a young, third wave feminist. I have a lot to thank all women (and some men) that came before me. But I cannot come to terms with the 18 million votes that were completely discounted and that are now expected to turn into Barack Obama's votes. Somehow, I don't think so. I won't get over it. Probably not for a while. The more you tell me to get over it, the more I think Barack and his supporters are full of shit.
Howgh.
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You're correct. Michelle Obama isn't running for public office, but let's not confuse your dismay of her popularity with what really bothers you. Ie: the 18 million votes that were "discounted." I'm not going to tell you to "get over it," but let's play it for what it is. Hillary Clinton lost the primary, which Michelle Obama had little if anything to do with. So let's not pit these two women against each other here. (They get enough of that from the media.)
I agree, I would never tell a Hillary supporter to get over it or wave Roe in their face but I cannot stomach the tearing down of another strong woman because she is NOT Hillary Clinton. Michele Obama has not just "Stood by her Man." She has a career. She worked while raising the two daughters in Chicago while Obama was in DC and she is proud of all of her individual achievements. Her speech was preceded by a video lauding all her own career achievements and her speech talked about her family which was fine. If you don't like Obama that's fine but please don't come on a feminist blog and talk down about another women like that. So she's not "making history." I guess if she's not the a women presidential candidate there's no reason to celebrate her personality and achievements.
I have only ever favored Barack slightly more than Hillary. I was a Kucinich supporter, and I still wish he would have gotten the nomination, but am willing to admit that he is a politician ahead of his time and people aren't ready for him at this point.
That being said, I do not agree that those 18 million votes should be counted at this time. I do think it was completely wrong of the DNC to punish the voters of Michigan and Florida because their governments broke the rules and decided to hold their elections before they were supposed to. However, given that everyone (except Hillary) took their name off the ballot in Michigan it is completely unfair to give all of the delegates from Michigan to Hillary. She did not earn them fairly. I'm not saying she cheated, though I am curious as to why she left her name on the ballot when everyone else took theirs off.
i have nothing against michelle obama. but, what bothers me about her celebrity (and i do think this was the point of vp12's post) is that it just goes to show how much more comfortable this country is with women as first lady, not as an actual leader. everywhere - including liberal websites - i see articles about her style, her hair, which past 1st lady is she most like, etc. and since joe biden has been announced as obama's running mate, i've been reading about how gorgeous his wife is.
see, i don't think the problem is that michelle obama ISN'T a strong person, who's had an incredible career and accomplishments - it's that most people really do not care about that. once you're 1st lady, that's really all you are.
ignorance. complete and total ignorance.
Funny, at least society has a place for female spouses of Leaders. Yes it's old fashioned and sexist but it sure beat the Black hole that is being a male spouse of a Female leader. There is no cultural narrative for them it's as if they don't even exist.
Bill Clinton doesn't count cause he was was already defined as a leader.
No, she's not running for president, and it seems like you are slighted by this. She's working with her husband as a team to have him elected as he's on the ballot, not Michelle. I personally think it is fantastic - and feminist- to have her out there, in the public spotlight, campaigning hard for what she wants. She's at his side as his equal instead of slightly behind him doing the golf clap with a demure smile, his accessory. She's an inspiration, if you ask me.
Just because it's not Michelle Obama '08, doesn't mean she should be discounted.
Different countries, different approaches. Obviously our first spouses typically have had high profiles in recent history. Not all countries follow such a path though that seems to be changing. I think of Tony Blair's wife Cherie or Sarkozy's wife. Is it the celebrity-obsessed world that has been changing it. In Hillary's case and Cherie's case (I don't know enough about Mrs Sarkozy)both women are bright, well-educated women who's surrogacy in campaigning was invaluable. That we have to endure the clothes, hairstyles etc stories turns my stomach .......
ON the other hand, I can't remember Maggie Thatcher's husband, I don't know the names of Ireland's two female president's husbands, what does Benazire Bhutto's husband look like? Perhaps it's apples and oranges since we have had no First Husband to compare the phenomenon to but it seems that the guys don't have to "do it all" and have platforms or honorable social goals .