All day and yesterday I heard Michelle Obama criticized for her speech to the NAACP. I am not sure why. What is to criticize about her remarks? Why should she not urge the leading black activist group to continue their work toward children? Would people feel differently if we substitute the word American Indian?
I think it is more a question of timing than what she actually said. Her appearance at the NAACP before a vote condemning the ‘racist elements’ of the Tea Party provided tacit approval of the NAACP’s TP resolution.
The President and First Lady are supposed to represent all Americans. So rather than lending support to the resolution with her presence at the NAACP convention, she should have canceled her appearance and tried to be more conciliatory toward the Tea Party’s objections to the administration’s policies.
the naacp is a racist organization. how would people react to a national association for the advancement of white people?
The problem with her speech, at least the part about upping the intensity, is that it proposes no solution, no rational approach to anything. It just advises people in a corrupt and partisan organization to be shriller and louder, in the defense of policies that contribute to our status quo (the same ones her husband stubbornly sticks to).
So, it’s aural trash. The equivalent of telling people to keep running in circles, but do it faster and maybe you’ll get somewhere.
John McWhorter for example could have said something meaningful.
If I expected some type of controversial transformative speech about race from a First Lady though, I must be an idiot.
(I will say one off-topic thing about Michelle O. I do think the woman is extremely attractive. She was born with a face that is, um, not so phenomenal but through some sense of fashion, through the exercise she preaches, and through maintaining an even temperment … she’s pretty hot if you ask me).
I think she is attractive also, Rick. She also represents the country well.
Now let’s face it though, she isn’t going to the NAACP and lecture to them. There is a huge problem with inner city schools. She was right to address this issue. It isn’t up to her to come up with solutions. The NAACP collectively needs to continue working in this area. Perhaps that focus could replace some of the shriller, louder policies you mentioned.
I find it ironic that the same President and First Lady that pushes better schools, allowed Congress to kill funding for the only Charter school in DC.
Other than that, it wasn’t that bad.
What do you mean the only charter school in DC? i thought there were very many.
How can they control Congress? Does it bother you that the decision was left up to Congress?
Do you have any information on that Charter School? Is that the one that had so many problems?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/naacp-resolution-condemni_n_644302.html
Is this what all the hoopla is about with the NAACP? It seems fairly mild to me. It isn’t the first time its been said. All it takes is going to a certain dark screen and witnessing the Obama lawn jockey ‘joke’ (hardy harrrr harrrr) and the comments that are under that thread to convince me that there is some racism involved in the various tea party movements. I don’t need to see or read some of the posters displayed.
In this day and age, anyone should know that lawn jockeys in the image of the president are simply bad taste and reek of racism. My 105 year old grandmother would have known better than that! And she was definitely of another era.
Tea Party members need to recall that old song from the Jackson 5 and the Osbmonds: One Bad Apple
It doesn’t take many to spoil everyone reputation.
Thing is, all the arguements against the tea Party are arguements that could be made against the GOP as well. Point of fact nearly every Tea Party member, well 90% I’d bet, are generally Republican voters.
I understand the NAACP’s arguement after seeing them make the rounds on TV but I think they should just put a sock in it and stop pretending that some wingnuts on a lawn are worth discussing. The NAACP is just looking for a new bogeyman to fundraise, and at the same time looking to make sense out of what’s happening to Obama and his “agenda” (he’s going down in flames).
Rick, google Phillip Dennis with the Dallas Tea Party. He and Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington Bureau NAACP.
I am speechless.
@Rick Bentley
I mis-remembered. Sorry, it was a school voucher program for 1700 inner city kids.
One Bad Apple
It doesn’t take many to spoil everyone reputation.
Sooooo, I can safely say that the NAACP is racist, now? GREAT!
I googled the Phillip Dennis link. Are you talking about where Dennis slammed Shelton for slander? Apparently no amount of evidence, or rather proof that things did not happen, is enough to keep the NAACP from continuing the lie that the Tea Party shouted slurs against the Congressmen.
One thing DC has in abundence is charter schools. Unfortunetaly none of them has found any reasonable approach that can be applied to guarantee improvement in schools at any practical cost. hopefully along the way though individual students will benefit from attention.
I tend to not pay much attention to charter schools or to DC schools. I don’t believe any are outstanding…of the charter schools that is.
I find a better approach to be what PWC does. They have traditional schools that often mirror charter schools. (Like Pennington) The schools are wildly popular and have long waiting lists. They are part of the county school system.
The NAACP, having made their bold stand against greeting cards in recent times, now move on to the Tea Party – http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/11/naacp-urges-hallmark-pull-racist-card-shelves/
I more or less blame Hallmark also for caving in to that kind of pressure. It is obviously an ignorant opinion.
Furthermore, it wasn’t the entire NAACP who complained, it was only the LA Branch. That puts everyone else in the organization at a real disadvantage. They can’t do much about it.
Certainly the NAACP wasn’t the only organization who has seen or heard racism from some people who represented themselves as Tea Party. A little hop, skip and jump through the blogosphere will affirm that there certainly is racism. Everyone? Of course no. Some, of course.
“Furthermore, it wasn’t the entire NAACP who complained, it was only the LA Branch. That puts everyone else in the organization at a real disadvantage. They can’t do much about it. ”
Same logic goes for the Tea Party?
I thought it was a pretty well composed and delivered speech — a generalized call to action rather than an attempt to outline specifics and, therefore, quite appropriate for a First Lady at such an event. I agree with Kelly 3406 that she got caught in some currently very controversial crossfire, and I believe you really have to separate that from what she was trying to say.
I commend her for attacking the issue of childhood obesity, as mundane as that issue may sound on the surface in comparison to everthing else going on nationally. But, she is spot on in this one. As a Neighborhood Watch, one of our primary missions is to try to ensure the safety of the kids in our community as they play here and as they go to and come from the nearby elementary and junior high schools. In so doing, you cannot help but notice what these kids are eating, not only as snacks but even as meals. The intake of fast food, soda pop, and non-nutritious snack food has become endemic it seems to us. We notice this especially among Hispanic children and Black children, where the average weight and size is beginning to increase visually by leaps and bounds. Many White kids are having the same problem. Not so noticeable yet, however, among kids of Asian or Arabic ethnic backgrounds. The schools are trying to fight back through banning of certain drinks and better nutrition in the cafeterias; but it seems to us that there are far too many parents who are taking the easy way out when addressing what their kids are allowed to eat. In our view, The First Lady is absolutely right. These kids are going to face serious adult health problems if this keeps up. Parents of all ethnicities need to be braced on this. The fast food, snack, and soda pop road has just become too easy of an answer in their busy life activities. Therefore, I say: “Go, First Lady, on this crusade!”
Well put, Woverine. Something else no one ever talks about is the fact that many kids don’t go outside because their parents fear they will be abducted. That is horribly sad.
Rick, yes. It goes for the tea party as well. One bad apple and all. I am not sure what you are asking though. I don’t want to blame the entire NAACP for the stupid controversity over black holes.