Replacing Michelle

[lawrence]

> "Replacing Michelle" in the National Review "The Week" column.
>
> 'Some employees are simply irreplaceable. Take Michelle Obama: The
> University of Chicago Medical center hired her in 2002 to run "programs for
> community relations, neighborhood outreach, volunteer recruitment, staff
> diversity and minority contracting."
>
> In 2005 the hospital raised her salary from $120,000 to $317,000 - nearly
> twice what her husband made as a Senator.
>
> Oh did we mention that her husband had just become a US Senator? He sure
> had. Requested a $1 Million earmark for the UC Medical Center, in fact.
> Way to network Michelle!
>
> But now that Mrs Obama has resigned, the hospital says her position will
> remain unfilled. How can that be, if the work she did was vital enough to
> be worth $317,000?
>
> We can think of only one explanation: Senator Roland Burris's wife wasn't
> interested.
>
> ---The Editors of National Review, writing in the Magazine's Feb 9 issue.'
>

[lala]

What is it about career women that seems to infuriate the American right?

From another source:

Kelly M. Sullivan, the medical center’s vice president for communications and marketing, noted that Mr. Obama had also requested money for a number of other hospitals in Illinois, and she said any lobbying for the money had been handled by the hospital’s government-affairs officials.

(www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/us/politics/14campaign.html)

So nothing to see here, move along.

[Marshall]

Career women infuriate the American right? Ha, that's a new one.

Plus, you totally missed the obvious response in the article to the opening post:
. . . among those that had been killed were his request in 2006 for $1 million for an expansion of the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Mr. Obama’s wife, Michelle, is a vice president.

[flatandy]

Why is it that the American right feels desperate to pick on the work of spouses of Democrat politicians. For all that the left had a field day ripping bush new holes every day or two, they rarely went after Laura (or Barbara, for that matter, and even only took the proverbial out of Nancy's astrology nonsense).

[ricklinc]

"programs for
> community relations, neighborhood outreach, volunteer recruitment, staff
> diversity and minority contracting."

You don't replace people doing that. You get rid of the stupid trouble-making job entirely. That kind of lefty lib portfolio is what turns a western society into a whining mess.

[lala]

Career women infuriate the American right? Ha, that's a new one.

Sorry, I should rephrase. Democratic career women infuriate the American right. They seem to reserve a special venom for the likes of Ms Clinton and Ms Obama, that their husbands don't warrant.

Plus, you totally missed the obvious response in the article to the opening post:
. . . among those that had been killed were his request in 2006 for $1 million for an expansion of the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Mr. Obama’s wife, Michelle, is a vice president.

Didn't miss it. Didn't see how it was relevant. Whether or not it was granted was of far less importance than whether or not Obama was unduly influenced in requesting the money.

[flatandy]

You know, if the Chicago Medical Center paid Michelle $300000 a year for 4 years, and did it for pork barrel money, and they were only getting $1m, once, in 2006, they clearly weren't very good at maths.

[lala]

Hush now, theres a chance for some misogynistic raving. Burn the witch!

[Marshall]

I have yet to see Michelle being "picked on". This is the first story I've heard that comes even close and if it appeared that some quid pro quo was going on the issue should be raised.

About Republicans always picking on the wives of politicians, who besides Hillary?
And does the name Sarah Palin ring a bell?

[vania]

ooh come now Marshall. Surely you jest when you say you never saw republican ire aimed at Michelle (did you miss the campaign trail attacks?)

And yes the name Sarah Palin does ring a bell. But she wasn't the wife of the republican candidate, she was the actual VP candidate, so hardly the same thing.

[Marshall]

The stuff I heard thrown at Michelle was from some racist conspiracy freaks ("there's a video of her in church ranting about killing whitey") which was laughable crap. It was not from the "American right".
And your point about Palin justifies any criticism of Hillary. She's a politician afterall.

[flatandy]

Hillary wasn't a politician for the first 5 or 6 years of Bill's presidency, when she got a ton of abuse.

[Marshall]

Really? Then what the hell was she doing trying to push her health reform ideas through congress?

[vania]

So you didn't see anything aimed at making her seem unpatriotic and 'angry'.

How many times were those 'for the first time in my life...' repeated over and over again.

Flip's sake even Obama felt the need to comment on the attacks aimed at his wife (which Fox dutifully covered).

i think it's disingenuous to say there were not attacks coming from the American right, focused at Michelle who, in their eyes, seemed to be an easier target than Obama.

And in fairness it's not justy linked to the US right. I've even heard attacks on how much her clothes cost. She earns six figures she is entitled to spend it how she likes.

The attacks on Hilary went back to when she was merely the wife of Bill and many attacks seem to focus on her as a strong woman and how much of a 'ball breaker' she is (" reminds men of their ex wives etc...")

I've just noticed that career wives of democrat/left wing politicans get a much tougher time of it from the right than the normal cookie cutter Stepford models.

[Marshall]

The "for the first time in my life" thing may have been blown out of proportion somewhat but it is a little strange to say when you are CAMPAIGNING for your husband to be president.

[vania]

Doesn't seem strange to me when the whole thing was taken into context.

Which of course the US right decided not to do.

And even the vitriol aimed at Hilary came into force when slick Willy started running.

Even now she faces criticism which appear to be aimed at her as a craeer woman as opposed to just a politican.

[lala]

Nor is it an American thing, I should add. Think Cherie Booth.

[lawrence]

hahahahaha , fools. These politicians are all the same. GREEDY HOGS WITH A THIRST FOR POWER Their political persuasion is just a front to get support from one party of idiots or the other. Looks like it is working well.
Hillary not a politician AAAHAHAHAHAhahahahaha !.

[lala]

Well, obviously, all politicians are greedy hogs thirsting for power. But the ire seems to be directed one way. Anita Hill. Hilary Clinton. Cherie Booth. Theresa Heinz (Mrs John Kerry for those with short memories). None of them politicians, by the way (with the caveat that Clinton has since decided to shove her snout in the through), just successful career women who happen to have attracted absolutely inveterate rightwing hatred. Then add Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi and so on into the mix. Do you see a pattern emerging? How Michelle Obama gets treated will depend on if she plays it Laura Bush style or not.