After filing several press-release worthy stories on first lady Michelle Obama, New York Times reporter Rachel Swarns is clearly delighted in the first lady taking a more active role in the health debate in Sunday's "First Lady Steps Into Policy Spotlight on Health Care."
She has become one of the Obama administration's most visible surrogates on health care, announcing the release of $851 million in federal financing for health clinics, calling for tougher nutritional standards in the government's school lunch program and urging Democrats to rally around the president's efforts to revamp health care.
The high-profile emissary? Not Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, or Nancy-Ann DeParle, the White House health policy adviser. It is the first lady, Michelle Obama.
"We're at a critical juncture in the debate about health care in this country," Mrs. Obama said at a clinic here in June. "The current system is economically unsustainable, and I don't have to tell any of you that. And despite having the most expensive health care system in the world, we're not necessarily healthier for it."
After several months of focusing on her family, her garden and inspiring young people, Mrs. Obama is stepping into more wonkish terrain. She is toughening her message and talking more openly about influencing public policy as she works to integrate her efforts more closely with those of policy makers in the West Wing.
Swarns also covered Mrs. Obama inspiring young people in D.C. schools back in May, where "the students welcome her with astonishment." As does Swarns, clearly.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.
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And despite having the
July 21, 2009 - 14:22 ET by motherbeltAnd despite having the most expensive health care system in the world, we're not necessarily healthier for it."
Um, Mrs. O.... a "health care system" doesn't make people healthy.
She is toughening her message and talking more openly about influencing
public policy as she works to integrate her efforts more closely with
those of policy makers in the West Wing.
What happened to wanting nothing more than to be the Mom to her daughters?
Bonnie Erbe said, not long ago:
I believe Mrs. Obama's "Mom-in-Chief" image was created more by Obama
image-makers David Axelrod et. al. to soften her into a first lady
Americans could love.
She's probably right. She and her husband are two of a kind. They are both masterful at saying they want to do one thing, while they blatantly do the opposite.
It's amazing how
July 21, 2009 - 14:26 ET by Paul AtreidesAmerica has the worst everything in the world, yet we have all these people coming here illegally to get it and all of these crooks in Washington giving it to them.
July 21, 2009 - 14:15 ET by jessieHWell, LA-DI-DA, obama's woman is taking a stand on healthcare. BIG DEAL! The TEA party Patriots took a stand a long time ago. WE said NO. But just because she is married ( better check to see if you have a certificate, Michelle) to the man that is destroying the country, WE are supposed to give a damn? I don't think so.
Hey, MSM lackeys
July 21, 2009 - 14:23 ET by Paul Atreidesyou all got your collective panties in a wad over which newspapers Sarah Palin reads, why don't you ask your "delicate genius" which legislation he reads.
Oh, I'm sorry, asking you to be journalists in the truest sense of the word is in bad taste, isn't it?
Yet another "first lady" getting involved in political theater
July 21, 2009 - 14:29 ET by c5thenIt worked out sooooo well for Hillary.
Then again...maybe Michelle Obama is going to be Secretary of State someday. Of course by then it will be called the Foreign Minister.
Throw 'da bums out!
no one re-elected who voted for socialism or debt
www.loyaltoliberty.com
Yet, it was a dangerous thing
July 21, 2009 - 14:39 ET by Paul Atreidesfor Todd Palin to have a part in Sarah Palin's decision-making.
The only thing she has been
July 21, 2009 - 15:07 ET by kgThe only thing she has been focusing on has been taking trips around the world and flaunting her high dollar fashion statements while shopping.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
More importantly, what was she wearing?
July 21, 2009 - 14:30 ET by SickofLibsFocused on gardening? Is that toxic lead garden still there? If that had been discovered on my property, the County EPA would have cordoned off my yard with police tape and fined me daily until I "mitigated" it.
But glad to hear she's finally coming out of her shell. It think it's every 17 years, right?
Don't forget
July 21, 2009 - 14:40 ET by Paul Atreidesthose toned arms!
SoL... Interesting note on
July 21, 2009 - 14:50 ET by celatorSoL... Interesting note on lead in the WH garden. I'm a certified master gardener, and work almost exclusively with people creating new gardens. I have to do 80 hours of volunteer work every year to keep my certification up, and try to spend most of my time on the newbies to get my hours.
Anyway, to my point. The very very first thing I tell them to do is have a soil test done. Very easy to do, costs about $12 here in Maine, and you get the results in a week or so. We do that before planting one single seed. Period.
That soil sample (get a soil testing kit at your local Extension Office) will tell you everything you need to know about what's in your soil and what you need to do to amend it (if anything) to grow what you intend to grow.
When the results come back, you can tell IMMEDIATELY if you have lead (or other dangerous materials and elements) in your soil.
The fact that they are just now discovering there's lead in the soil, after those kids have been working in it, probably munching on the veggies, is completely inexcuseable. Someone doesn't know what they are doing. Like the rest of the White House.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
celator
July 21, 2009 - 14:55 ET by BlondeVery interesting, indeed.
Thanks for the info.
I hope he fails, too.
Blonde...The wonderful,
July 21, 2009 - 16:34 ET by celatorBlonde...The wonderful, inescapable irony, of course, is that Michelle is now presenting herself as "concerned" about health care (and no doubt will not be satisfied until she wins a Nobel in Medicine).
Is this all a bad movie or is this really all happening?
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Hillary Redux
July 21, 2009 - 16:46 ET by BlondeYeah, that's the ticket. Bamster might go for it too. That way, when it fails, it'll be MichelleCare that failed, not BarryCare.
I hope he fails, too.
Thanks, Cel
July 21, 2009 - 15:00 ET by SickofLibsIf only the Department of Agriculture complex was 6 blocks away - oh wait, it is! If only there were a few dozen professional White House gardeners - oh wait, there are!
If those kids were not immediately tested for lead that also is completely inexcusable. Course, we never would have heard about that, only what MO was wearing.
Try selling a house that has any deteriorating lead paint on the window frames - you'll become an instant Superfund site and guys with hazmat suits will be digging up your yard sampling soil.
SoL.. Exactly. In the case
July 21, 2009 - 16:29 ET by celatorSoL.. Exactly. In the case of the WH garden, someone was more interested in a photo op than in a kid's healthy garden. Lead is a very big deal, and yes, when you notify the state environmental office, you will have strangers wearing funny suits digging up your rose beds, for sure!
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
I was thinking more like
July 21, 2009 - 15:37 ET by Dan The Man 2I was thinking more like this than the circadas.
Mrs. Obama is stepping into
July 21, 2009 - 14:31 ET by MidAmericaMrs. Obama is stepping into more wonkish terrain.
oooohh michelle did all that?! She's such a fashion icon. Was she dressed really snappy when she spoke out? I bet she was. I also bet she had her toned arms showing. They're so dreamy. We are so luck to have such 'Royalty' to represent us. Other countries must be soooo jealous.
Oh spare me
July 21, 2009 - 14:34 ET by StarAZMaybe she can get some designer scrubs and come banging clogs and dig out an EOB and see what insurance is all about--do they get EOBs there? Probably not. Maybe she can call an insurance company--wonder if she's ever heard the phrase, "Your call is very important to us..."
By thw way
July 21, 2009 - 14:37 ET by StarAZTha Sebelius woman is like Cruella DeVille without the dog parka.
StarAZ,
July 21, 2009 - 16:01 ET by R D HelmROFL-Yeah, I think you nailed it with that one.
-Dave
Just exactly who is Barack Hussein Obama?
Aunt Ester said this in
July 21, 2009 - 14:41 ET by bigtimerAunt Ester said this in June and the reporter is all excited about this now, July 21st?
Hilarious.
I could have missed something here, I just don't care what she has to say, about anything.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Fair Game
July 21, 2009 - 14:42 ET by ricklailAs far as I can see she is fair game. She has interjected herself into the debate so she can be critizied just like her old man. Forget what she is wearing let's talk about what is coming out of her mouth.
Semper suprene nitens
North Carolina now has the worst government money can buy.
let's talk about what is coming out of her mouth.
July 21, 2009 - 14:50 ET by Paul Atreideslet's talk about what is coming out of her mouth.
I would, but I don't use that kind of language.
If she has her kids on stage with her, does that mean we get to trash them and then claim she brought it on herself?
Where's Granny O been at?
July 21, 2009 - 15:09 ET by SickofLibsKids? I think you mean props - and the little doggy too. Fair is fair.
But seriously, folks, what, is Granny O locked up in the basement peeling taters or something? What's she up to when the little ones are in school all day? Haven't seen hide nor hair of her since Jan. 20.
Training for the Presidency
July 21, 2009 - 14:52 ET by Andrew_M_GarlandA new phenomenon. It seems that the spouses of Democrat politicians are strongly motivated by idology and policy.
The role of First Lady is now a policy position, providing practical training and valuable public exposure leading to an independent political career, and a direct line to the Presidency.
If Michelle is the "woman behind the throne", why not give her the throne also? Hillary Clinton has showed the way.
Andrew_M_Garland
I'm going to go out on a
July 21, 2009 - 14:58 ET by SnappyI'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that now that Michelle has entered the public political light again and is taking a "tough stance" on issues she will no longer be "off limits" to critisism and opposing viewpoints?
Well, we know the majority
July 21, 2009 - 15:01 ET by bigtimerWell, we know the majority of the msm of all venues won't criticize her, but plenty of others will...fair game indeed, she won't be protected forever, well, not anymore than Hill was as time goes on.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
I think we both know
July 21, 2009 - 15:12 ET by SnappyI think we both know that the clock is ticking until the country gets another speach about how the 1st Family are Off Limits to critism and the press again.
Health czar?
July 21, 2009 - 15:13 ET by sevenMaybe the new Surgeon General who was noted to be a little chubby and ample in the cheeks could do a little workout with big Momma Obama and michelle could work on her cheeeks.
See how serious health is in America.
With the hoops star and the 1st lady both talkin' it up do we call that double drivel?
More on Michelle and those dreamy arms...
July 21, 2009 - 15:10 ET by herbivorehttp://nationaltrib....
Oh please. Sally Quinn
July 21, 2009 - 15:31 ET by motherbeltOh please. Sally Quinn said those arms are toned and muscular, burnished and beautiful (and apparently worthy of worship on Mother's Day!)
Is Quinn saying the she buffs and polishes her arms?
That's what "burnished" means.... made shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing
Good News
July 21, 2009 - 15:32 ET by slickwillie2001We should welcome this, because she is sure to stick her foot in her mouth. She's not nearly as disciplined as the Bamster, even dumber, and she won't have the first team with her to handle her. Keep the tape running.
Oh God, not that co-president thingy again
July 21, 2009 - 16:07 ET by R D HelmObamaCare is MediCare's fat, ugly sister. It's going to turn out to be HillaryCare on steroids.
Let's all hope (and pray), for the good of this nation, that it realizes the same fate.
-Dave
Just exactly who is Barack Hussein Obama?
Yea, Dave, this sounds
July 21, 2009 - 21:26 ET by celatorYea, Dave, this sounds like a two-fer again. :+}
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Alinskyite Deflection and Diversion AGAIN
July 21, 2009 - 16:45 ET by Reaganite RepublicanBarack Obama will never say to your face what he actually plans to do -or achieve- with these huge new government programs.Rather, you get some specious auditory performance with styrofoam props to wow the plebes, like the tacky greek columns in Denver. To him, the revolutionary ends justify the Alinskyite means- so the Dear Leader just tells you whatever he needs to. And the truth is that Obama is out to nationalize health care.. they'll be no private insurance industry left after five years of Obamacare... but of course he's lying about it. As for the American public, the reality that Obama is not up to the job seems to finally be setting-in; the poll numbers are now headed steadily south- is he already facing his Waterloo on this legislation? http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com
Once again, she does not
July 24, 2009 - 21:11 ET by b4m4wyOnce again, she does not care!! If she did, then she would be for having the same 'general' healthcare she is trying to push. It just isn't that good of a deal.
Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Ronald Reagan