Newsweek reporter Andrew Romano, a specialist in the youth vote (because he's Princeton '04), attempts to describe how he found the under-30 generation adores the marital bliss of the Obamas in this week's magazine. The article is headlined "Our Model Marriage: The Obamas have the kind of relationship millennials aspire to." Romano described how his contemporaries were much wilder in their enthusiasm for the Obamas than they were for rapper Kanye West, and how they have become for young voters "the swooniest couple around."
Kanye West is a tough act to follow -- unless you are a middle-aged couple slow dancing to tuba music. It's unlikely that anyone watching last month's Youth Inaugural Ball on TV noticed much difference between how the crowd of millennials welcomed the Louis Vuitton don and how they reacted, a few minutes later, when Barack and Michelle Obama took the stage. But if you were actually in the audience -- like me, and my eardrums -- the change was impossible to ignore. The young people screamed. The young people sighed. Several young people even began to weep. "I hope my husband looks at me like that someday," said one girl. When the song stopped, Obama leaned into the mike. "That's what's called 'old school'," he cracked. The new-school crowd responded like a bunch of banshees.
Story Continues Below Ad ↓At the time, I attributed the scene to inauguration-induced hysteria. But since Jan. 20, a dozen peers have confirmed that what I witnessed in Washington wasn't a fluke. "Yeah," a friend admitted. "I'm totally obsessed with the two of them together." Which got me thinking: have the president and his wife become for 20-somethings what the stars of "Twilight" are for tweens -- the swooniest couple around? And if so, what does that say about us? [Italics his.]
Romano and Newsweek don't seem to consider that perhaps a screaming and weeping crowd at an Obama inaugural ball might not be the most representative cross-section of under-30 Americans, even if Obama drew more votes in that age group. Surely, Newsweek never assumed that everyone under 30 in the 1980s was screaming and weeping over the Reagans.
By all appearances, the Obamas seem to have a sound marriage that can be admired. For one of those jaded journalists, Romano never lets on to readers that perhaps how the Obamas behave in TV interviews and televised events might have a smidgen of political calculation in it. Those swooning media elites can't argue that George and Laura Bush didn't have a strong marriage, but apparently, it's not a "model marriage" because liberals assert there's no equality in it. Maybe they just can't admire the marriage because they didn't adore the man, as they do Obama. Romano claimed there's not much hope to be drawn from recent White House marriages:
My hunch is that millennials are going gaga over Barack and Michelle because they want to be Barack and Michelle. It's not that other generations can't admire the Obamas' bond; their marriage -- a union of self-sufficient equals -- embodies the post-'60s ideal. But unlike their elders, most millennials have yet to experience marriage firsthand, and what they've experienced by proxy hasn't been particularly encouraging: a 50 percent divorce rate, a steep rise in single parenthood, a culture captivated by cheap celebrity hookups. Even America's most visible household hasn't offered much hope, veering from '50s-era subservience (the Reagans) to boomer dysfunction (the Clintons). But now the Obamas – two independent individuals who also appear to be (surprise!) in love – have filled the void. For young people who have rejected the tired "wife in the kitchen" template but resolved not to follow their parents to divorce court, it's a relief to see that the sort of marriage they hope to have – equal and devoted – can actually exist.
These first three paragraphs in the Newsweek piece don't have any real "news" in it, no hard facts, just a young liberal man discussing how he and his friends loved an Inaugural ball and his "hunches" over why they adore the Obamas as role models. It makes you wonder if the "news" magazine is already extinct.
Romano concluded with admiring how Obama is willing to "let himself seem vulnerable, even submissive" in his public appearances:
But ultimately I think it's the Obamas' willingness to act in public much how they act in private – open, informal, flirtatious – that has incited most of the swooning. At the Youth Ball, I noticed the president do something that's impossible to imagine any of his predecessors doing: resting his head, eyes closed, on Michelle's shoulder. It reminded me of other times Obama has let himself seem vulnerable, even submissive....These unguarded moments once led Slate's Melinda Henneberger to ask "whether a husband who not only bows to his wife but admits it conforms to our notion of … strength." For millennials inspired by the first couple's modern marriage – a group that sees greater strength in celebrating domestic equality than concealing it – the answer is apparently yes. After all, anything less would be, like, totally old school.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Well, at least
February 18, 2009 - 09:03 ET by legacyrepublicanthey aren't swooning over the marriage of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
A little improvement. Very little.
Obama as the State
February 18, 2009 - 09:04 ET by nadadhimmiAfter hearing comments such as: Obama is the true meaning of America, I am reminded of another quote from the 1930's: "Deutchland ist Hitler und Hitler ist Deutchland". These statements were also made with tears in the eyes of the utterers, and with national pride. Oh yes, we are in a Cult of Personality here and they NEVER END WELL!! Neither will this one.
Agreed. It always makes
February 18, 2009 - 10:04 ET by TheConservativeChemistAgreed. It always makes me laugh when you hear idiot kids who know nothing of the real world who have never had to make it on their own (let's face it, if he went to Princeton I'm sure mommy and daddy footed the bill for EVERYTHING) try to tell those of us with actual LIFE EXPERIENCE (and while I'm only 29, I know I have more than this phony) how we should act and think.
No wonder leftists always go for the ignorant 18-25 yr old college vote! High taxes and all this social welfare pie-in-the-sky crap sounds great to an idealistic clueless kid. That's why I think paying taxes should be a requirement to vote. Why should someone who is unemployed, lazy, or too young be voting to raise MY TAXES when it doesn't impact them as well?
One of my favorite quotes: "If you don't vote Democrat in your 20s, you have no heart....if you don't vote Republican in your 40s, you have no brain"
In general today's young generation is stupid...be very afraid for this country...
Even for free I won't read Newsweek
February 18, 2009 - 09:08 ET by cftotoWe get a free copy of Newsweek delivered to our home ... and occasionally I'll crack it if I'm starved for something to read. Then I'll come across an article like this and I'll toss the magazine aside. If I want an Obama fanzine I'll order one.
Check out whatwouldtotowatch.com for the latest movie news and reviews
I use it for toilet paper....
February 18, 2009 - 09:24 ET by Lord Erond...or bird cage liner if I'm desperate. But read it? HAH!
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
Newsweak the Shahinshah fanzine
February 18, 2009 - 10:04 ET by UnsaneThe terms Newsweak and "Shahinshah fanzine" are interchangeable, as this gushing article shows.
And oh yes, this is a personality cult, no doubt about it.
"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!!! THE HOLOCAUST OF THOUGHT IS DAWNING!!!" - Nevermore, "Bittersweet Feast", from This Godless Endeavor (2005)
This is positively
February 18, 2009 - 09:22 ET by motherbeltThis is positively gag-inducing!
This guy acts as if the Obamas are the first couple...like....ever.... to love each other.
The Bushes had a loving marriage; W said that his wife Laura saved his life....we'll skip over the Clintons; George and Barbara Bush have been married how many years? And then the Reagans...Nancy's devotion (the media's ridicule of her not withstanding) to her "Ronnie" right up to the end when he didn't even know her, should be legendary. Even the Carters have, to all appearances, a long-lived loving marriage.
But for this twit history began on the day Barack took office, and all other relationships just pale beside the splendor of "Barack and Michelle." Why, because they are affectionate in public?
Every generation thinks its own "interpretation" of what constitutes a good relationship is the right one, and the best one. So this generation of "millenials" approve.
Big, fat, hairy deal!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
At the Youth Ball, I
February 18, 2009 - 09:21 ET by SeashellAt the Youth Ball, I noticed the president do something that's
impossible to imagine any of his predecessors doing: resting his head,
eyes closed, on Michelle's shoulder.
I'm not quite sure exactly what the big deal is over the "head resting" thing. I think this guy is looking for anything (no matter how ridiculous) to glamorize Obama.
That's just more
February 18, 2009 - 09:24 ET by motherbeltof the "Cult of Personality" surrounding this couple.
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
What a little pissant know-nothing twit
February 18, 2009 - 09:22 ET by Lord ErondGrow up and learn something of life you little liberal larvae before you start shooting your mouth off about garbage you know little of and have even less understanding.
"What you can not enforce, do not command" -Sophocles-
The NEA has done their job
February 18, 2009 - 09:24 ET by 10ksnookerThe NEA has done their job and been appropriately rewarded.
Obamas' bond; their
February 18, 2009 - 09:31 ET by Dan The Man 2Obamas' bond; their marriage -- a union of self-sufficient equals -- embodies the post-'60s ideal
And that statement is the reason there is a horendous divorce rate. The Bible says they shall cleave to one another and become one. A lesson modern man should ponder on. Marriage is when I found teh woman I wanted to give my life for, to give up being an individual and sacrifice for her and hopefully she for me.
A lifelong committment a bonding and not a "union" of two self sufficient individuals. Rather a man and a woman who realize the othe other completes them.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
"And if so, what does that say about us?"
February 18, 2009 - 09:42 ET by Mike BrattonWell, Andrew, it says a few things.
It says that children are taking longer and longer to grow up these days--despite lamentations to the contrary.
It says (as has been noted previously) that children like you have precisely no understanding or comprehension of even recent history, even with regard to the largely esoteric area of First Couples and their relationships.
And it also says that the Obama personality cult has fertile ground in people such as yourself.
I'm an optimist, but this country is in grave danger.
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport...
Peter Pan lives
February 18, 2009 - 10:09 ET by UnsaneIt says that children are taking longer and longer to grow up these days--despite lamentations to the contrary. And this is where the grave danger to our country lies. There are way too many people out there suffering from Peter Pan syndrome - The Don't Want To Grow Up. They don't want high school to end; they want the government to be a big parent that dispenses allowance money every so often, a way to shield them from the harsh realities of life. That this is true of quite a few people under 30 is bad enough. But it also holds for people OVER 40.
It is so strange to me. I couldn't wait for adulthood because, well, I knew that once I began to assume more responsibilities for myself, the more independent I would become. I can't understand some people's fascination with wanting to crawl back up into the womb.
"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING!!! THE HOLOCAUST OF THOUGHT IS DAWNING!!!" - Nevermore, "Bittersweet Feast", from This Godless Endeavor (2005)
~Unsane
February 18, 2009 - 10:36 ET by choselife3xAbsent father + super indulgent "my baby doesn't have a father but I was able to give him everything he wanted anyway 'cause I'm so GOOD" mother = immature, self-indulgent, whiny crybaby selfish @ss****s.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
"and if so,
February 18, 2009 - 09:45 ET by UpNorthwhat does that say about us"? It says you're as shallow as the first couple, leaving a restaurant with a doggie bag. How embarrassing for this country, if W and Laura had done that, he would have been pilloried from that day til the end of his term, even more than he was. Or if Mrs. Bush had appeared in public in some of the obamanations that M has worn in public, ala the Black Widow dress. Gah, these people and their fixation make me gag.
I take doggie bags home,
February 18, 2009 - 09:52 ET by SickofLibsI take doggie bags home, too, but I have an actual doggie to give it to.
revenge of the nerds
February 18, 2009 - 09:51 ET by lotrHow old is this dork? Wait, lemme guess -- about 26 and a half or so? Here's the problem with adult age self-identification (unlike something like race or sex): With every passing second, this "20-something" is making his way toward "30-something," then, God willing, "40-something," etc. What's going to be Andrew's "hook" 4 years from now?? Is he an adult or not?
While I'll agree that the Obamas do, in fact, by all appearances seem to have a very healthy marriage, this fact could've been summed up in a couple sentences, without the nauseating droning on, and the inevitable feminizing of the male role (e.g., "Obama has let himself seem vulnerable, even submissive...."). Dude, get a grip and grow a pair.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
"Obama has let himself seem
February 18, 2009 - 10:59 ET by motherbelt"Obama has let himself seem vulnerable, even submissive...."). Dude, get a grip and grow a pair.
That made me laugh out loud!
I commented in another thread that the pendulum seems to have swung so far that now it is the men who are getting all teary-eyed at the drop of a hat, and the women who are now not supposed to weep publicly....
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
MB
February 18, 2009 - 13:30 ET by lotrI mean, really! I just want to take guys like this and shake them. The scene from "The Godfather" comes to mind, when Don Corleone slaps a whimpering, indecisive fool and yells "You can act like a man!! What's the matter with you!?" Seems the millennial-pendulum is swinging off the hinge. Pathetic.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
And what's with this
February 18, 2009 - 09:56 ET by SickofLibsAnd what's with this 'millennials' crap? Is this a new race of super beings I haven't heard about?
This kid needs to get a
February 18, 2009 - 10:06 ET by Hunter12This kid needs to get a clue. The machinations of a power couple in the public eye have nothing to do with real love. I'm not saying that President Obama and his wife are not in love, but I can guarantee you that they are well aware of what posings will be snapped up by the MSM lovefest for public viewing.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
Hunter
February 18, 2009 - 10:13 ET by sherylsimsI totally agree. It isn't like he caught them unawares for petes sake! They knew they were being observed during that "Special Moment" they were sharing. He has no idea what their relationship is really like based only on what he has observed of them in public. It doesn't seem like a big stretch to think some of that may have been put on for the audience.
~Put on for the cameras
February 18, 2009 - 10:29 ET by choselife3xLike dumping his grandmother's ashes out in full view of the cameras?
Or walking around shirtless pretending he didn't know his picture was being taken?
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
EXACTLY!
February 18, 2009 - 10:32 ET by sherylsimsOf course when you are the American Idol President, you have to have those photo ops regularly to give your adoring fans new pictures to look at on their glossy magazine covers. Good thing that family is so doggone good looking, it makes it SO much easier to get those "candid" shots of them.
~All those Obama pictures
February 18, 2009 - 10:42 ET by choselife3xGreat appetite suppressant.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
I have noticed
February 18, 2009 - 10:50 ET by sherylsimsThat whenever there is a candid shot of Michelle (not trying to say anything negative about her looks mind you) that it is like night and day from the "glamour shots" of her in all the magazines. Evidently she requires quite a bit of "touch up" before she is ready to present the image they want her to possess. He, on the other hand, usually looks pretty much the same always.
~That's easy
February 18, 2009 - 11:00 ET by choselife3xHe doesn't have hair!
It's MUCH easier for men.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
~That's Funny
February 18, 2009 - 11:03 ET by sherylsims(Like my impression of you there?) I had that in the original post, and I took it out. Don't know why. Probably to give you something to say. I am nice like that.
I'v commented on that
February 18, 2009 - 11:05 ET by motherbeltI'v commented on that before, sheryl...for that US Weekly cover I said she must have been air-brushed with a Wagner Power Sprayer!
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Wagner Power Sprayer!!!
February 18, 2009 - 11:10 ET by sherylsimsROFL! That is really FUNNY!
(And ya gotta love a woman who knows her tools!!!)
mb
February 18, 2009 - 11:16 ET by BlondeYou have your sarcasm metre dialed up to 11 today, my friend.
That was hillarious.
~Careful there, MB
February 18, 2009 - 11:17 ET by choselife3xYou're going to attract the Poster Etiquette Police with a remark like that. (funny, irreverent and off-beat)
Hey, how many spare rolls of heavy duty duct tape you got handy? I just had an idea........
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Well, that's one good thing
February 18, 2009 - 10:54 ET by SeashellWell, that's one good thing about the Obama Presidency. Maybe I'll finally lose those pesky 5 lbs. I've been trying to shed. ; )
~There you are!
February 18, 2009 - 11:10 ET by choselife3xI was thinking the other day that I hadn't seen you in a while. Nice weather last weekend, huh?
I am so glad I don't read any of these magazines or 'newspapers'. I'd be anorexically thin by now.....
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
I had a terrible case of the
February 18, 2009 - 11:22 ET by SeashellI had a terrible case of the flu (could hardly lift my head off the pillow) and after that I had to do some work on my house because I'm putting it on the market soon. I decided to take it easy this morning and catch up with what's going on!
~Seashell
February 18, 2009 - 11:32 ET by choselife3xKeep an eye on your PM's.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
millenials
February 18, 2009 - 10:45 ET by SpikerI believe this is the latest label in order to classify those of a certain age. My guess is that many such as the Newsweek kid will never evolve past the uninformed idealist phase. A lot of it stems from parents stuck in the 60's who never instill any sense of discipline or work ethic in them. They are just perfect little snowflakes and you had better not tell them anything different or risk harming their fragile self esteem.
As for the article, would somebody please pass me the commemorative Obama barf bag? I am going to need a constant supply of them for the next four years....
Commemorative Obama barf
February 18, 2009 - 11:16 ET by mattmCommemorative Obama barf bag - Great product idea.
You could make some good coin...
too late!
February 18, 2009 - 15:15 ET by katainkentas they say - there is a market for everything. They already exist and there is already a website. However I recommend no one weak of stomach actually search and surf to it. Seriously not kidding. You have been warned.
How funny that the young are so oblivious
February 18, 2009 - 12:28 ET by katiejanethat they don't see in the Obama's marraage what some more experienced people see - she clearly wears the pants in that pair and he is a whipped puppy. Unless of course the young think a good couple is ruled by mama.
Good morning katie
February 18, 2009 - 12:36 ET by cocodrieYou nailed that one. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are going to learn the hard way through personal experience.
Jesus Loves You
Wait I said what?! I said
February 18, 2009 - 13:08 ET by wiwfWait I said what?! I said nothing of the sort!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Re Happily Married
February 18, 2009 - 14:57 ET by slickwillie2001So what ever happened to Vera Baker, Obammy's highly paid finance director from his 2004 campaign? During the Presidential campaign she was suddenly hustled off to Martinique in the Carribean, reportedly at M'chel's insistence. Her personal website was disappeared. The story was uncovered by Hillary's supporters towards the end of the primary campaign.
She can't still be in Martinique on Obammy's dollar or someone in the Chicago Machine. Has she resurfaced? Inquiring minds want to know.
AHEM!!! Civilization
February 18, 2009 - 15:01 ET by QueenMumAHEM!!!
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of the tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. - Ayn Rand
millenials?
February 18, 2009 - 15:29 ET by katainkentThat would be generation Y (can't I have my cake and eat it too)?
Married for nearly 18 years myself now, this is hardly 'news'. The author of this article seems to be all over the place with descriptions. I think the key phrase here is "let's himself seem". I honestly don't think that first families have a single out of the house 'unguarded moment' I think every gaze and glance of this couple is calculated and orchestrated. Not even a stray ounce of irritation passes Michelle's demeanor? That's very unrealistic. At least with previous couples (Hillary could be read like a book!) you knew you had the real deal.
People are still trying to find a 'comfortable' (PC?) role for man and wife. I am not Giada De Laurentis every night but I am hardly the tired "wife in the kitchen". *rolls eyes*
Laura is one tough Texas lady
February 18, 2009 - 20:03 ET by nkviking75"Those swooning media elites can't argue that George and Laura Bush didn't have a strong marriage, but apparently, it's not a 'model marriage' because liberals assert there's no equality in it."
Anyone who believes that doesn't know much about the story of the Bushes. It takes one very tough woman to live with an alcoholic and play the role she did in bringing him back from the brink. From what I could see, George knew it too. Laura may not have chosen to be a Hillaryesque First Lady and she may have tended toward shyness, but you don't want to mess with that Texan.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.