Martinis with Michelle–A Times (UK) Writer Jumps the Shark as Palin Helps Block a Senate Super-Majority

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

A couple of days ago I happened to spot the post over at PUMA P.A.C. entitled “Worth Repeating” which offers an encore presentation of an odious ode to Hillary “Nutcracker” Clinton.  Fast forward to mid-November and CNN’s obsession with the fashion f*ckups of First ladies  and how Michelle Obama is supposed to be our hope for a First Lady who really knows how to do it RIGHT.

Little did I know that there was something lurking in the archives of The Times (UK) that I had somehow missed in the first days following the election. It was published on November 5th, beating CNN to the punch–of course, I wasn’t thinking correctly in the aftermath of the depressing election and was not really looking for things to make me want to feel even sicker.  And this DOES make me want to vomit as reality has set in and the crap is so completely over-the-top that it makes Lewis Black seem discrete…

November 5, 2008

Michelle Obama: a new type of First Lady

Sarah Vine

That rather sad, muffled noise you hear behind the whoops and cheers of Democrat America is not the sound of defeated neocons mourning the passing of trickle-down economics; it is the sound of sobbing in the Élysée Palace. For Carla Bruni, reigning queen of First Ladies, the game is finally up. Cindy McCain would have been a push-over; even Sarah Palin she could have coped with, sexy specs or otherwise. But in Michelle Obama, Ms Bruni has truly met her match. This is a First Lady like none before.

In truth, from the moment Michelle Obama stepped on to that podium at the Democrat convention what seems like, ooh, about three million years ago, we all secretly knew which way this race was going. Sure, he had big, sticky-out ears; sure, all those luvvies made that embarrassing YouTube song about him; but if Michelle thought that he was OK — if she chose him — then he just had to be a good man.

Everything about this woman speaks to the modern, post-feminist woman: she is manifestly clever, independently minded, attractive in a normal, accessible way (and not in a scary, plastic-fantastic Cindy way). Her demeanour is a reassuring mixture of sassy and self-deprecating; her easy, confident dress sense neither too sexy nor too self-conscious. Most of all, however, she appears to be the personification of sanity, a woman who, while clearly supportive of her husband’s quest for world domination, is nevertheless not afraid to point out when he is danger of drinking too much of his own Kool-Aid.

(SNIP a brief discussion of two types of First Ladies, with Jackie Kennedy being the only style-queen among the bunch)

What makes Michelle unique is the way she so skilfully unites all three: supportive, independent and a fashion icon. Sarah Palin blew £90,000 on her campaign wardrobe but let’s face it, it is that blue shift dress that we all remember.

In the last American election, the big question was this: who would you most want to share a beer with? In this one, it was more like: who would you like to share a Martini with? The answer of course being Michelle. (Barack could maybe make himself useful by popping out for some crisps.) Michelle is not only invigoratingly intelligent, proud of her urbanity, but also unafraid of showing her abilities. She is certainly the only wife of a presidential candidate I can remember who, instead of playing herself down, played up the general uselessness of her husband in matters domestic — and in doing so not only held her ground intellectually but also reached out to all those women who, while devoted to their spouses, also find them slightly useless in matters of sock-tidying.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Michelle however is what having a woman lawyer like her in the White House means. For it is not often one can go to sleep safe in the knowledge that there is an educated, intelligent, sensible female voice being heard in the corridors of power.

At the 2004 Democrat Convention in Boston, when the unknown Barack Obama stepped up to the plate to deliver the keynote speech, she famously said to him: “Don’t screw it up, buddy.” One cannot help hoping those words were repeated last night.

Well. The writer fell for the Sarah Palin clothes smear and doesn’t seem to remember that Hillary Clinton is a lawyer who lived in the White House. She trashes Cindy McCain and weeps for Carla Bruni.  And I don’t remember that blue shift dress at all, but I sure do recall the “black widow” number from election night.  As for wanting to share a Martini with Michelle…frankly, I don’t drink, but I may start any minute to help numb myself from 4/8 more years of this spew!

So who the hell IS Sarah Vine, anyway? Well, according to her publisher, Penguin Books, she

was born in Wales and raised in Italy. As a child she had a great capacity for reading comics, gossiping and trying on her mother’s shoes, all of which have stood her in excellent stead. She writes for the Times and is married with two children.

Stellar credentials, I guess for this sort of nonsense. She must have a least one daughter, because she’s created a website based on her co-authored book, “The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls.”  There’s a certain Victorian quaintness to this tome.  And is Vine confused as she refers to Michelle Obama as the epitome of the “modern, post-feminist woman”?  I don’t know, it’s seems real weird to me, a pre-post modern feminist.

Let me give you an example from the book. The site includes activity sheets for things like “making pom poms” and “palm reading,” to name a few.

But tucked away in the preview page for “The Great Outdoors” are instructions for falling out of a tree.  But before you get to that information, a girl will have to wade through this:

Falling
Learn to walk before you run; learn to fall before you climb. Knowing how
to fall properly is an art. Done well it is exciting, it looks great, can be very funny – and besides, crutches are such a bore.

Start by perfecting the stage faint, itself an invaluable accomplishment and a
useful exit strategy for all manner of uncomfortable situations (non-completion
of maths homework, getting out of PE, wanting the morning off school). Practise
it on a lawn or in a room with a thick carpet.

Bend your ankles, bend your knees and let yourself go floppy, collapsing
vertically at first, until you start to topple. The trick is to be very loose, very
relaxed, and not to stick out a hand or try to catch yourself; you are supposed to
be unconscious. The aim is to hit the ground from the ground up, so that the bits
nearest the floor land first, softening the impact. A crumple is really what you’re
looking for – first your calf, then your thigh, then your waist, then your shoulder.
For added drama, and to dissipate the impact, you may wish to add a half roll.
Land with your eyes shut (or if you’re feeling really confident, rolled back in
your head). Resist the temptation to open one eye to check the reaction.

I have no words…

Meanwhile, in the much-despised real world of Sarah Palin, the “polarizing bimbo” created by the media, we find that she was down in Georgia on Monday drawing large crowds as she campaigned for Saxby Chambliss in the Georgia Senate run-off election (which Chambliss has won and which blocks a Democratic “super-majority). Apparently, there are some GOP operatives who don’t see her as the “kiss of death” politically and it seems a lot of real people didn’t see it that way either:

Several Republicans have campaigned for Chambliss, including one-time presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. McCain campaigned in the state last month, but only Palin was tapped for election eve and four Georgia stops, reflecting her star status. Tommy Byler, 22, of Savannah marveled at the size of the crowd Palin drew compared to other top-tier Republicans who have campaigned for Chambliss.

“I went to see Mitt Romney a week ago, and I think there were only about 100 people there,” said Byler, who wore a T-shirt emblazoned with Palin’s face and the words “Sarah Palin Is My Homegirl.”

So, while Michelle Obama practices being “supportive, independent, and a fashion icon,” Sarah keeps soldiering on.  Ah, but can Palin do a stage faint???

REGROUPING: The Morning After the Day Before (A Joint Post with kenosha Marge & American Lassie (GG Will Be Posting Separately) (UPDATED 2X)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

As I  write this it’s 6 pm Mountain Time.  I was out this afternoon for an appointment at the heart doctor with my mother. Miraculously, we didn’t have to wait 6 hours; we were out in about 2!  Wouldn’t you know it, I got  home and put on RETRO and “The Manchurian Candidate” was just ending.  Rudy Giuliani had left a very late phone message on my answering machine.  I had gotten a call in the early afternoon from John McCain himself and yesterday I had received two call from the McCain campaign and one from the NM GOP. The Obamacrats had left a doorknob hanger on my gate while we were gone. That Black Panthers business in Philly has ticked me off.

I noticed when I took my dogs out at 5:30 for their walk that sometime during the day, someone ate the dog food I had left by the wall.  We don’t have many dogwalkers around here, so I’m hoping it’s the little stray. Perhaps we’re going to get another “November miracle” again this year!  (See yesterday’s post, Today, A Stress-Free Post! What Could Be Better Than a TRUE Story About a November MIRACLE DOG!! (With Pics) .

Now, as I write this, I don’t know a thing about the election. I’ve been avoiding all contact all day, except for brief interludes of Rush and Sean. My new friends?  Amazing, isn’t it??

And frankly, I may not know until tomorrow. I’m exhausted. I need to go to bed!  The stress has really gotten to me! I’ve been eating TUMS like candy and I NEVER need to take TUMS!

That being said, I have already composed my thoughts on the future.  It’s going to be a time of regrouping. However, there are certain truisms that apply, no matter what the outcome. They are:

1) No matter who wins, we all have to go into “hawk mode,” as in WATCHING LIKE A HAWK.

2) Not being a Republican, that means watching McCain like a hawk on “our issues.”

3) Not being an Obama supporter, that means the same thing.  He doesn’t get off the hook because of the “D” after his name.  We’ve been on him this long, we can’t let him get off easy if he takes control.

4) Not being a Democrat anymore…well, I want to be able to support SOME party! Which means we have to not only WATCH the Democratic officeholders and Party, we have to start making noise to try to get them back to being a party we all can recognize. That means keeping up a strong PUMA movement!  I heard callers on the Rush and Sean shows that sounded like PUMAs to me…and it was good to hear them!

5) And finally, the subject of Hillary Clinton. Lady Lynn Rothschild was on Greta last night (Monday) and she was quite blunt about Hillary Clinton. Friend or no, she said Hillary should be thinking about how she is going to explain why she decided to work so hard for Obama. Those are not my words, those are Rothschild’s.  She even brought up how Ted Kennedy didn’t support Carter  in 1980 on principle. (Maybe it wasn’t just principle, but that’s not the issue now.)  Rothschild clearly felt that Kennedy’s refusal showed a lot more guts, for whatever reason he did it, than what Hillary Clinton displayed.  I’m on the same page with Lynn Rothschild on this one.

Now I can’t speak at the moment for anyone else who blogs here. However, kenosha Marge sent me her thoughts on both possible outcomes of the election.  I’m just going to post both of her little essays regardless of whether I actually find out who won tonight.  She writes so well and I just enjoy reading her!!

Grail Guardian and American Lassie may have something cooking and if they send along their thoughts, they will be posted.  But for now, this “PUMA Dame” is going to the kitchen to make dinner and then I may sit through the Western on TMC.  I never watch Westerns, but I’m in the mood for a simple morality play tonight without any modern-day contraptions making noise.  I’m into horses, dust, and ladies in fancy hats tonight. Ironically, the movie is called “Decisoin at Sundown.”   I guess I can’t TOTALLY escape what’s going on even while watching a 1957 movie!

Now, onto kenosha Marge…

The Morning After the Day Before

~~By kenosha Marge

McCain/Palin wins:

I knew that no matter how the election ended I would still be angry. I knew I would be angry because I don’t like being lied to, bullied or treated in a condescending manner.

I watched this election cycle in dismay. I ended up voting Republican for the first time in my life. I believe with all my heart that the Democratic Party is corrupt and they will never have my loyalty or my support again . I will vote for and support certain Democratic candidates but not the Democratic Party. Ever!

There is one villain that has emerged that should be hated by all people that care about democracy. That villain is the media.

If you think a biased media is fine as long as they are biased in favor of your beliefs, your candidate and your party, congratulations you are a partisan and not a patriot.

If you think misogyny is wrong when it is used against a liberal woman but fine when it is used against a conservative woman, congratulations you’re a partisan not a feminist. Misogyny is wrong. Period.

If you believe that a biased, misogynistic media is what we should have in this country, congratulations you are a part of the problem that women who fight for equality must face. You are not liberal and you are not a feminist. You are one of those Fauxgressives or one of those Liberal Women that believe only liberal women can be called feminists.

I find satisfaction in knowing that in spite of the shenanigans from the Democratic Party and the corrupt bias of the media that John McCain will be our next president. I find satisfaction in that because I respect John McCain and like and respect Sarah Palin. I believe him to be a man of honor who will do the best he can for the country he loves and I believe that she will be a fresh breeze in Washington D.C.

I also believe that the media will continue to savage her. But since they have no longer have any credibility the only people who will pay any attention to them will be women-hating men and the self-hating women who all ready hate her. No surprise in any of that.

I believe that John McCain loves his country and will be an honorable president. I believe that Sarah Palin’s incredible energy will be put to good use. I wish them luck and I wish them well.

The Morning After the Day Before

Obama wins:

I knew that no matter how the election ended I would still be angry. I knew I would be angry because I don’t like being lied to, bullied or treated in a condescending manner.

I watched this election cycle in dismay. I ended up voting Republican for the first time in my life. I believe with all my heart that the Democratic Party is corrupt and they will never have my loyalty or my support again. I will vote for and support certain Democratic candidates but not the Democratic Party.

There is one villain that has emerged that should be hated by all people that care about democracy. That villain is the media.

If you think a biased media is fine as long as they are biased in favor of your beliefs, your candidate and your party, congratulations you are a partisan and not a patriot.

If you think misogyny is wrong when it is used against a liberal woman but fine when it is used against a conservative woman, congratulations you’re a partisan not a feminist. Misogyny is wrong. Period.

If you believe that a biased, misogynistic media is what we should have in this country, congratulations you are a part of the problem that women who fight for equality must face. You are not liberal and you are not a feminist. You are one of those Fauxgressives or one of those Liberal Women that believe only liberal women can be called feminists.

For 8 long years I have often said, “don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for that clown. Now I have at least 4 years to look forward to saying the same.

I can also look forward once again to not believing one word that comes out of the President’s mouth. I can look forward to changing channels the minute the President or the Vice-President appear. I will not listen to nor believe the State of the Union speeches.

I will not wish him/them well. I don’t like cheats and crooks. I don’t support cheats and crooks. I don’t want my country represented by cheats and crooks.

I will how ever look forward to saying, “I told you so”, every time some Obamacrat voices disappointment. I did tell them so, over and over again. That will be about the only satisfaction I will get out of seeing Obama in the White House. Otherwise just one more presidential term where some putz in the Oval Office doesn’t speak for me and doesn’t represent me. You would think I would be used to it by now. You would think we all would be used to it by now.

UPDATE

Well, nothing is going to change for me…it’s like the continuation of Bush…I won’t listen to one word coming out of the FRAUD’s mouth in the future.  But we will open OURS…

~~

UPDATE 2

~~By American Lassie who rose off her sick-bed to email me this before the election was called….

Right now I’m brain dead.  I agree about “hawks”. No matter who gets elected tonight they need to be kept under close scrutiny.  If it’s Obama we will be worried about our liberty, our privacy and our safety.  The Farrakhan troops showing up at polling places in Philly scares me to death.  If they are this brazen now God help us if he wins.  I don’t agree with all of John McCain’s policies but he is our only salvation right now.  I fear for our country on so many levels tonight.  I feel the world is watching our election to see if we are going to be fair game for our enemies to move in while so many people are divided.  Call me “Cassandra” but I am frightened.  I don’t know what else to say at this point.  One of the main things we need to work on as soon as possible is to solidify our base.  If we can’t clean up the Democratic Party I don’t want any part of it.  Third parties don’t seem to be too viable.  I wonder how many people feel the way I do?  Like I’m lost in space without a tether.  This transition period is going to be difficult whether it is McCain or Obama.   There is all that bail-out money out there, and it doesn’t seem to be going where it should.  There is also the indecision as to whether to bail out the auto industry, and Pelosi wants another large booster, refund, or whatever she calls it.  We are already so in debt to China and the deficit just keeps growing.  This is one thing you could mention – our huge deficit and our foreign debt.  And while I think we are expected, as human beings, to be compassionate towards those less fortunate, Mr. “Spread The Wealth” is going to bankrupt us all with his tax policies.  I am just an average American getting by like so many others who find that there is less and less disposable income in my pocket each month that I wonder if there is any light at the end of this tunnel. The energy costs have risen so that by the time you heat your home and pay your taxes the average family is lucky to have anything left over to put food on the table.  And he wants to bankrupt the coal companies which would make our energy costs that much higher.  Forgive me for running on this way.  I think my medication has taken over what little brain I had left.  After the results are in tonight and we know which way we are going maybe I will be a little less anxious.  That is, if it is settled tonight.  If it is a close tally we are in for a fight. (Or a takeover).

***

We may slow down on our posting over the next couple of days as the dust settles and we catch our wind.  As of now, we have no plans to retire gracefully.