Barack and Michelle Obama Sound Tone-Deaf on Women's Issues

ths is wonderful

this is such a good cause that is so good i feel so strongly about this cause

And people state: why are kids the way they are now

Here is a women you is the President's wife and you want to put her down for wanting to be a mother first to her children? If more women thought that way then maybe there wouldn't be so many screwed up children now days. You feminise hae taken "equal rights" way out of proportion (and guess what, I am a women). And yes, I have a very strong believe in God and no, I am not controlled by my husband, I have a mind of my own, I believe women should be respected and not a doormat for anyone, but like Michele Obama, I believe your kids should come first. If you don't want to take the time to raise your children, and make money and your career your first choice in life, then maybe you shouldn't have children.

I praise her for wanting to be a mother to her children and I believe more women should think that way and yes, God did make women different than men, not inferior to men but different than men.

You feminise need a reality check. Leave her alone and let her do what is right. What you campaign for is totally against everything that is morality right....abortion (you are killing an innocent child, gays, lesbians, etc. You will find out when you meet the Lord, I will pray for you.

Giving the job of mom well-deserved status

By celebrating her role instead of apologizing for it, Michelle Obama conveys that it is possible to be a successful professional and a devoted mother—that these two roles are not mutually exclusive but mutually enriching. She has experience juggling both. I think she sends a strong message that being a mom inherently means being a leader. Her words not only help give the job of mom status but convey an attitude that will help our country recognize the support that 26 million working mothers need to be effective moms-in-chief.

My (coincidentally titled) book Mom-in-Chief, to be released by Wiley in February of 2009, is all about connecting the work of moms to leadership. Obama exemplifies the kind of professional women I write about who use skills honed in the workplace to raise happy children. Leadership whether in the corner suite, the presidential mansion or around the kitchen counter is all about teaching people through actions, making healthy emotional connections, encouraging people to trust their instincts and learn from their mistakes, and looking beyond the task at hand to the greater purpose. http://www.mominchief.com

Michelle Obama as First Lady

Black women have had to work for hundreds of years. That's why we were brought to this country. We have not had the options that white women had. As black women our humanity and femininity has always been questioned. We have had to be the family bread-winner when black men could not find jobs or were lynched, etc. -- Michelle is in a perfect position to do what generations of educated Af-Amer. women have wanted to do: use the benefit of their education to make their home and children their priority. She has been the primary family breadwinner and this is her time to guide her girls through what will be a new journey in their livees. Raising successful black children requires more vigilance on the part of parents. With the Obama's as the first family, and black, there will be more challenges and dangers toward their children. Michelle's priorities are perfectly in order. -- During Reconstruction when slavery was abolished the South forced black labor through "labor contracts" which were essentially slavery. Black women who wanted to be wives and homemakers, who sent their children to school were harassed by white southern planters who felt that able bodied black women and children should be in the fields laboring with the men, as in the old days of slavery when it was illegal to educate blacks as well. Black children were taken from their parents and indentured by law to former masters. Michelle Obama knows her history and has choices. As a Princeton honors and Harvard Law graduate, she has earned the right to do what is best for herself, her family and the country. She is exercising her well-earned right to choose.

Michelle Obama's choices

I am confused about what all this hubbub is about. I thought that to be a real feminist was to be given choices of what one does with one's professional and personal life without outside criticism and censure for making what some consider the 'wrong choice'.

It seems to me that neither Mr. or Mrs. Obama have anything to be taken to task for concerning her comments that she will be the 'first mom' to her children. She has held a high paying, high profile professional job, which proves she is capable of holding her own in the working world.

Furthermore, I should think it quite difficult to be a suitable First Lady with the attendant expectations and hold a full time professional job outside the WH. The logistics of security alone should boggle the mind.

I think that her interest in being with her children at this stage in their lives speaks well for her. I don't remember anyone criticizing Jackie for being such a careful and thoughtful mother instead of touting feminism up the yin-yang.

For the love of country, give this couple a chance to become the President and First Lady this country deserves. Don't start judging them before the President-elect has even had a chance to take the oath of office.

What happened to choice?

While the women's movement was enormously beneficial in opening doors (and ceilings) for women, it also (rightfully so) supported a woman's right to make choices about how she lived her life. Michele Obama can certainly continue to make enormous contributions to the lives of women -- and she can do it while putting her children first. Her children will experience great change over the next few years & will be exposed to the harsh media spotlight no matter what they do (or don't). Further, let's allow Michele Obama to get her "sea legs" and give her the support she needs during this transition.

R.L

While I agree with some of your points, your generalization and complete lack of empathy in the way you speak shows the crux of the problem. I have one question for you, and that is "Have you ever been drugged, had four men forced upon you, and then have to go to a doctor for a pregnancy test at the age of 11?" Well I have, and in NO way was I irresponsible (I seriously wanted to smack you for that comment R.L, insulting doesn't even come close) I'm curious as to what your personal experience is in the field of abortion, and what gives you the right to decide what is right for ANY person's personal life choices? If you're going to tell me it's The Bible, then I'd say your argument holds no bearing in my life, because I'm a scientific thinker with a strong tie to my OWN sense of spirituality. Your moral compass has no bearing in my life because in the end, when we're supposedly all "judged", it's not your place. Stop playing God's/Life's warriors out there just to suit your own agenda, there are other lives/beliefs that need to be considered as well. ALL life is sacred, and putting importance on a fetus over an existing life is contrary to the very argument you make. At one time I was a fetus, and now you're trying to take away my right to life with your ideals. Way to go! Here you go fetus, I'm going to save your life now, but if you don't believe what I do when you get older, I'll take your rights away. Take your constitutional right stealing self back to the drawing board and come up with some viable things to say that show care for all sides of issues, instead of a one-sided generalization that holds no real informational merit. PS, those issues you are spouting about came from a genuine inequality struggle that put men as the leaders for a very long time, so don't deny gender culpability to the issue. Generalization is a waste of time, and it does nothing to solve anything. You're acting like the propagandic poster child for the Right, and you seem like you should be smarter than that. Where are the compassionate alternatives? How are you going to support those children? Who's responsibility is it to make sure they have a good quality of life and don't become future issues in society? Are you going to adopt? Are you going to donate hours and time at these orphanages who are already in sad funding state? If you're going to fight for life, then you have to support that life in all ways as you've become their champion. You own that responsibility as a person who argues that abortion is wrong across the board. Put your money, time and your civil efforts where your mouth is, and perhaps we'll get somewhere. Not all women want to give up their children, they just aren't given the care to see it through responsibly. What next Mr. Responsibility?

Stop the Hypocracy Ladies

Ladies, we've messed with fire and we got burned. We decided that sexual liberation, freedom and equal rights come with no responsibility. The biggest farce of this election were many of the Palin supporters who said she championed women. The only thing I saw her championing was her years of pagent experience to manipulate crowds. I saw her play on her sexuality like a seasoned pro, and the women of the crowd screaming in joyous acceptance with one breath, and then heard the crowds of women shout in anger when males responded in a "sexist" way. Spare me ladies, you reap what you sew. If you're going to use sex and attractiveness to make a point, then don't expect the other person to think intellectual thoughts and take you too seriously, biology doesn't work that way. Touting the mantra of "why can't a woman be sexy and be taken seriously" has to go out of the window. I'm sorry, I'm tired of looking around and seeing a majority of women spouting "they're strong, independent women" with one breath, and then giving in to the easy road of putting their boobs out there to get noticed and taken seriously. The brain doesn't work that way, learn biology!Start developing some self respect and self esteem and stop using gender as an excuse of not "succeeding" It's a bald lie, it does nothing but hurt our daughters and sons, and it sends a very huge mixed message to our kids. It tells them that intellectual work is less important than flashing a thigh to get in a door. There's a time for healthy sexuality, and there's a time to realize that without projecting congruency in what we say and do, we'll never move forward. Don't shove your attractiveness in my husband's face ladies and then expect him to say "boy, you're smart at math!" It's insulting to us women out here who are trying to teach their daughters and sons that gender comes with responsibility. Don't say you want one thing, and do the exact opposite. Children do what they see, not what you say. The power of sexuality is real, so stop using it as a weapon to succeed in this world and start educating yourelves. Sexiness has it's place, I just don't think it's place should be at the forefront of the Women's Liberation Movement. I'm a woman and I'm proud of it. My daughters are taught that it's not okay to wave your sexuality around for the purpose of manipulation, it's illegal in my house. Poor young boys don't stand a chance these days when their hormones are going nuts and our young daughters are parading their assests around. At the same time, I don't condone my son using manipulation of his gender either. It's wrong and it needs to stop. I want healthy and balanced children who make their choices with respect for others always to be part of the equation. How you say something matters; context ladies, context. There really is a middle ground, it's time to find it by genders working together to learn to communicate with respect to the other's communication style, not by manipulation.

agreed

Summers is a bigot and should not have a place in an administration that advocates change. I'd be interested in knowing the chain of events that got his name on the list.

To the haters, yes, the political world just got a little better, but that doesn't mean feminism should go by the wayside. Remember, the aim is justice for all, and Summers is hardly just when it comes to women.

I think what Mrs. Obama chooses to do...

with her life is her OWN business. Not yours, not anyone elses, but HERS.

Who are you to call it an insult because she chooses to live her life, as she sees fit?

Sounds like you have control issues. She is not the poster girl for woman's rights; she never claimed to be, and she has nothing to prove to anyone regarding her choices.

Give me a break! Stop trying to turn something so human and ordinary as wanting to PARENT HER CHILDREN COMPLETELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY, into something against women's rights.

Oh, and by the way, I am a woman.