Michelle Obama has never been proud of her country before?
Posted by: Neocon in 2008 Race, Afghanistan, Democrats, Domestic, Foreign Policy, Nutter Butters, Obama(via The Corner) If you needed some glimpse of insight into the mind of the Obama campaign, since they’ve been more interested in offering up ‘hope’ instead of policy. Michelle Obama offered up this today:
MILWAUKEE — So what did Michelle Obama think of the United States before her husband decided he wanted to run the place?
“For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country,” she told a Milwaukee crowd today, “because it feels like hope is making a comeback.”
Oh wait, it’s just more of the same… with a nice slap in the face to the entire country while she’s at it.
Hey Michelle, you’ve been an adult since what? Around 1982? Let me ramble off just a few things you might be proud of.
The fall of the Soviet Union and the progress made toward free governments for those former Soviet Satellite States. That’s a lot of people and a lot of progress to not feel proud about. It was clearly the influence of the United States that buckled the Soviets.
The American people give more than anyone else, just look at the overwhelming humanitarian response to the Christmas Tsunami. We are willing to give up a massive amount of money for good causes, both at home and abroad. That is something to be proud of. That shows our country has a hellva heart. How can you not be proud of that? Where is the lack of hope there?
Our country suffered the first large-scale attack on American soil only a few short years ago, yet our Economy rebounded, our people aren’t cowering in fear, and our families continue to prosper. Given the huge economic impact, which was intended by the terrorists, the fact that we have had any economic growth is worth being proud of.
The freedom of speech that you enjoy when you disparage our country is another thing to be proud of. Take a look at some of the other countries in the news today. What do you think would happen if you started badmouthing those regimes/people/lands in public? I don’t think we’d see you again. Our freedom of speech, even to say stupid things, is still a modern wonder.
Advances in medicine through the free market system makes me proud to be an American. People who would have died from AIDS now have a fighting chance. The same can be said about those suffering cancer or any other number of diseases. Our overall quality of life has increased so drastically in the last twenty-some-years that I’m flabbergasted you aren’t proud of it.
97% of the “poor” in this country can afford to own TV sets. Enough said. I’m proud of that.
Through our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, we’ve liberated 50 million people. You aren’t proud of that? You aren’t proud that your country shut down the state sanctioned rape rooms and oppression that Women faced in those two nations under their former rulers?
In doing so, our Military has always shown itself to be dignified and willing to sacrifice their blood for others. Americans and those who are suffering under the boot of terrorists and thugs. I’m very proud of that.
We’ve also had quite a bit of progress in both Race and Gender relations in this country, even quite a bit since you turned 18 in 1982.
Those are just a few things off the top of my head that I’m proud of in America today. I hope that Michelle’s words are turned into a campaign ad sooner or later. This is just lunacy.
Update 8:45PM CST: Wow, Bryan has almost the same go-to list of good things about America as I do.
More at: Debbie Schlussel | Patterico’s Pontifications | Redstate | Lonewacko | Gateway Pundit | Commentary | Ankle Biting Pundits |
Update 2/19/08: Mark Levin tears into her.
Michelle reminds us not to question their patriotism.
Update 2/19/08: The quote was corrected from a previous version that was released by the Boston.com. The word “really” was added in, though I don’t think it changes the quotation significantly at all.
Update 2/20/08: Nevermind on that ‘really’ line having any significance at all. Gateway Pundit has video from the O’Reilly factor showing that she’s said that line at least twice, and unless we’re all having audio problems again, she did just say “first time I am proud” in the second appearance in the clip.
You’re misquoting her. She said “for the first time in my life, I am really proud of my country.”
That’s very different to saying “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.”
Your version suggests that she has never been proud before.
The actual version suggests that she has been proud before, most likely of many of the things that you list. However, she may feel that because this is the first time that a black man and a woman have a genuine chance to become president, she can be unreservedly proud.
I am sure you are not misquoting her deliberately, because that would hardly be fair, so I thought I’d alert you to your error.
Regards,
Irving.
My version is the version that was released when the story came out. If you watch the video at hot air, I see how it was missed at first because the audio pops on the word “really”. Leaving “really” out of it wasn’t something I did after the fact to manipulate anything.
Nevertheless, I don’t read it like you do, and I don’t find that the modifier “really” drastically changes the statement. It’s still a really unbelievably mind-numbing thing to say.
A black man having a chance at the Presidency is not something that singularly deserves someone being “really proud” of the United States.
There are a massive amount of things that we should be “unreservedly proud” of. That Michelle Obama would say what she did is very telling. At the very least you are being extremely generous in your interpretation of Michelle Obama’s words. You might want to check out the Levin audio in the new update to see where others are coming from.
I have seen videos that have the ‘popping’ audio, and ones that do not.
I can see how you would still interpret it in the way you have, and I don’t think it was an especially bright thing to say, if only because it leaves her open to that kind of interpretation.
A number of other sites have updated their stories to reflect their inaccuracies, including the article quoted at the start of this page. I wonder why you haven’t? If your thoughts do not change with the full quote, then surely accurate reporting is preferable?
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/764fosie.asp?pg=1
From the same speech:
“And just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment…”
“Life for regular folks has gotten worse over the course of my lifetime, through Republican and Democratic administrations. It hasn’t gotten much better.”
Life getting worse. Frustration. Disappointment. Yeah, that certainly sounds like she has been proud of America.
I updated the story to reflect the new quote. Thanks for the feedback.
Roy makes a good point as well.