WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
In today's Wall Street Journal, the editorial page weighs in on the Michelle Obama v. Sarah Palin food fight that we've been heartily discussing, and debating, here. Like Mike Huckabee, the Journal casts its lots with Michelle Obama--and its editorial is spot on in its analysis.
The editorial begins:
The first lady has emphasized more nutritious school lunches but mostly encourages parents to make sure their kids eat healthy and exercise. Mrs. Palin sees a big government plot. "What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat," Mrs. Palin recently said on a talk radio show. "Just leave us alone, get off our back and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions."...
No one hates the nanny state more than we do, but Mrs. Obama isn't exactly ordering up Lenin's Young Pioneers. Adults do have an obligation to teach children how to live, and that includes adults who are role models by dint of their national prominence. JFK asked kids to do chinups for the Presidential Fitness Award, and Nancy Reagan asked them to "just say no" to drugs.
But here's the real zinger--the editorial continues with this quote:
"Health-care reform on an individual basis is often just this simple: We could save a lot of money and a lot of grief by making smarter choices," Mrs. Obama said recently. "It starts by ending destructive habits and beginning healthy habits in eating and exercise."
Sorry, our mistake—that was actually Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, in her 2009 State of the State address.
I prefer the Sarah Palin of 2009, who celebrates personal responbility, to the Sarah Palin of 2010, who expends her energy crusading for our "God given right" to eat junk food.
I don't want to accuse Palin of speaking in insincere soundbites--but what the heck. Is she just trying to rile up her eager base with her "just leave us alones" and her "get off our backs"? If you compare those notes to her 2009 State of the Union, what other conclusion can you come to? The Journal only quotes one sentence from her 2009 State of the Union, but here is that sentence in context:
We have alarming levels of heart disease, diabetes, childhood obesity--and all of these maladies are on the rise. Now, I won't stand here and lecture--for very long--but health care reform on an individual basis is often just this simple: we could save a lot of money, and a lot of grief, by making smarter choices.
It starts by ending destructive habits, and beginning healthy habits in eating and exercise. In my case, it's hard to slack when you have the ever-present example of an Iron Dogger nearby. But many of us could use a little more time in our great outdoors--and when you live in the Great Land, there's no excuse. Protecting good health is largely a matter of personal responsibility, but government policy can help. Our new Alaska Health Care Commission will recommend changes that affect the well-being of Alaskans far into the future.
How seriously can we take someone who so easily jumps on and off a bandwagon according to which gravy train she thinks will lead her to political influence?
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Comments :
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
katievs: Franco, she's right.
This is not a cat fight, it's not trivial. It's just one cut and thrust in a cosmic battle now underway between liberty and statism.
I don't have much patience for people standing on the sidelines telling people actually in the fight that they're doing it wrong. If you don't like her style, get in the fray and show us how it's done.
PS Sarah Palin's practical policies, we can trust from her record, would be in the direction of empowering parents and schools, while Michelle Obama's are all in the direction of extending the reach of federal government. Not the same thing at all. · Dec 27 at 8:19pm
She isn't in the fight. She's got a freaking reality show! Sarah Palin's Alaska is the venue she chose. That and Fox News on Hannity. Give me a break....
And please read my posts. You have missed some of my points or else you are in effect calling me a liar...
Do I have to have my own reality show to compete and get into the fray? Puleeze...
Nov '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Franco
Of course Palin is not the problem. That isnt the argument. But Palin is a powerful media force and what she focuses on and what approach she employs, is important.
And you, making me go back to Lady Ks posts, taking sides as it were, is just like what Sarah does. Articulate your own position. Please...
I take pride in my ability to articulate a position. If katievs wants to save herself some trouble and plant her banner next to mine, she has my blessing.
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
I would like to ignore Sarah but she is everywhere. I just saw her on O Really a replay of the hoity toity interview. On second viewing it was even more damning... Boycotts don't work anyway there are way too many more people than me. And I certainly deal with her, I have no choice. She does indeed speak for me as well because I fundamentally agree with her.. She just doesn't articulate for me and that is what I need next. So I am against nominating this person who is becoming quite full of herself, methinks.
I used to like her. Now I don't. Deal with it. And if you don't like my comments then scroll by. Surely I am easier to avoid than Sarah Palin.
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Of course Palin is not the problem. That isnt the argument. But Palin is a powerful media force and what she focuses on and what approach she employs, is important.
And you, making me go back to Lady Ks posts, taking sides as it were, is just like what Sarah does. Articulate your own position. Please...
I take pride in my ability to articulate a position. If katievs wants to save herself some trouble and plant her banner next to mine, she has my blessing. · Dec 27 at 8:54pm
So where do you disagree with me?
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Lady Kurobara
Michelle's exact words were:
"Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."
Just to put the thing in context:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissar
I think we are losing sight of the Big Picture. The most socialist administration in US history is hinting at controlling the way we eat, so naturally we are...beating up on Sarah Palin! It really depresses me when I see people on the Right buying into leftwing elitism. And the WSJ, especially, should know better.
Focus, people. · Dec 27 at 10:38am
Pick your battles.
Nov '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Franco
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Of course Palin is not the problem. That isnt the argument. But Palin is a powerful media force and what she focuses on and what approach she employs, is important.
And you, making me go back to Lady Ks posts, taking sides as it were, is just like what Sarah does. Articulate your own position. Please...
I take pride in my ability to articulate a position. If katievs wants to save herself some trouble and plant her banner next to mine, she has my blessing.
So where do you disagree with me?
I think Sarah Palin has (unwittingly) put a major bug up your bum, and as long as it keeps buzzing around in your upper colon, you will be distracted from the larger issues.
May '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Franco, why are you making this about SP's fitness for President rather than about the concrete issue at hand, viz., whether she was right to call out MO for statism in her anti-obesity campaign?
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Of course Palin is not the problem. That isnt the argument. But Palin is a powerful media force and what she focuses on and what approach she employs, is important.
And you, making me go back to Lady Ks posts, taking sides as it were, is just like what Sarah does. Articulate your own position. Please...
I take pride in my ability to articulate a position. If katievs wants to save herself some trouble and plant her banner next to mine, she has my blessing.
So where do you disagree with me?
I think Sarah Palin has (unwittingly) put a major bug up your bum, and as long as it keeps buzzing around in your upper colon, you will be distracted from the larger issues. · Dec 27 at 9:15pm
This is an argument?
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Sarah Palin is a big distraction from the argument. It is a very valid argument, but a trivial matter when compared to Obamacare and other concerns. It is certainly emblematic, I agree. But any misfires or attention paid to elements of Socialism that are debatable (and this is debatable) plays into their hands. Do we really want a reality show diva driving the debate and representing our side, when she is on record saying a very similar thing as ex Governor of Alaska?
It matters that she hasn't declared one way or the other. That is why she still gets attention, and she is well aware of it. So this is why I am fed up with her playing coy. Declare your intentions and either be a candidate or a reality diva... I dont like the effect of both, it complicates the politics and to the extent she might be trying to play games...it isn't cool.
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Goodnight whoever is on this thread I have to sleep now...Ill try not to take the comments about my colon personally...
Jun '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Franco:
I used to like her. Now I don't. Deal with it. And if you don't like my comments then scroll by. Surely I am easier to avoid than Sarah Palin. · Dec 27 at 8:59pm
Brother, you are investing way too much of yourself into that Palin lady. Whether or not you like her isn't really germane to the conversation, and focusing so intensely on why exactly you don't think she should be a candidate next year just sows discord and distracts from the subject of the thread. You're smart and articulate, so I'd rather engage than avoid you, and I think you could illuminate this conversation if you would ignore the personalities involved and debate the ideas. Or not. I just don't think it's worth stressing about.
As for me, since I'm not a fan of most of the contenders for next year, I'm going to concentrate my efforts on building acceptance for my own dream team: Daniels/Johnson 2012!
Nov '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Franco
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Lady Kurobara
Franco
Of course Palin is not the problem. That isnt the argument. But Palin is a powerful media force and what she focuses on and what approach she employs, is important.
And you, making me go back to Lady Ks posts, taking sides as it were, is just like what Sarah does. Articulate your own position. Please...
I take pride in my ability to articulate a position. If katievs wants to save herself some trouble and plant her banner next to mine, she has my blessing.
So where do you disagree with me?
I think Sarah Palin has (unwittingly) put a major bug up your bum, and as long as it keeps buzzing around in your upper colon, you will be distracted from the larger issues.
This is an argument?
Nope. Just an observation.
Oct '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
She's just doing what her handlers are telling her to do. She's not a serious person.
Oct '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Sarah Palin is driving me nuts.
Dec '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Perhaps I can bookend this thread.
Of course Michelle Obama see's our fat country and spies an opportunity to increase government power, unconcerned that the Federal government helped cause the problem in the first place.
Of course Ms. Palin decided this was a good excuse to commit an unsubstantive hit and run ensuring even subliterate Ugandans have heard she just wants the government off the backs of regular American citizens.
And of course neither of these women has proposed something concrete and likely to succeed in addressing this problem.
The tangential flights on this thread suggest to me that people really don't believe that the reason we are fat is our bloated Federal government-- captured by influential interests-- subsidizes the food that makes us fat. Sure, there are elements of modernity that contribute, but we can't do anything about that.
A wise conservative approach would be to say "These subsidies make us fat, are corporate welfare, and destroy the environment. Let's get rid of them." All the rest of this is theater meant to distract us from the wad of cash government is extracting from our pockets and placing in the account of Archer Daniels Midland.
Sep '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Correct me if I am wrong, here, but this thread is about Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama and their differences regarding how our government should or should not deal with obesity.
No?
And this is getting attention...how?
because Palin has a reality show and chose to comment while eating smores.
As others have noted, we all know the argument... but it is getting attention because of the personalities. So personality is important here, and Sarah Palin keeping her options open while doing this twobit sniping is a significant issue. I don't think I am at all out of line here.
The bigger issue is we had better freaking defeat Obama in 2012 or we are done. I don't want Sarah Palin to be our representative, because she will lose. I guarantee it. And I hate when people pretend they are going to run for President because they gain personally. Donald Trump for example. If Palin rules out running, there is no issue because no one cares, including me
Lady K and other, um, observers, can pretend the two things are separate and those who disagree are obsessed or fixated if they like.
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
There have been some interesting comments on this thread--but let's keep them all (and their tone) civil, please! We're all friends here, even if we disagree on some issues.
May '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
I'm offended by your tone, young lady.
May '10
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Holy cow, Emily! If you have a slow day just post "Obesity" or "Sarah Palin" and you'll get 100 comments.
Re: WSJ Sides with First Lady in Palin v Obama Food Fight
Or Glenn Beck ; )