A letter from Patti Davis to Sasha and Malia

[ehrnst]

Dear Sasha and Malia,

Here is a story you might find interesting given the latest unprovoked (and undeserved) attack on you by Elizabeth Lauten, who I, by the way, had never heard of before.

When my father was president there was an evening event in Los Angeles for Queen Elizabeth, hosted by my parents. The dress was “cocktail attire” which, to my thinking, is a somewhat broad category. There was a clothing line called Laize Adzer then and it was quite popular and fashionable — a sort of high-end peasanty look that required all the pieces — belt, scarf, etc. — to look like the magazine ads. I splurged on one of the dressier outfits and wore it to this event. In the broad category of cocktail attire, there was indeed a broad spectrum of fashion statements there. One woman was dressed sort of like a flapper. Another looked almost slutty, in a poofy sort of way. But I was singled out by a journalist who wrote the next day: “There were 150 people there. 149 of them were properly dressed. Patti Davis…” I can’t even recall the rest of the assault, only that there was one.

As First Daughters, you can’t win. There will always be bitchy people sitting at their keyboards, seething with anger at their own lives, ready to take it out on you. But in this case, I think you did win. The internet exploded with rage at Elizabeth Lauten and in defense of you. People have suggested she should lose her job, be exiled to a desert island, and other harsh recommendations that I won’t print here. Many have pointed out how appropriate you both looked as the teenagers you are — “normal” is what a few have said.

And while there isn’t anything normal about the life you are living right now, you still can be. An adult woman attacking you the way she did is despicable. Take it for what it is and be glad you are the smart and well-adjusted girls you are. And if you ever see Elizabeth Lauten sitting at bar dressed like the teenager she isn’t…just walk past and resist the temptation to say something snarky to her. Trust me, you’re light years ahead of her.


http://booksbypattidavis.com/dear-sasha-and-malia/#more-982

[mtasselin]

1. Thank You

Thank you Patti, you are still very classy unlike Ms. Lauten. Some people are calling for her to be fired I am not one of them, the other side shows their bigotry everyday. There was no need or reason for Ms. Lauten to take the low road other than it comes to them to easy and natural.

[hlthe2b]

2. Good on Patty Davis. Like her brother Ron, she has class..

[marble falls]

3. Great advice. Good post.

[hexola]

4. Is this misogyny? Age shaming?

"...dressed like the teenager she isn’t…just walk past and resist the temptation to say something snarky to her. Trust me, you’re light years ahead of her"

But apparently, Davis isn't?

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. I think the word you were looking for is misogyny.

And no, it isn't.

[hexola]

7. Thanks and why not?

She shames her for her age...

[Skidmore]

10. You need a dictionary perhaps...or

the Google machine.

And the very real state of womanhood in America currently is to try to preserve the illusion that you are much younger than you actually are. Check out any fashion magazine or women's magazine. Take note of the ads for Lifelift and whatever other techniques or procedures guilting women into putting down major dollars to erase wrinkles. Elizabeth Lauten is hardly aged, but I will say her snarky attack reminded me of what many girls in high school did--belittle others to make themselves feel better. Unfortunately, some do not outgrow it.

[blackcrowflies]

21. she shames her for having no taste

[okaawhatever]

37. I think her point is that Ms. Lauten is acting like a teenager, not a woman of her age and would be

dressed accordingly. That is what I understood it to mean. Ms. Lauten's Facebook post was very "Mean Girls", if you don't understand the reference to Mean Girls you'll have to watch the movie.

[pansypoo53219]

48. patty is calling the GOP idiot immature. and the obama daughters mature.

[rhett o rick]

62. Oh the irony. You are doing exactly what she is railing about. nm

[lamp_shade]

5. Thank you. I shared this on facebook. n/t

[calimary]

65. So did I!

I've been lambasting that little GOP so-&-so all day. I LOVE how she's been slammed all over the internet. Stunk up the joint so bad even the republi-CONS couldn't excuse it. Now THAT'S saying something! Even they couldn't find a way to be okay with it. And it was an attempt to smack around something else directly related (indeed) to President Obama, no less.

[Cha]

70. I wrote a comment on Patti's page at the link.. good idea about sharing it on FB, lamp_shade!

[hexola]

8. Sorry - I think this stinks...using the presidents daughters to sell books!

If it were a real letter - it might be ok - but this is social media advertisement for her books.

Latuen and Davis are both guilty of using the daughters for their own gain.

[mainer]

11. It's her official website. It's where she normally blogs.

Where else should she post the letter, on Facebook?

[hexola]

12. In an envelope.

If she genuinely thought she had some sage advice for the girls, write them a letter.

Why do we need to know about?

Answer: Because it drives traffic to her website and sells books.

[CatWoman]

19. do you stay awake at night thinking about shit to be outraged about?

[hexola]

22. Not sure this reaches the level of outrage...just stinks.

nt

[Maedhros]

44. You must be real fun at parties...

[Hekate]

43. Catwoman

Couldn't resist.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

49. Post of the year.

Thanks.

[MFM008]

52. she doesnt force you

to buy a book, you look and say..nope, no books but good point. Thats how blogs work, you seem madder at Pattie than the skank that dissed the first kids.

[DeSwiss]

13. Did you even look at the website?

- Don't answer. It was meant to be rhetorical.



Geeze.....

[hexola]

14. Yes - Left column, ads for 3 books.

Are you sure you looked at the website?

Maybe you're on a cellphone or tablet.

[mainer]

17. Yes I did. Like many other authors' sites, it's where she posts a blog

It includes posts on a number of topics, from Presidential children to current events. It includes links to her books -- as any good author website does.

And for all you know, she did send the letter in an envelope to the White House.

I'm glad she posted it in a public place -- it was worth sharing with everyone.

[hexola]

20. Its called "booksbypattidavis.com"

Its a retail site - She uses blogging to drive traffic to her site to sell books.

And that's fine. That's how social media works in our economy...

She's even a Amazon affiliate! Making a little extra on top!

God Bless America and Merry Christmas Patti!

[Hekate]

46. Are you aware that any number of DUers are also bloggers and have websites related ...

....to making an honest living? We have any number of published authors and at least one deejay here -- look for the links.

[DavidDvorkin]

61. You are correct.

[NBachers]

66. I can't reply to schema thing's hidden message, but I'll endorse it here.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

58. First you thought she took a mysognistic shot at the idiot....

....now you don't like it because you think it's self-promoting.

Are we going to get to your real reasons soon?

[BlueMTexpat]

71. Is this you, Ms Lauten?

Wow ... this is the age of social media and blogs. Patti Davis didn't post this on DU, but on her own blog.

But I am glad that it was re-posted on DU.

After all, Patti is uniquely qualified to comment on this situation. She may have sent an even more personal note to the Obama daughters as well. But however she chose to comment, it is not for you to criticize her motives, IMO.

[maddiemom]

9. I'm surprised that so few of the angry responses to THAT WOMAN

have noted that her remarks were made even more heinous because she was really using the girls' outfits as a way into making equally nasty and unfounded comments about their parents, which she slipped in nearer the end. Not just the POTUS, but the First Lady as well. Her remarks weren't at all political, but entirely personal.

[redstatebluegirl]

32. She didn't want to say they looked like ho's, this is race related.

Everything related to the President or his family these people say is veiled in race. They say "don't play the race card" well it is hard when they are constantly using it as the wild card in their poker game.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

67. when pukes start going an about "those black people using the race card"

I want to hurl.

You can be sure that any finger-wagging they do at others is in full denial of their own repulsive behavior.

[RedCappedBandit]

15. All else aside.. "peasanty" ?

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. That's what that trend was called in the 80s, by us poor girls and rich girls alike.

It has nothing to do with the family she was born into.

[TBF]

34. Maybe originated with flashdance -

big hair, off the shoulder, and leg warmers. Everyone wore that ...

[RedCappedBandit]

56. Weird!

Before my time, so I had no idea.

[Hekate]

47. Popular in the late 60s, too. I loved the look, but made my own outfits.

Long full skirt, tightly-sashed or broad-belted at the waist, somewhat poofy sleeves, dangly necklaces.

Oh to be young again.

[mainer]

16. A purported photo of Elizabeth Lauten, partier

I found it over among the comments on the Telegraph website.

https://twitter.com/TomAdelsbach/status/539188766901284866/photo/1

[blackcrowflies]

23. interesting if that's an actual photo of her

Weren't the Bush girls, being held up as role models compared to the Obama girls, notorious for being drunk.

[niyad]

36. there was a rumour at the time that the secret service code names for the bush

twins were "gin" and "tonic".

[Enrique]

24. she prayed after that party

Jesus forgave her.

[riversedge]

26. Lauten is paying for her vile comments as this pic is going viral..

actually, I do not know if going viral--but I have seen it a few times today already.

[okaawhatever]

38. The photo looks very much like a younger Lauten. She's lost some weight and had her teeth

whitened/hair dyed but it very much looks like her. I hope this pic goes viral. Everyone retweet!!!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

41. Okay....

So THIS:



Came from THIS:

[cali]

25. Interesting how Patti and Ron were always liberals despite their parents

I attribute some of it at least to their attending the John Thomas Dye School. A more nurturing liberal environment would be hard to find.

[hifiguy]

40. Patti and Ron have always seemed like very nice, down-to-earth people

who are very smart, compassionate and generally good folks. They fell about as far from the tree as it is possible to get.

[Evergreen Emerald]

27. Excellent response

That woman got her fifteen minutes of fame(shame). I wonder if she lives in a right-wing bubble and did not realize how out of touch with reality she actually was.

[MBS]

28. THIS:

There will always be bitchy people sitting at their keyboards, seething with anger at their own lives, ready to take it out on you.

EXACTLY.
This describes the Obama haters to a T.

[kpete]

29. remarkable

thank you for posting this BEAUTIFUL letter
I am going to save it and share

peace,
kp

[DeSwiss]

30. It takes very strong lips to hold a beer bottle in your mouth like this.....

...not to mention, a lot of class. You'll notice, no spillage on her Côté Décolletage.

- She has ''finishing school'' written all over her.....



K&R

[Catherine Vincent]

33. Is that real?

It looks photoshopped. LOL. But of course she and her defenders will come back and say she wasn't living in the White House.

[ScreamingMeemie]

35. I thought the bottle in the mouth looked like a photoshop as well.

[NBachers]

68. The drawn-in cheeks point to some kind of similar activity there- maybe it isn't photoshopped.

[OldRedneck]

59. WTF is she doing?

Advertising BJ's?

I'm reminded of that compliment: She could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch!!!

[mainer]

31. Lauten has resigned

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/12/01/elizabeth-lauten-nbc-obama-girls/19730421/

[closeupready]

39. What an amazingly concise nugget of wisdom this letter is.

I'd never been too familiar with her, but she seems quite brilliant. K&R

[Hekate]

42. Heartwarming and real. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other POTUS' daughters...

... Reached out as well, each in her own way.

Kudos to Patti Davis.

[adieu]

45. There's also a big difference between Patti Davis and Sasha/Malia

Patti was a full-grown adult at the time of that event she was referring to. Both Sasha and Malia are still in high school.

[deurbano]

50. Is Sasha even in high school, yet?

[ScreamingMeemie]

51. No.

13

[truedelphi]

53. I could care less how the WH teenagers are dressed. Since Day One,

my main prayer for them (and their parents too), has been that they stay safe and happy.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

55. Well, when they are in some sort of representative capacity

as in this instance - "the first family, " I do care what they're dressed like.

And, they're clothes are absolutely fine, and they look adorable. I don't think I've ever seen them dressed inappropriately.

[pacalo]

57. Very classy & gracious of Patti to write this -- I hope Sasha & Malia read it.

[Raine]

60. That was nice of her, as a member of a First family she knows exactly how it is. nt

[Cha]

63. Mahalo ehrnst.. I'll read this later.. I know I like it already!

[IkeRepublican]

64. Patty's A-ok

Read her book about dealings with the old man when he got truly sick - it's a good one. She admits in numerous passages that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, as we all know.

[Cha]

69. "There will always be bitchy people sitting at their keyboards, seething with anger at their own..

lives, ready to take it out on you."

Perfect from Patti Davis! I commented at the link.

Mahalo again, ehrnst