Right Wing Smears Michelle Obama As A Modern ‘Marie Antoinette,’ Pushes Lies About Cost Of The Trip

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/09/michelle-vacatoin/

Right Wing Smears Michelle Obama As A Modern ‘Marie Antoinette,’ Pushes Lies About Cost Of The Trip

In recent days, right-wing commentators have launched a series of attacks on First Lady Michelle Obama for going on vacation in Spain with her daughter Sasha and a small number of family friends. Some of the most vicious attacks:

AT LINK~you can read them there; not worthy of publishing them here.

Because the right wing has propagated so much misinformation about the size and cost of the First Lady’s trip, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet published an article setting the record straight today. First, Michelle Obama brought only Sasha (Malia is at summer camp) along with two close friends, each of whom also brought their daughters. Second, the entire group paid for their own lodging and personal expenses. The New York Times reported that Michelle even reimbursed the government for the equivalent of two first-class commercial tickets for the flight on Air Force Two. (Her friends flew separately, on commercial flights). Finally, most of the rooms booked at her hotel in Spain belonged to Secret Service agents, and as Sweet wrote, “No matter where she goes — domestic or international — any first lady gets protection and she does not decide how many agents are needed.”

These right-wing commentators were curiously silent when the Bush family took vacations. The New York Times noted that Laura Bush took a vacation every year of her husband’s presidency, with Secret Service agents and a government plane. Also, Media Matters calculated the cost of President Bush’s frequent trips to his ranch in Crawford, TX, Camp David, and the family compound in Kennebunkport — he took more vacation time than any president — and put the tab at $20 million for air travel only.

These facts have not stopped the right-wing commentators from going into overdrive on this story, however. Perhaps they need a vacation.

Lynn Sweet's article here:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/08/michelle_obamas_spain_trip_the.html
Michelle Obama's Spain trip: The inside story why she went

[FrenchieCat]

1. They can call her all they want to.....those sick assholes.....

But she's not about "Let them eat cake".....Not even close!

In fact, in her 18 months, she has championed a better lifestyle for every kids
of this nation in so many ways, and most importantly,
it is something that will touch each each and every day...
for a long time to come.....

"SENATE APPROVES SWEEPING CHILD NUTRITION BILL"
"There was a flurry of Senate activity this week, as members prepared to leave town for a month-long recess, but the success of the child nutrition bill shouldn't get lost in the shuffle. It was a policy win for kids and public health, and a political win for nutrition advocates and First Lady Michelle Obama, who championed the effort.

The Senate on Thursday approved a long-awaited child nutrition act that intends to feed more hungry kids and make school food more nutritious, and it provides for $4.5 billion over the next decade to make that happen.

Called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, it passed the Senate unanimously and now moves on to the House, where passage is also expected. National child nutrition programs are set to expire on September 30.

The legislation will expand the number of low-income children who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, largely by streamlining the paperwork required to receive the meals. And it will expand a program to provide after-school meals to at-risk children.

Most notably, for the first time in nearly four decades, lawmakers approved "the first non-inflationary increase in the reimbursement rate for federal-sponsored school meals -- the amount local districts are repaid by the federal government."

Michael Jacobson, the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, "The Senate bill changes the school food landscape in ways that are all positive. Put simply, it will get junk food out of, and put more healthy food into, America's schools. It preserves the free and reduced-cost meals that many families depend on in an economic downturn."

Annie Lowrey posted some additional details from the Senate Agriculture Committee on what the bill does, including expanded after-school meals for at-risk children and increased eligibility for school meals.

In this toxic political environment, there aren't many bills -- even deficit-neutral, common-sense proposals -- that can pass with unanimous support. It's a nice way for the Senate to wrap up the pre-recess session."
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_08/025074.php#1809533


So those assholes making shit up can kiss my ass.

[babylonsister]

2. They can kiss my ass, too, Frenchie!

I think they are desperate to bring Mrs. Obama down a peg or two because she is just so darned popular, with practically everyone.

Must suck to be these people.

[felinetta]

5. Because she is popular, they will try to bring her down as well. I suppose

I should have seen this coming. They are absolutely
despicable. No limits on their heinousness.

[avaistheone1]

9. With all the hungry people and kids in this country I agree that Michelle made a very poor decision

to go on a luxurious vacation at this time. With the economy on the skids, so much joblessness and homeless and so many families having loved ones fighting these God awful wars - I would say this is no time for the First Lady to be having opulent vacations.

If it is true that this is Michelle's seventh paid tax payer funded junket vacation since March, all I can say is Michelle Obama
"Shame, shame, shame on you!!!" I don't care if Michelle is a private citizen or not, her behavior speaks volumes about her values and character and she is not looking good right now.

[livetohike]

3. Sickening. Just typical RW B.S.

There is no limit to how low they will go to criticize the Obamas. Soon they will resort to criticizing Sasha and Malia.

[TheBigotBasher]

4. They already started that.

It doesn't take too much to find. They are sick and should be called on it.

[Kweli4Real]

6. The Obamas should could take all the wind out of this rw fabrication ...

They should write a check to the treasury to cover the expenses, while floating through back channels a tally of every tax-payer funded republican junket ... and then make a big public show of saying: "Okay haters, now what?"

[babylonsister]

7. Nah, they're way too classy for that. I think their attitude is

to just ignore these asshats. Sounds like a plan, even while they piss me off.

[bluethruandthru]

8. You can tell how desperate they are!

What a mistake to compare anyone's vacation time to the shrubs!