Michelle Obama Watch

Posted by Gina

For almost two days, the lead story on Drudge Report was Barack Obama’s PURPORTED purchase of a RARE ring made out of rhodium. The PURPORTED price of this precious metal ring encrusted with diamond flecks was a whopping…. wait for it….$30,000.

Over at WAOD, I posted several blog reactions where Michelle was:

A. Compared to Marie Antoinette:

Michelle Antoinette gets a new bauble: a diamond and rhodium ring worth over $30,000. Shown (close to actual size) above.

Remember when she said Bush’s $600 rebate checks were a pittance that couldn’t even buy a nice pair of earrings? Well, now we know what sort of jewelry she’ll settle for. And it would sure take a lot of rebate checks to buy earrings to match that rhodium whopper.

Which will look gorgeous when paired with any of Michelle’s signature fashion choices, made from only the finest old couches, of course.( Hill Buzz,Diamonds are Michelle Antoinette’s best friends),

and

B. Women who demand expensive gifts in exchange for giving birth:

What is it with some women who feel entitled to receive lavish presents from their husbands for work that should be its own reward? Reminds me of this ridiculous “Push Present” phenomenon involving women who expect big-ticket gifts from their husbands for bearing their children (see Dr. Helen’s column here). Michelle Malkin

The blog reactions weren’t nearly as annoying as mainstream media’s willingness to parrot any rumor or rumor of a rumor about Michelle Obama. MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer cited the story on air despite a denial , saying Barack Obama was”buying a $30,000 diamond ring for his lovely bride as a thank-you for her support during the election.” Media Matters

For all this talk about Michelle Obama being the next Jackie O, I think her time in the White House might be more reminiscent of Nancy Reagan, and not in a good way. I posted about it over at WAOD yesterday(
The Nancy Reagification of Michelle Obama -$94,000 Costco Ring)“:

When I was a wee lass I vaguely remember that the rap on Nancy Reagan was that she was materialistic and out of touch because she purchased some new china for the White House during an economic downturn. They are basically implying or outright saying the same things about MIchelle Obama. What About Our Daughters

Here is what one case study about the role of First Ladies said about Nancy Reagan:

However, there is a fine line between style and elitism, and at some point early in the administration, the public felt that Nancy Reagan had crossed over that line. Certainly, the press’s attitude towards her seemed to change. In 1981, Newsweek ran a story entitled “Mrs. Reagan’s Free Clothes,” in which they reported that Nancy Reagan had accepted an unspecified number of gowns on loan from her favorite top designers. Newsweek also indirectly suggested that Mrs. Reagan’s action might have violated the spirit of the Government Ethics Act of 1977, and pointed out that other First Ladies had not accepted the same policy. Soon, a virtual onslaught of criticism began. Mrs. Reagan was chastised for raising $800,000 from private funds to refurbish the White House (much of the money donated being…deductible from tax returns in the 50 percent bracket, so that the public was indirectly footing a large portion of the bill), getting $209,000 worth of donated china, letting Architectural Digest have exclusive photo rights to the new interior, and keeping three hairdressers buzzing in and out of the White House. The CBS Evening News juxtaposed a story about an impoverished widow’s eviction with a story about the First Lady’s acquisition of an expensive new dress. Finally, in a cover story in December 1981, Newsweek suggested that the real Nancy Reagan was revealed when she savagely dressed down a Los Angeles hotel manager for delaying the President['s] and her entry to the presidential suite to allow the prior occupant to pack up and leave. Nancy Reagan: China Doll or Dragon Lady ( gagging on the title)

When I wrote about it yesterday and I didn’t need Politico or the Associated Press to tell me this story was full of hooey, but the truthfulness of the story isn’t as troubling as some people’s willingness to believe it and their reaction to it if it was true. Follow me if you wil..

Even if the story WAS true, what’s the controversy? We routinely hear about rich people purchasing jewelry that cost MILLIONS of dollars. So why is a $30,000 ring headline news on Drudge and MSNBC when you can buy far more expensive rings at Costco? No seriously, you can purchase some of their yummy blueberry muffins, frozen egg rolls and a ring for $94,000 at Costco.

Lobster-gate (Perhaps Michelle Should Have Ordered Chicken Fingers and a Box of Wine )

This is reminiscent of Lobster-gate, another debunked Michelle Obama story. People fell over themselves to rebut that story, but I didn’t think Michelle Obama enjoying a lobster dinner was all that scandalous. She’s a rich Black woman. Get over it. I didn’t think the RNC spending $150,000 on designer suits for Sarah Palin to wear to campaign appearances was worth the brouhaha either. As I stated yesterday, I’ve seen “ladies who lunch” and I can assure you there are outfits that cost $150,000.

Whitey Tapes I and II

Then there were the “Whitey tape” rumors. What I call, Whitey Tape I and Whitey Tape II. You didn’t read about either on this blog. The first “Whitey Tape” was supposed to drop the day after the conclusion of the Democratic primary, Whitey Tape I. This tape was openly discussed on MSM. Barack Obama was even questioned about it. Then in the waning days of the general election, the API ( African Press International) led a group of dimwitted souls on a wild goose chase about the release of the Whitey tape in the waning days of the general election.

This clearly delusional rumor was so “credible” that Fox News had to issue a denial that they were going to play any role in the Whitey tape release. They might as well have denied that they power their broadcasts with energy from an alien vessel parked in the basement of Fox News Headquarters.Do you really think that a Harvard and Princeton-educated Black woman would take to a pulpit at a church and start screaming about “Whitey?” on tape? No seriously? No alarm bells were set off that said “hmm?” Even if you thought she was a racist, what makes you think that she is that stupid?

For all this talk about Camelot, I think people are deluding themselves. Do we really want to see Michelle Obama living like Jackie O? I’m not so sure. I think we are far more likely to see a deluge of stories picking apart Michelle Obama much like the drubbing Nancy Reagan took. I could be wrong, but these early signs are not promising. If that weren’t true, lobster-gate, Rhodium-ring gate, and Whitey Tapes I and II would have been dismissed automatically.

The fact that there are hundreds of blog posts about any one of these says a lot ( or not). I don’t think people have a problem with Lobster and rings, I think they have a problem with the idea that Michelle Obama is living a luxurious lifestyle. If you can call a $30,000 ring for multimillionaires a “luxury.” I think people really believe that despite the fact that Michelle Obama is as about as “establishment” as one can be having gone to Harvard and then on to a work at a corporate law firm protecting the intellectual property rights of Barney the Dinosaur, she’s some kind of closet radical. Based on what?

Are we going to have a problem the first time when we see the inaugural gown because it will somehow be “too elegant?” What about the first State Dinner? Will we erupt with rage is Michelle Obama serves something other than baked chicken with a rice pilaf and green beans? Do people expect her to forswear Maria Pinto in exchange for Wal-marts Metro 7 line? If people are foaming at the mouth over a Costco ring, what are they going to say when Michelle Obama takes over the pageantry of the Presidency. Will the White House tree have to be a 6 footer Michelle threw on the roof after a tree shopping expedition to Home Depot?

For the record. I doubt I will ever spend $30,000 on something that doesn’t shelter me or feed me perpetuity, Costco or not. But that’s my money, I can do with it what I want. So should the Obamas.I could go on with the long history in this country of some “folks” becoming extremely unhappy when African American’s enjoy a standard of living higher than some would like, but I’ll hold on to that one until Michelle Obama actually moves into the White House.