Politico is speculating that the above ad may “risk a father’s anger.” This new advertising campaign is sponsored by the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). According to PCRM’s press release the new ad campaign is designed to ”draw a sharp comparison between the foods served at the school the president’s children attend and those served at other schools.” The ads have been placed in Union Station to “greet congressional staffers.” PCRM’s main objective is to get ”Congress to reform the Child Nutrition Act to help schools serve more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat vegetarian lunch options” to students.
The little girl pictured in the ad is Jasmine Messiah, an 8-year-old vegetarian that attends a Florida public school. Jasmine has written letters to her senators, state representative, and also to Sasha and Malia Obama regarding the reformation of the Child Nutrition Act. To read Jasmine’s letter to the First Daughters click here.
Remember the “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” dolls? Is this the same thing? Are the weeMichelles and little Jasmine being used to promote a political agenda? Does the PCRM run the risk of upsetting the President and First Lady? Is it all in the name of a good cause?
Posted by Aminah Hanan
10 Comments, Comment or Ping
Regina
Tricky. It’s an agenda the First Lady has actively promoted herself, but if this wasn’t coordinated with the White House there might be some push-back. Hopefully not, they’re both working on the same goal.
Aug 8th, 2009
Cee Cee
I don’t think it’s right to use the President kids in a ad or anything to get a point across. What happen to leaving the kids alone? I think it’s a good thing to talk about reforming school meals in all school, but to involve the President’s children is not the way to go.
All this ad is doing is singling out the Obama kids.
I don’t know if it has happen or not, but I’ve never seen any other Presidents’ kids being on display as a political play for all like it has been for the Obamas. When Bush was in office and his twin girls was caught drinking underage I didn’t see any ads go up aimed to bring awareness to the troubles of drinking underage. When Clintons was in office (and I can be wrong about this) I didn’t see anyone aim any ads towards their daughter.
Why is it now that we have a President who is really into reforming policies in the best interest of this country are people aiming ads(even if they are working on the same side) towards or new President kids?
People need to keep the Obama kids out of the political arena.
To me this ad is another Black on Black attack agenda which it should be about.
It would have been better to show statistics across the country and how unhealthy school meals are becoming.
Aug 10th, 2009
Cee Cee
Oops a lot of typos. Meant to say, “schools”, and “To me this ad is another Black on Black attack agenda which it should NOT be about.”
Aug 10th, 2009
pepper
Well the reason why Sasha and Malia get healthy meals is because their father is the President of the United States and their parents went very good schools so they could afford those healthy lunches. Its not like this girl doesn’t get a school lunch, she just wants a vegetarian one.
A healthy lunch is one thing, but vegan and vegetarian ones are another. If schools start doing that then they will have to offer low sodium, gluten free, etc. it is unfair to compare a public school to a private one. Public schools simply can not afford all these options, while a private one can.
Well, her mother should take a cue from Michelle and plant a garden in her backyard and pack her daughter’s lunch to school.
Aug 11th, 2009
Mitzi Gordon
Yes, why not leave the children out of the political fray. It is just another form of exploitation (Black on Black) just as the above person wrote. The media didn’t dare touch or mention the children of the previous presidents
who just happened to be white. This ad is an affront to the Obamas and
their children and should be pulled immediately. The little girl in the ad
is being exploited also.
Aug 11th, 2009
jurahar
MEAN GIRLS. Class warfare. Why was an African-American girl used in this photo? This question doesn’t need to be answered because we all know why. This reminds me when Fox News has some really outrageous nasty things to say about President Obama they usually have someone of a darker complexion on the panel.
I am more concerned about the actual girl in the ad and the mindset of her parents to have their daughter taking a negative approach to prove a point and using the President’s daughter to do so.
Parents of all economic classes in this country make the same choices concerning their diets and heavy eating. This issue is moot because economics may determine the ability to afford healthier diet choices, but economics does not determine the will and committment to healthy eating choices be implemented.
To me this ad is shameless and to victimize the girl in the ad and pit her against the President’s daugthers is offensive.
Aug 12th, 2009
admin
Man Aminah, you are on top of things. I think the goal is fine, but the message sounds as if they are using the daughters to attack their Father and that’s wrong and unnecessary.
Aug 12th, 2009
A-Team Mom
I think it is ridiculous that this is even an issue. It would cost the same to put a healthier alternative in the schools like fresh fruits and salad bars, turkey hotdogs and turkey burgers, meals prepared without salts and preservatives and non dairy alternatives as well. While I do believe this is an issue that affects everyone, I can’t help but feel like this is another one of those issues that is being driven right on home to the white house because of who this president is. He is not the first president to have children in school during his term and the school lunches were worse years ago so why now do we see a little black girl in an ad today? Is this really an issue for the president to handle or better yet his daughters? It’s as if people are acting like there are no more local or state government officials to handle such things. Other states have worked through the school lunch problem with no thanks to GW Bush, why not talk to them officials to help find a solution to your problem?
Aug 19th, 2009
Aminah Hanan
@ADMIN, I agree. It does appear as if the weeMichelles are being used to attack their father. The healthier school lunch message good, method bad.
@A-TEAM MOM So true on many points.
The Washington Post reported on August 12th:
“Within 24 hours of the signs’ appearance, the White House asked the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to take down the ads, which feature Jasmine Messiah, a vegetarian who attends a Miami-Dade County public school that, she says, offers no vegetarian or vegan lunch options.
The Physicians Committee has declined to take down the posters.
PCRM President Neal Barnard, a nutrition researcher, says he received a phone call regarding the posters Aug. 4 (a day after they went up) from Associate Counsel Karen Dunn and Deputy Associate Counsel Ian Bassin.
“They’re very nice people. I like them a lot,” Barnard says. “But they called and said: Please take those down, you can’t mention the kids and so forth. . . . They felt that mentioning the president’s children was off-limits. They said [they're] not going to allow the use of their daughters as leverage.”
It will be interesting to see where this goes.
Aug 21st, 2009
Leznoire1973
Shameless bastards! Trying to cause infighting amongst Black females and using this poor child to attack the WeeMichelles! disgusting, just plain disgusting!
Aug 25th, 2009