Jack & Jill Politics

AFTERNOON THREAD IS UP

An article in response to what Larry King said about his son wanting to be Black

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/c...

I found this to be a thoughtful article on Obama's inaugural address from www.harpers.org

January 24, 5:45 PM, 2009

First Words and Deeds
By Scott Horton

We’re just over one hundred hours into the Obama presidency now and Obama has acted decisively to implement a number of his promises from the election campaign–those which could be implemented with the stroke of a pen. He has also provided something of a map for his coming administration. His inaugural address and a series of presidential directives addressing issues relating to the treatment of detainees merit special attention. “President Obama uttered no words today that will be quoted in a hundred years” writes George Packer of the Obama inaugural address. He goes on to pay Obama a series of very high compliments, including that “he delivered something better than rhetorical excitement—he spoke the truth, which makes its own history and carries its own poetry.”

We’ll have to come back in ten years and see if this speech is being quoted. It has a number of marvelous rhetorical turns and memorable passages, and I think Packer may be wrong about its longevity, but he is right about its immediacy. Obama has shown, throughout his long journey to Washington, that he values political speech, that he considers it a vehicle for inspiring and moving the nation’s culture much in the way important political figures of the nineteen century did. He regularly delivers speeches that are more than flash and sizzle, that offer us something to chew over, debate and measure. He also pays close attention to his words; they have obviously been culled and sculpted with unusual skill. American political culture is not particularly rich in this sense, and in fact the arrival of broadcast media has cheapened the process. Could an American political figure today deliver a rhetorical gemstone that is the equal of Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech and survive? Does our age not in fact call for the eight-second sound bite rather than the well-reasoned argument? Have we abandoned that appeal to reason that was the cornerstone of political debate for the generation that founded our republic?

The Obama inaugural speech was a bit of a time machine. It carefully connected with prior presidencies and existential crises. Grave challenges face us today, it said, but they are almost trifling compared to the perils tackled and surmounted by earlier American generations. Take courage from the experience and wisdom that our forefathers offer. The keynote of this speech was unmistakably conservative–a sense of loss, an appeal to remember the nation’s better and nobler days and to take inspiration from them:

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those that prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

While several messages are woven together, one of the most important is a commitment to govern from the center on the basis of shared values. It is not surprising that this speech was extremely appealing to conservative commentators like Patrick Buchanan and Peggy Noonan and drew so much criticism from the left. On the other hand, even as Obama reaches out to traditional conservatives, he smacks the neoconservatives across the face, defining them and their conduct as far outside the mainstream of American culture.

We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man — a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.

In a sweeping series of orders issued within the two days that followed, Obama provided a sense of what he meant by this. He detailed a process for shuttering the Guantánamo detention camps within the coming year (and hopefully earlier than that). He forbade the use of torture techniques that his predecessor had authorized. He shut down the CIA’s black sites and terminated its extraordinary rendition program. He explicitly reaffirmed the government’s commitment to abide rigorously by the commitments the United States made to the world under the Geneva Conventions and rejected the contrary opinions rendered by the Bush Administration’s Office of Legal Counsel, between September 11, 2001 and the hour Bush left office.

Joe Klein at Time magazine complains about the soft-spoken way that Obama went about all of this. He did not issue a statement rattling with condemnation of the abuses that marked the eight years of his predecessor’s rule. But Klein has missed a critical aspect of the Obama style. Obama is a law professor and in the earlier debate on these issues it was clear that he was versed in the legal policy details concerning the treatment of detainees. While Beltway chatterboxes debated whether Obama would follow the course charted by Vice President Cheney, those who tracked his views recognized this for nonsense.

There is also considerable artistry behind the orders. They do not take a machete to the age of Bush. Instead they tread lightly. Often they identify a single thread from the prior policy, which, once drawn, causes its objectionable aspects to fall away. They consistently go about resurrecting traditional American views—not asserting something novel. Obama’s orders are, in sum, a fine match to the Obama inaugural address. We are not witnessing the articulation of a new “Obama doctrine.” Rather it is the triumph of tradition and experience over eight years of aberrant bad judgment."

Where does the (T Boone) Pickens plan stand now? Not so good w/ prices so cheap but prices will change and some of the infrastructure needed for his plan will provides jobs.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-01-01/webextra...

Yeah, I could have told the staff that she was going to DC regardless of what they said!

Despite Crowds, 105-Year-Old Heads To Capitol
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?st...

Is it just me but did the media find every black centurion in the country? I totally have enjoyed their stories, so encouraging.

Miranda, my daughters and I were discussing this last night. I enjoy the stories too.

It's a true testament to the LONGEVITY and SPIRIT of our Black elders.


BTW, I arrived in DC yesterday. I'll be here for 2 weeks. My daughters and I drove around the Capitol and Whie House. The energy of the city is alive and well!

Well the weather is much warmer now! By the way you can go to the White House w/o a previous appointment but you'll have to wait in line for a while. You can book an appt for the Capitol tour online.

Wow, what does it feel like driving around the city knowing the president is black?

msmartin, I don't have words to describe how I feel..... I don't have words.

Today we're going to visit several homeless shelters. My daughters have a generous spirit. We're taking food and clothing, books, inaugural memorabilia, etc. These folks are just as much citizens of DC as anyone else. We want to serve!

God bless you and your daughters. They are the forgotten citizens who we will remember under this administration.

I so want to serve, but I can't seem to stop "serving" my family long enough to help anyone else. It's maddening.

I hear you, msmartin, but you know charity begins at home. One of my daughters is having surgery tomorrow, so she suggested we spend the afternoon at the homeless shelter.

I came to DC to be with her through the surgery, so she gives back by serving at the shelter.

I ask for your prayers. Thank you.

I am so happy for all the centurions who were able to witness this - imagine their feelings.

I can't even wrap my head around living 100 years. My sister recorded my great-grandmother's account of her life before she died at 95 about 10 years ago...and its the most fascinating stuff....I can't even begin to imagine what it means to see this man become president...and for those black women to see Michelle holding that bible...WOW.

Sheer POETRY, Miranda, Sheer POETRY.

" can't even begin to imagine what it means to see this man become president...and for those black women to see Michelle holding that bible...WOW."

I have to be honest, the image of Michelle has meant more to me as a black woman.

I have said many times that I was far more excited about Michelle going to the White House than even The President. I can't help it that I feel this way.

Michelle validated me...that's the only way I know how to describe it.

I can't believe Tweety made the connection that I had between Aretha's choice of song and Marian Anderson. He just did on his weekend show

I didn't know Marian Anderson sang My Country Tis Of Thee for Kennedy's Inauguration.

rikyrah, that's because Tweety reads JJP Politics!

LOL!

Everybody reads JJP Politics. I can't tell you how many times that I've noticed after we have had a major discussion about something, someone brings up the point on their broadcast. It's usually something they've never discussed before; they probably never even thought about it until they read it here.

You are so right. I've noticed the exact same thing many times.

msmartin, they probably won't give cred, but at least it's being read.

LOVING IT!!!

spirit, they have tuned into a part of America that no one knew about or listened to and low and behold we have valid input.

So true, msmartin, so true.

here is a handy 'Obameter' keeping track of 500 Obama promises as he fulfills 'em:

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/

he's already done 7 out of 500!

Miranda

You inquired a few days ago about the idea of bad banks and what they would consist of. This link is greater detail on credit default swap deriatives, one of the toxic assets the bank woud end up w/. The author of the ISI report has a better idea on how to deal w/ them; it is definitely more palatble.
To those whom are following rikyrah's discussion of nationalizing these large financial institutions credit default swaps are one of the reasons the issue keeps coming up.

courtesy the big picture:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/01/morgenson-...

There is an article over at politico about the president restaffing the Justice Department with Bush's harshest critics.

Is that why there is such a fear of Eric Holder being confirmed? teeheehee.

Oh Yeah. Be afraid, be very afraid.

The Knee-Grows are Coming, the Knee-Grows are Coming!!!!

ROFL..................i can actually picture somebody running around screaming that.

Oh yes, Change is coming to the Justice Department. I bet that's all President Obama could think of after he won.

BARACK: "I WON"

Hee, hee!

If he does nothing else, this will be monumental to me. I have been sick about what Bush and Cheney and their operatives (the good old boys club) has done to maintain control and undo the justice that had been achieved and set the country back to a time when they were the only voice that mattered.

I hope the President comes through like a bull dozer loud and strong with combat boots and tears down the establishment of supremacy and control they tried to build.

President Obama comes on STEALTH & SILKEN FEET.

A WHITE HOUSE BUTLER RETURNS - BY INVITATION
Eugene Allen, who endured segregation, is a guest of honor.

Washington -- Eugene Allen, who worked for more than three decades as a White House butler -- some of those years during an era of brutal segregation when he often had to use back doors despite his employer's rarefied address -- sat in the shadow of the Capitol dome Tuesday and watched Barack Obama become the first African American president of the United States.
"I never would have believed it," said Allen, 89, sitting in an invitation-only area. He wore a black cashmere coat purchased for the occasion, a checkered scarf and a Sinatra fedora. "In the 1940s and 1950s, there were so many things in America you just couldn't do. You wouldn't even dream that you could dream of a moment like this."

Allen received his invitation from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies after the Washington Post published an article about him in the wake of Obama's election. The report chronicled Allen's White House career, which began during the Truman administration and ended during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, and told of his 65-year marriage to Helene.

The couple had planned to go vote for Obama together. But a day before the election, Helene, 86, died in her sleep. On election day, Allen went to his voting precinct alone.
The invitation to the swearing-in surprised him. "I've served a lot of presidents," he said, "but I've never been to an inauguration."
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/inaugurati...

Whew! re-reading this article just melts my heart!!!

This is the kind of story that makes my day.

"That's the man," the butler said, nodding. "Whew. I'm telling you, it's something to see. Seeing him standing there -- well, it's been worth it all."

Joy always comes in the morning.

I think this is fabulous. I cried when I first read the article about him and his wife at the WaPo.

Media Alert:

Article on Desiree Rogers, the new White House Social Secretary, in the new issue of Vogue.

Here is the link: Life of the Party

I read it while sitting under the dryer at the salon...its a great article.

Brown in the land of the Maple Leaf: Looking at a man that was beaten by 3 police officers. As he lay apologizing for being brown, they stole 200 from him.Big surprise they have not been charged.

Legalized Prostitution in Nevada: Looking at a push to legalize prostitution for the purposes of taxing it.

We had a discussion the other day about whether or not racism is over now that Barack Obama is the President, as the kids say NOT. We agreed that it will take more education to overcome the ignorance we are facing.

The following link is a way of trying to understand what we face in overcoming ignorance. It's called agnotology. I'll let them describe it, "When it comes to many contentious subjects, our usual relationship to information is reversed: Ignorance increases."

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/01/agnotology/

"It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari" - Bill Burton On WH's outdated tech

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/wired-or-...

LOL...it shouldn't be funny...how sad is it that the White House technology is stuck in the age of Disco??

A new generation is indeed taking over. I love it.

That is a great visual..I'm LMAO.

These folks are on the cutting edge, and they've been dragged back a decade... no wonder they're pissed.

Folks better STEP UP OR STEP ASIDE.

Macs for everyone.

whoo hoo! yes! at our small community technology center, we are replacing pcs with macs --- both the director and i are mac enthusiasts! obama's people should have equipment that's at least as good as ours!

From The Sunday TimesJanuary 25, 2009
Mugabe’s bitter troops close private schoolsSophie Shaw in Harare

PUPILS as young as five years old were being turned away from school gates by President Robert Mugabe’s army last week as Zimbabwe’s education system, once one of the finest in Africa, became the latest victim of his ruinous corruption and economic mismanagement.

A week after the scheduled beginning of the academic year, all state schools remain closed. They are not expected to reopen until at least the end of February. As far as the state is concerned, if its own schools are shut, then the private ones have no right to be open.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afr...

This psycho has to go! It's leaders like him that are plaguing some African countries ... purely corrupt and oppressing his own people, it's disgusting!

Mugabe is a straight up thug. This man must have the DNA of a jackal.

Nuch has been made on Michelle Obama, her wardrobe and what she'll do. The times of London posits she will be another Princess D without the unhappiness:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_...

that was an interesting article. I do agree that the First Lady will NOT repeat Hillary Clinton's mistakes, and will find her own way.

Why do people seem to be under the impression that being First Lady means sitting around eating bon-bons and only having teas and smiling for photo ops?? I'm kinda tired of the implications from a lot of these columns - especially feminists - that think the role of the First Lady is just something diminishing to women. Hell, I seriously doubt I was busier than Laura Bush the last 8 years let alone the many hats Michelle will be wearing.

Co-sign, Miranda.

"I'm kinda tired of the implications from a lot of these columns - especially feminists - that think the role of the First Lady is just something diminishing to women."

Diminish what others accomplish instead of building the kinds of lives they REALLY want for themselves!

Michelle, just like Barack enter the White House with a new game book and rules.

I will be surprised if Michelle doesn't change that image.

I'm sure she will.

CNN: WILL OBAMA HAVE TO BE BETTER BECAUSE HE IS BLACK?

Excerpt:
Will people hold Obama to a different standard because he is the first African-American president?
Americans appear split by race on that answer. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, 53 percent of blacks say the American public will hold Obama to a higher standard than past presidents because he is black. Most whites -- 61 percent -- say Obama's race will not matter in how he will be judged.

The question divided several people who were racial pioneers themselves.

Alexander Jefferson was one of the first blacks allowed to become a fighter pilot. He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black pilots who escorted bombers in World War II.
"We had to be twice as good to be average," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/24/obama.pr...

Obama will be held to a higher standard, just as he was during the entire campaign. I recall when Bush first got in the expectations were so low all he had to do was show up and the media gave him a pass. Not to mention the Bush people had the media so afraid of getting access. Obama has promised "transparency" so the bar will be kept very high. I've already heard some of the media grousing about "transparency" and it hasn't even been a week yet.

So true. I think the media is grousing about "transparency" because that will make it harder for them to spin issues. They can't spin it if the Obama administration is letting the people see it for themselves - the media won't be a filter of information anymore....hallelujah.

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama has already gone back on his promises of transparency, a disgruntled organization says.

"Barack Obama promises transparency, but all of the White House bathroom doors are solid," says Jefrrey McMullen, president of Keep Obama Accountable (KOA). "How can we see what he is doing if the bathroom doors are not only closed, but you can't see through them?"

Making the White House replace their solid bathroom doors with clear ones is a top priority for KOA. "Obama could be cutting side deals with rogue nations, palling around with terrorists on Facebook...we don't know what he's doing because the door is closed. It is of the upmost importance that we know what Obama is doing behind those doors."

When asked if clear bathroom doors for the private White House residence was also a priority for KOA, McMullen said yes. "The American people deserve and have a right to know what Obama is doing behind those doors."

Challenged by the notion that what one does in the privacy of their bathroom does not violate the spirit of transparency, McMullen disagreed. "Obama is the one who said he wanted total transparency in government and we're holding him to that. We the people have the right to know if he is using 3-ply toilet paper on the public dime or is he holding himself to the same cuts he demands the American people make."

The White House had no comment for this article.

"How can we see what he is doing if the bathroom doors are not only closed, but you can't see through them?"

Umh, umh, umh, shakin' my head. Town, you are too Funny! I bet you were the kid who made everyone laugh in class while keeping a straight face. That was you, wasn't it?

Town, Town, Town. BWA HAHAAAAA!!!

LMBAO!

You a fool!! ROFLMAO!!!

Good points on the "spinning and filtering."

A .BIG .ASS. RESOUNDING. MUTHA FUCKING Y.E.S.!!!!!!!

A white woman that I work with already stated "well, let's see what he's going to do - talking is easy."

She also questioned how much was spent on the inauguration celebrations and even had the nerve to say maybe he shouldn't have had one to which I responded that he's the President and he should have one just like all the other presidents before him.

I agree, Obama should have had a YouTube swearing in and had the inaugural ball at McDonalds.

GEEZ.

to answer the question Miranda,

YEP.

LOL....I wonder how many black people looked on CNN, read the title and said "well DUH"

The Obamas, John Legend, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah Behind the Scenes at HBO's "We Are One" concert

Great footage from John Legend's web site with the president and first lady greeting and chatting with celebrities. It's about 11 minutes long but worth it:

http://tinyurl.com/cxac2k

Thank you so much for this. I looked every where for a couple of days for footage related to the concert and couldn't find anything. (I missed it.)

Will someone explain this notion of ' nationalizing the banks' to me that I heard on This Week With Stepinfetchonopoulos?

rikyrah, I read a report from CNN on the nationalization of banks. Id like to hear what others have to sa as well.

Don't bet on bank nationalization
Investors can't seem to shake the notion the U.S. will seize control of a big bank. But experts don't think that's likely.

By David Ellis, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: January 22, 2009: 7:15 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Nothing seems to scare bankers, or their shareholders for that matter, more than the word "nationalization."

Fears about the underlying health of banks have run so deep in recent days that there has been rampant speculation that the U.S. government may have to go so far as effectively seize control and manage one, if not more, of the country's largest financial institutions.

These worries sent bank stocks into their latest downward spiral Tuesday -- shares of some of the biggest banks, including Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) fell by 20% or more.

Although shares of these and other banks bounced back sharply Wednesday, most big bank stocks are still trading well below where they began this year. Investors are concerned about the huge losses incurred by Citi and BofA and the rising amount of taxpayer money that the government is committing to support them.


Here's a link.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/22/news/companies/...

its not going to happen. its way to expensive and our economy cant sustain it. if we nationalize banks it makes it even harder for other banks to compete against govt backed banks with low interest rates. which means wed have to buy even more banks. so it wont happen. what will happen is that we will buy up bad assets and sell them back to consumers when things stabilize. but nationalizing banks wont and shouldnt happen. and lets be fair weve only ha 25 or so banks fail. i think in the 70s there were something like 100 and the great depression had 300 or so.

January 23, 2009, 6:52 pm
Lasting Buzz Over Aretha Franklin’s Hat
By Katharine Q. Seelye

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/k...

All of the bruhaha over Re-Re's hat is indicative of the disconnect between the main stream and black culture. For black women, a hat isn't just a hat. It's OUR CROWN, and you just don't mess with our crowns. Big Momma and nem will cut you.

I loved Aretha's hat....and not only that...I LUUUUUVED Dorothy Height's hat!!

Miranda,

can you point me in the direction of a picture of Dr. Height's hat?

I'm searching....can't find one anywhere...I remember vividly though when she came out, because I just started smiling and I forgot who, but the commentator said "there's Dorothy Height...in one of her infamous hats! Dont you just love it!"....

Miranda, is this the pic you're looking for?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www....

No, I want a pic of her at the Inaguration. I know there has to be at least ONE pic of when she was bought out before the swearing in ceremony. She was wearing a burgundy outfit I believe, the hat had a lot of flowers on it if I remember correctly...it was in true Dorothy Height fabulousness!

I read a story about her hat this morning. WTF. First, the hat was phenomenal, and second, the song she sang and her voice equaled the historic moment.

I liked Aretha Franklin's hat just fine on her. I also thought her gifts were sweet to the First Family.

Agree. The Queen delivered, PERIOD.

From the Sunday, January 25, 2009 WaPo Syle Section

It mentions Aretha's on words about her Hat and fashion statement . and includes other inaugural attendees comments aw well.

The Kind of Day For Sunday Best
By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 25, 2009; Page M03

On the far western reaches of the Mall, near the Washington Monument, the throngs gathered in the wee hours for the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the first African American president. They had to wait until the sun was high in the sky before witnessing the historic moment that had drawn them here. So most people endured the long wait in frigid temperatures by wrapping themselves in well-worn blankets and layering on as many pieces of clothing as they could manage without turning into Weebles.

But in between those folks bundled in jeans and parkas, leggings and sweat shirts, there were some who refused to be reduced to informality. They would wear their cashmere trousers and their mink-lined coats and so what if that meant they couldn't stretch out on the ground to make their wait more comfortable? They would stand. Dignified.

For them, that historic Tuesday afternoon required the reverence typically reserved for Sunday morning. They'd come to the Mall to hear a sermon of hope, and they waved their American flags in a patriotic chorus of "Amen."

"I wanted to wear something warm and presentable. I didn't want to wear sweats, not on a day like this. It means a lot. On a day like this, it's a little like getting ready to go to church," said Alexander Heatrice, 29. The Oklahoma native is in his fourth year at Howard University dental school and was dressed in a sober black overcoat and a fedora with a tiny feather tucked into its black band.

Singer Aretha Franklin, keeping all her voluptuous business under wraps, looked as though she could have stepped out of a black-and-white photograph of Harlem ladies headed to service on Communion Sunday. For her performance during the swearing-in, she stepped forward in a gray coat with matching gloves and a glorious hat. It was magnificent with its pillbox shape and bodacious bow. In fact, it was more than a mere Sunday morning church service hat. Her millinery proclaimed: "I am going to Sunday service and I plan on sticking around all afternoon. Hallelujah!"

For some of those gathered, it didn't matter that they lacked invitations for an up-close view of the pomp and the dignitaries. The day still required a certain formality. For them, it was not merely about putting on a fancy fur coat, although there were plenty of women -- and some men -- swaddled in them. Rudy Carn, from Atlanta, wore black trousers, black leather-and-suede boots and a full-length blue fox coat that he'd purchased in Alaska. "Eight hundred dollars!" he exclaimed. "I don't wear jeans and a T-shirt. Growing up, my mother didn't let us wear jeans." Like so many, he wanted to witness history. And history, he said, deserves more respect than baggy sweats can deliver.

Others dressed well because they not only wanted to watch history unfold, they planned to be part of it. Tamala Crawford, 41, came from Los Angeles and wore the fur coat her father had given her and earmuffs so she would not disturb her immaculate and elaborate hairdo. "I didn't want to mess up my hairdo in case Barack sees me," she said with a smile. She'd dressed up out of respect. And she brought her video camera so that she could create a time capsule for her 4-year-old daughter, Sophia.

But ultimately, for those who believe that clothes can send powerful messages and have the capacity to make one stand straighter, taller and with more pride, the day required fine attire because it was a day of giving praise that their prayers had been answered.

"I wanted to look special," said Yolanda Burroughs, 40, from Houston. She wore black velvet pants with a matching coat with a strand of pearls twisted around her neck. Her makeup was meticulously applied. "We've come too far in history to show up in sweats and warm-up pants."


"We can put on a sweat suit any day. This is a special day," he said. "I put on my Sunday best -- but without the full suit."

"We've come to far in history to show up in sweat and warm-up pants."

Well said.

"Singer Aretha Franklin, keeping all her voluptuous business under wraps"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Has anyone heard about the dolls that Beenie Babies has made that are named similar to the Obama girls? There has been a statement issued by Michelle's spokesperson saying she didn't think companies should use private citizens for "marketing".

What do you all think?

I learned something new in that the doll test issue was used in Brown vs Board of Education. By the way, that same doll test was done again not too long ago and I believe it was shown on Oprah. Frankly, I think this company is just out to capitalize on this popularity of the Obama girls.

The following is from www.swamppolitics.com today on this issue.

"Posted January 25, 2009 9:26 AM


(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images.)

by Frank James

First Lady Michelle Obama has let it be known she's not amused that a Chicago-area company has appropriated her daughters' names for use on its one-foot tall dolls.

Ty Inc. maker of Beanie Babies, has introduced Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha, two brown-colored dolls, as part of its TyGirlz line. To which Mrs. Obama has said through her press secretary: "We feel it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes."

No small irony there since it appeared to many observers of the recently ended presidential campaign that the Obama girls were an important part of the president's marketing effort to gain the White House. They helped introduce the then-unknown senator as a family man with adorable, smart and well-mannered offspring. In some unmeasurable way, the girls likely helped the Obamas win the big prize.

Doll maker Ty's response is essentially, hey, we just liked the names. Any resemblance to living persons is merely coincidence. As the Associated Press reported:

The Oak Brook-based company chose the names because "they are beautiful names," not because of any resemblance to Malia and Sasha Obama, said spokeswoman Tania Lundeen.

"There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," Lundeen said. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."


The dolls have bronze skin and "real doll hair," Lundeen said. They were introduced in early January and a limited supply has been shipped to retailers.

This response is reminiscent of the Curtiss Candy Co., maker of the original Baby Ruth candy bar. When people suggested it was named after legendary homerun hitter Babe Ruth, the company insisted it was actually named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter Ruth. But many people, including Ruth, believed that story was a fiction meant to cheat him out of royalties. Meanwhile, the company did all manner of baseball-related promotions over the years.

in any event, the Obamas are entitled to have whatever response to the dolls they'd like. But here's something everyone should keep in mind.

A little over five decades ago when civil rights lawyers were trying to graphically show racism's psychically destructive power, they used famous, heartbreaking research by psychologist Kenneth Clark.

In experiments, he demonstrated that given the choice, young black children would almost invariably choose white dolls over black ones. When asked which dolls were good and beautiful, the black children, nearly without fail, pointed to the white dolls. The black dolls were perceived as bad or ugly. That research was used by the lawyers who argued Brown vs. Board of Education and helped sway the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down school segregation in 1954.

Fast forward 55 years. How remarkable it is that in 2009 we should have a company believing it can profit by marketing brown-colored dolls named Malia and Sasha. Maybe the dolls aren't so much a sign of exploitation. Maybe they actually signal progress."

There's not doubt the company is trying to capitalize off the Obamas. That point isn't being argued.

Why do these Sasha and Malia dolls have breasts?

Question - even if the Obamas chose to hook up with a company that would donate a portion of the profits to charity, do you EVER think they'd agree to put out Malia and Sasha dolls?

I can't see it. I can see how they could see this as a slippery slope. I just don't see how they could do anything that was OFFICIALLY sanctioned by them.

I Agree. As I posted down thread, I can't imagine the POTUS and First lady sanctioning the use of their daughter's image and name for marketing of any kind.

Little Black girls and other ethnic groups will have the real visual images of Sasha and Malia to play white house.

Question: What if little White, Asians, Latinos, Indian, and Native American girls walked into toy stores and chose black dolls because of the First Black daughters in the White House?

After all, Larry King's son Carson said he "wants to be Black." I'm sure he's not the only White kid having these wants and desires.

One more thought. Michelle said the marketing of private citizens is what she was offended by.

I think she said private YOUNG citizens. It was that they were children. I don't think they'd have commented if it had been Barack and Michelle dolls.

I read that one of the dolls had braids. I personally don't like braids, but braids are a large part of AA culture.

I honestly don't know rikyrah. The company should have asked though before they tried to profit. I hate the whole situation because the little dolls are gorgeous and the Obama girls are just too adorable to ignore. I didn't know the dolls had breasts though.

It's hard out here for a PIMP!

Please, These mofos can come with the black doll thing now, but leave the FIRST KID'S NAMES out of it.

And then tryig to deny the dolls aren't about Sasha and Malia Obama. Of course they aren't.

How unabashedly insulting to The First Family.

I agree they shouldn't be allowed to "come up" on the backs of the Obamas, but part of me feels there is a lost opportunity for little black girls in this situation.

First of all, the company had the gall to lie and say that the dolls weren't named after the First Daughters.

Secondly, the company should have already been producing dolls of other ethnicities before this.

Thirdly, the dolls have breasts, which is too creepy for words. These are children.

No wonder Mrs. Obama is upset. Unfortunately, I think this is going to be a constant issue. I have read articles about the JFK era, and the WH during that time was constantly having to go after companies trying to exploit Kennedy's children.

At some point this could have been a marvelous opportunity for a REPUTABLE company to produce the dolls.

It would be unprecedented to fashion dolls after the POTUS's children, and it seems highly unlikely, that the Obama's would set that trend.
IMHO

It is one thing for folks to cash in on the POTUS. He's pretty much fair game, but not his CHILDREN!!!!!

Leave Sasha and Malia out of this.

I don't think it's a lost opportunity. The company should have just come up with different names. And they definitely shouldn't keep lying about where they got the names Malia and Sasha. Very sloppy on their part.

You're clearly and justifiably upset about them using the girls' names and the underhanded manner in which they're trying to deny it. I still think if the situation had been handled in a different manner and approved by the Obamas, it would have encouraged little black girls to pick the black dolls in the next study when the choice of a black doll is offered.

I don't think the Obamas would have approved it, in any fashion (naming the girls after Malia and Sasha.)

I DO believe it was a lost opportunity. They didn't need to put breasts on the dolls either - that's another bone of contention.

But, I have to say, I stepped back a minute, and thought about it - little Black girls, all over the country, playing ' White House' with their own Malia and Sasha dolls. That thought stunned me in its implications.

...little Black girls, all over the country, playing ' White House' with their own Malia and Sasha dolls...

That's all I was saying.

That's an interesting thought - but I think the real Malia and Sasha (with their ever changing black girl hair styles for instance) will be better for little black girls self esteem. A variety of Black dolls have been available for years now and sadly those test results haven't improved.

I'll concede the point to you for arguments sake; however, while there have been black dolls available, they weren't associated with real life images that could be reference points for years to come.

Actually, that's not true - I had a Diana Ross doll as a child in the late 70s (I'm afraid to check eBay to see what they are going for now).

There have also been dolls made for Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhuru of Star Trek - in fact, I think a new collection is coming out), Brandy, Destiny's Child, etc.

I agree with your earlier point that they should have asked the Obamas first and worked out some sort of charitable endeavor.

Ya know I've always been curious about the "doll test" simply because I always had black dolls except once, and I remember as soon as my mom found the black doll, I threw that white Baby Alive under the bed - I was probably 4 at the time. I had black Baby Tender Love, Black Baby Alive, Christie.....both times I watched the clips of the doll test, I was so heartbroken, but its just hard for me personally to understand given my own growing up experience.

It probably has to do more than anything with the way you grew up. I always loved black dolls too.

We should do a whole thread on what the image of Michelle, Malia, Sasha AAANNND Mama Robinson really mean (or potentially could mean) to black women.

I grew up with Black dolls and so did my daughters.

I'd love to see a thread dedicated to thi topic.

What a terrific idea Miranda. I know it means a lot to a lot of people.

I had just remarked to my son the other day about how Ms. Robinson, a regular everyday black woman without any political aspirations has gone from the South Side of Chicago to the Whitehouse.

msmartin,agree and brilliant observation! Thank you.

I think the mere fact that the First Daughters are BLACK will help little Black girls to pick up a black doll.

the company thought they could pimp off Malia and Sasha, and there's now obviously a backlash......not just from the First Lady, but also from the public, who are squeamish about the exploitation of CHILDREN.

Of course, 'Malia' is just SOOOO a popular name...come on.

they got busted and now are scrambling.

Is it just because the dolls have breasts? Or is it because its porn? People finding their voice now is just a little too much.
Can we agree to leave these children alone, now?

They got busted and they are LYING. Apparently the "Malia" and "Sasha" dolls are the only black dolls in their collection. What a coincidence!

Not only that but I heard on the radio that other dolls in this collection were named Paris, Lindsay and Brittney. As the lady said reporting it, I don't want Malia & Sasha in THAT company!

Agree. That's change I cannot believe in.

NO way, NO how, NO Sasha & Malia!!!!

Yes, they lied. They probably thought the Obamas would be honored that they chose their daughters. They could have taken a different approach; like get permission from the Obamas or donate a portion of the proceeds to help fund one of the Obamas favorite charities.

That is EXACTLY what they should have done! They could have built a sustained relationship with the White House for all they know. Now they just look like idiots.