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Hillarysworld -> Obama Administration NOT Secretary of State -> The incredible shrinking first lady (Washington Examiner 5/23/10)
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TOPIC: The incredible shrinking first lady (Washington Examiner 5/23/10)
Jen the Michigander


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The incredible shrinking first lady (Washington Examiner 5/23/10)
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http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/The-incredible-shrinking-first-lady-94623709.html

First lady Michelle Obama's encounter with a 7-year-old worried about her mother's immigration status was tellingly both awkward and deft.

More accustomed to questions from second-graders about whether the family dog, Bo, likes pizza, Obama stumbled a little before telling the girl the president is working on immigration reform.

"Everybody's got to work together in Congress to make sure that happens," she said brightly.

But since becoming first lady, Obama has embraced a milder public role where she is most often quoted about clothes, fitness and family. Beyond her modest issues agenda, the first lady has no public policy voice in President Obama's administration.

It's a station the once hard-charging Obama carved out for herself, but appears to find somewhat restrictive. At the same time, the soft-focus image has also made her a popular figure in the Obama administration.

"If you are a woman in politics one of your greatest frustrations is the tendency of everyone to look at how you are dressed and your physical appearance as opposed to the substance of what you are talking about," said Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida.

But while many first ladies -- most recently, Laura Bush -- built on and expanded their roles as first lady, Michelle Obama appears at times to be shrinking.

So far this year she has made no political appearances and is not expected to hit the fundraising circuit for Democratic candidates.

Instead, Obama has carved out a safe issues agenda, focusing on military families, childhood obesity and nutrition -- notably through her advocacy of gardening and farmers markets.

"She is doing things that are important but fairly safe, from an issues perspective," MacManus said. "Right now, with her husband not doing as well in the polls, there needs to be a positive member of the team."

The job of first lady can be thankless. In a city populated by powerful, professional women, the first lady role is still an anachronism, its occupant expected to be a flawless hostess, a caring mother, and subdued, dutiful wife.

Hillary Clinton, who tried taking on a policy role in her husband's administration, spent years battling back from the backlash her efforts engendered.

Even with women comprising 47 percent of the nation's work force, the notion of a first lady working in a job outside of the White House remains largely unthinkable.

Betty Ford, whose battle with drug and alcohol addiction and frank discussion of her breast cancer treatment helped modernize how the first lady is perceived, said of those who went before her, "Now that I realize what they've had to put up with, I have a new respect and admiration for every one of them."

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freespirit


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My guess is the WH is glad to keep her close to home, taking on "safe causes". For a while she was pissing off people left and right.

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It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.  ~Susan B. Anthony
Lynne


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Not that I particularly like MO, but in some ways it is sad that in the US an educated woman is not suppose to be more than a fashion plate.  The first lady is suppose to know her place and her place is behind her husband as a decoration. This happened to Hillary during Bill's presidency. Heaven forbid she said anything intelligent without her being told she was out of line.

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