March 5, 2008

The secret of Michelle Obama's appeal

Via Rod Dreher, I see that Byron York in National Review spent the day on the campaign trail with Michelle Obama:

And not everyone can afford to keep it all together, especially here in Muskingum County, where, according to the census, the median household income in 2004 was $37,192, below both the Ohio and national average. Out of that, there’s the mortgage. And child care. Health care. Education. Lessons. “I know we’re spending — I added it up for the first time — we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we’re spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth,” Mrs. Obama tells the women. “And summer programs. That’s the other huge cost. Barack is saying, ‘Whyyyyyy are we spending that?’ And I’m saying, ‘Do you know what summer camp costs?’”

With all those concerns, one might wonder whether the women should be comforting Mrs. Obama, but she assures them that she’s really O.K. “We don’t complain because we’ve got resources because of our education. We’ve got family structure,” she says. “So I tell people don’t cry for me.”

But there are still problems. As she has many times in the past, Mrs. Obama complains about the lasting burden of student loans dating from her days at Princeton and Harvard Law School. She talks about people who end up taking years and years, until middle age, to pay off their debts. “The salaries don’t keep up with the cost of paying off the debt, so you’re in your 40s, still paying off your debt at a time when you have to save for your kids,” she says.

“Barack and I were in that position,” she continues. “The only reason we’re not in that position is that Barack wrote two best-selling books… It was like Jack and his magic beans. But up until a few years ago, we were struggling to figure out how we would save for our kids.”

Indeed, when Obama flew out to the 2000 Democratic convention in LA, he couldn't rent a car at the airport because his credit card was maxed out.

York sums up:

None of the women at the table has had it particularly easy, but as each tells her story, one, Heather Snoddy, a hairdresser in Zanesville, remains silent. At the end, after hearing from everyone else, Mrs. Obama looks toward Snoddy and asks if there is anything she wants to say. “The only thing that we’re concerned about in our family is bringing more jobs to this area,” Snoddy says. Her husband works in Columbus, nearly 60 miles away. “We are so fortunate and grateful that he has a job there,” Snoddy adds, but the price of gas adds to the problem of an already-difficult schedule. “He leaves at 4 A.M. to be at work by 5:30, and doesn’t get home until 5 at night. With my job, I’m not home sometimes ‘til 8 or 9, because my job works better because I serve people who have been working all day. So when it comes down to it, we only have one family day a week, on Sunday, that all of us are together.”

Mrs. Obama nods in agreement and says she and her husband do much the same thing. “We do that split day,” she says. “‘O.K. — you’ve got them, I’ve got them.’ When we’re together, we’re like, ‘Oh, everybody’s here — isn’t that strange?’”

I talk to Snoddy afterward, and she is genuinely touched by her time with Mrs. Obama. “I just thought it was an amazing experience, that she actually took the time out of her schedule to come and speak with us,” Snoddy tells me.

Something I've noticed over and over again is that normal people feel sorrier over minor indignities suffered by celebrities like Michelle Obama than they feel bad over major problems suffered by other normal people.

The New Yorker has a long, upbeat article about Michelle, but eventually the writer, Lauren Collins winds up flailing around in her inability to find much else to say about the potential First Lady that's both positive and interesting.

One thing that's interesting:

"In 2005, their income was $1.67 million, which was more than they had earned in the previous seven years combined."

That means they averaged less that $238,000, for 1998-2004, but probably more than $208,000; otherwise, the reporter would have said "which was more than they had earned in the previous eight years combined." Obama was elected to the state legislature in 1996, so I presume that if he had had to publish his tax returns for the seven years 1998-2004, he must have had to publish his tax return for 1997 as well.

A quick Google finds a Chicago Tribune article that reports their 2002 income, before the book deals and Michelle's amazing $195k raise after he got elected to the Senate, to be $259,394. In 1998, they made $191,146. So, the average was likely in the $208k-$238k range.

The 5'-11" Michelle, who definitely looks like she could win a fistfight with any First Lady in history, works out with a personal trainer four days per week, according to The New Yorker. At, say, $75 per hour, that would come to about $15k per year, more than they spend on their daughters' enrichment.

They also send their two daughters to the private and exclusive University of Chicago Lab Schools, where tuition runs from $15k-$20k per year apiece, but they may get some kind of faculty discount.

Listening to Mrs. Obama, you can imagine why Mr. Obama made the potentially disastrous decision in 2005 to involve the notorious criminal Tony Rezko in his purchase of an expensive South Side mansion with four fireplaces for the family. Because Rezko went on trial last Monday, the day before the latest elections, Obama's decision might have cost him the Texas primary, in which a victory would have knocked Mrs. Clinton out of contention.

The New Yorker makes one important point:

"Perhaps Obama’s high-handedness is preëmptive, her way of “claiming a seat at the table”—as she is fond of calling enfranchisement in the power-brokering structure—rather than waiting to be offered one. It’s as though she figures she might as well say that she and her husband are all that before someone can say that they aren’t. And there’s a sort of strategic genius to her presentation of campaigning as grinding work that takes her away from her family, rather than a glorious tour of the world’s greatest country that she would be thrilled to be undertaking even if she didn’t have to. She frequently tells her audiences, “I don’t care where I am, the first question is ‘How are you managing it all? How are you holding up?’ ” The effect, of course, is to set up an expectation of tribute, like those hairdressers who display all their gifts in the days leading up to Christmas. By loudly voicing her distaste for retail politicking, Obama makes people feel as though, by showing up, she were doing them a favor."

So, the secret of Michelle Obama's appeal is that she's self-absorbed, self-pitying, and not all that bright -- just like most people. The only difference is that she's self-assertive and famous. So people love her.

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

25 comments:

m said...

She makes Hillary look like Laura Bush. Makes me root for Barack- the poor bastard, having to live with that. When she compared her day with the poor women Snoddy...my God what self absorption. Steve- awesome post, once again- I think I would have saw through this lady but you expedited the process...and for that you get 25 more of my hard-earned dollars.

Anonymous said...

"Perhaps Obama’s high-handedness is preëmptive...

Perhaps The New Yorker's ultraäureate use of diëreses is a naïve reëchoing of a time when the press wasn't the vacuüm it is to-day.

Perhaps we could invite their preëminent user to comment; alas, that would constitute coöperation with coördinators of antiïmmigration sentiment.

Anonymous said...

While those income figures are reasonably high, those who make 200K still are on the same page with those who make 70K.

After taxes the difference is more like 100K vs 50K.

This is a much smaller difference that someone who make 500K+ and/or has assets or passive income.

Those types will not have the same experiences as someone at the 250K or below income level with few additional assets or sources of income.

So, Michelle probably does have a much easier time relating to regular people than any of the other candidates' wives.

Anonymous said...

reg cæsar

nice one!

Anonymous said...

Is she that stupid? I live in Columbus, and I'm doing a family medicine rotation right now in rural Southeast Ohio. These people live in trailers. Their kids walk around with shoes with holes in them. And Michelle Obama is lecturing them about the cost of piano lessons and summer camp? No wonder Obama had zero appeal amongst them.

Anonymous said...

These people live in trailers. Their kids walk around with shoes with holes in them.

Yes, while she can sympathize with the middle class, the poor is certainly another matter.

But, are you claiming Hillary can sympathize with the poor?

Anonymous said...

Two great observations iSteve:

Something I've noticed over and over again is that normal people feel sorrier over minor indignities suffered by celebrities like Michelle Obama than they feel bad over major problems suffered by other normal people.

AND ...

[Mickie O]'s self-absorbed, self-pitying, and not all that bright -- just like most people. The only difference is that she's self-assertive and famous. So people love her.

You are money, my friend, just money!

Anonymous said...

I don't think you've warmed to her, Steve.

Anonymous said...

I think that Michelle "Antoinette" Obama should avoid reading any books on what happened to all the "parasites" during the French Revolution...

Anonymous said...

"So, the secret of Michelle Obama's appeal is that she's self-absorbed, self-pitying, and not all that bright -- just like most people. The only difference is that she's self-assertive and famous. So people love her."

No one likes self-absorbed, self-pitying low-brows in real life, so I was curious how this could create any appeal for MO.

Then I thought of daytime talk show host and realized that MO has basically taken on the public persona of an unfiltered and edgy Oprah. That's the kind of self-absorbtion and self-pitying common demoninator that people want to see on TV because it personally costs nothing but voices and validates their own private self-absorbtion, self-pitying and even benevolent superiority and emotional voyerism.

Anonymous said...

She's trying to play the Evita (Peron) card!

I wear this silk blouse for you, dear descamisados. Sure, it itches, but that just reminds me of the plight we share.

Anonymous said...

Steve, sorry too much time around journalists. People HATE Michelle Obama, particularly blue collar folks. MO probably helped lose Ohio for Barack Hussein Obama.

Whiny, self-pitying idiocy from someone rich, privileged, and an Affirmative Action baby drives people nuts.

Moreover, Celebrity Fat Club and Celebrity Rehab and Surreal Life on VH1 fill the niche of ordinary people laughing at and looking down on grade Z celebrities. As do the tabloids which turn on celebs in whiplash fashion. People want their celebs to be distant, pretty, do-good folks without any controversy or whining. Or trainwrecks like Britney or Lindsay they can laugh at.

People don't like Michelle Obama and the more she speaks the less they like her husband.

SKT has it exactly right. Hillary's panders are more effective since she promises goodies rather than "sympathize with poor me."

[MO's tales of woe probably connected with the elite journalists who are in their class but not with joe/jane average.]

Anonymous said...

Muskingum County is almost 94% white, and only 4% black (2000 census). In other words, only about one in twenty inhabitants of this far from affluent area are eligible for the AA that has so benefited (and bothered) Mrs. Obama.

Anonymous said...

"But, are you claiming Hillary can sympathize with the poor?"

It's irrelevant whether she can sympathize with them or not. I lived in New York in 2000 when Hillary ran for the Senate, and the support that I've seen in Appalachian Ohio for Hillary (in terms of signs, bumper stickers, and people at intersections waving signs in blizzard conditions) vastly exceeds anything I saw in NY 8 years ago.

Maybe they're just voting for her because she's white. Who knows? Who cares? What matters is that the path to the White House goes through Ohio (because the reds will stay red and the blues will stay blue), and Obama's lack of appeal amongst the urban trade unionists and the rural whites means that Democrats will have a tough time winning Ohio if they run him... And his wife certainly doesn't help things.

Anonymous said...

Isn't this how all elite blacks are? They whine about themselve and they whien about their "brothers," but have you ever met an elite black who cares about Yugoslavia, people in Tibet, poor white people, the Sunni-Shia conflict, or any African war that doesn't involve mean white people? They are totally self-absorbed as a people. The white penchant for abstract thinking is surely related to our penchant to think and speak in terms of universals, justice, and other abstract principles. The exceptions are rare and, though we excpect this kind of parochialism among the uneducated, the exceptions are surprisingly rare among the elites. The truth is, they're really not that elite and are filled with resentment and insecurity.

This tribalism is common throughout all peoples at all times, other than Europeans starting around 1600. That is, no one cares or lifts a finger for others except whites. We have taken it too far though, going from the helping others of the fin de siecle "social gospel" programs to a pathological self-hatred and obession with the superiority of the Other.

In other words, everyone can lookout for number one, except for whites, who are evil personified. Everyone contributes to diversity except us. Everyone's plight matters except us. Everyone must be guaranteed a piece of the pie except us. Everyone is expected to assert his group interests, except us.

Anonymous said...

Re: your point that "normal people feel sorrier over minor indignities suffered by celebrities"

It seems to me a variation of the phenomenon that "tragedies always seem worse when they happen to hot people" that has been noticed in news stories.

TGGP said...

It seems Barack Obama could do much better in the woman department. But then again, you could say that of Clinton and even his mistresses were well below what he could get.

Truth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Truth said...

"It seems Barack Obama could do much better in the woman department."

Informal poll here:

Seeing the utter disgust for Michelle Obama here, how many of you would have been happier if he married a white woman?

Truth said...

"Perhaps The New Yorker's ultraäureate use of diëreses is a naïve reëchoing of a time when the press wasn't the vacuüm it is to-day"

bougeois ridicule from a man who wastes a few extra keystrokes to spell his name with archaic ligature?

Pleåse LŒrd, give mé ßtrength

Anonymous said...

bougeois ridicule from a man who wastes a few extra keystrokes to spell his name with archaic ligature?

Isn't that "bourgeois" and "archaïc"?

Oh, come on, Mr/Ms Truth. Dot-hunting is the next-best reason to read the New Yorker, after the cartoons and the quirky ads in the back. (If it weren't for the cartoons and the odd dieresis, how could you tell it from The Atlantic or Harper's?)


And it's not a waste of keystrokes on a Mac. (It used to be on Windows, what with "Alt-0230", unless you paid $500 for MS Word.) Oh, for the days when I could post Greek in HTML on Free Republic! Then they banned me for defending Steve...

Anonymous said...

"Seeing the utter disgust for Michelle Obama here, how many of you would have been happier if he married a white woman?"

That isn't the problem. She's angry. She's prone to exceedingly dumb and offensive remarks (Obama could die at a gas station because he is black and having never been proud of her country before her husband develops a cult political following). And she appears to have ZERO perspective on how much has been given to her (cushy jobs and admission to elite universities). She's just really, really hard to like, almost the polar opposite of Obama (or at least how he presents himself). Whatever you think of Obama, and my opinion is not that high, he comes across as a congenial fellow with at least the smarts to know what not to say (which is scary when you discover he doesn't say much). She's going to be a huge liability to him if he gets the nomination and NOT because she's black.

togo said...

Isn't this how all elite blacks are? They whine about themselve and they whien about their "brothers," but have you ever met an elite black who cares about Yugoslavia, people in Tibet, poor white people, the Sunni-Shia conflict, or any African war that doesn't involve mean white people?

Reminds me of when I went to see the Dalai Lama speak in Chicago. The audience (except for a few Tibetans) was 100% white. And probably all those whites were whiterpeople- except for yours truly.

realitygirl2 said...

To ICR: Michelle Obama agrees with you. The writers keep twisting the words of Michelle Obama to distort the truth. They purposely omit parts of her speeches to show untruths about her statements. Hillary's husband began the racist statement about blacks. The blogs and news then twisted the truth again by saying that the statements came from both sides. The truth: after Bill Clinton's racist statements about Blacks, then citizens from all races within the United States began to write and complain about the former Democratic President Bill Clinton who was heavily supported by Blacks during both terms of his Presidential years. Hillary is also calling Senator Obama names and she does not care how they sound before the poor people to whom she addresses some of her messages. I am a female who has worked hard my entire life. I would never vote for Hillary for being condescending and irresponsible in tone and behavior about another candidate and race of people. She does not model any respect and acts of intelligence for any child she claims to have helped through childcare or otherwise. She claimed to be a proponent of great teachers by making sure that they are all certified(?) in Arkansas. However, she now models to all adults and teachers to make fun of people, call them names, and yes "put them down" because of their race but get the votes of this same race of people whom she mocked. She truly laughs at anyone and does not care. The only thing Hillary cares about is herself. She is mean. Bill Clinton had the nerve to visit the black churches and then he went right back to his racist statements and putdowns about blacks. If Senator Obama had called Hillary ANY NAME by now, he would have been violently censured by all citizens. Hillary is trying to provoke Senator Obama to call her names or do any inappropriate act towards her to polarize the people of the United States again. She will also do this for John McClain. I know that the United States is ready for a female President. Hillary Clinton is not the female for this office. She is not tough but abusive.

Anonymous said...

realitygirl

What did Clinton say that was "racists"? He simplpy explained Hillary's SC loss was due to the large number of Black primary voters? How is this racists?

The MSM obsesses about the Hispanic vote breaking 66%-75% in favor of Hillary in explaining her wins but never mentions the more startling statistic the Black vote goes between 80-90% in favor of Obama.