Michelle, the Oscars and Autocratic Trappings

[cthulu2016]

Last edited Mon Feb 25, 2013, 04:57 PM - Edit history (2)

First Point: If Laura Bush had announced the best picture winner at any point in the reign of the Chimperor the DU reaction would be strikingly and hilariously different, so the whole thing is an exercise in deep hypocrisy.

Nancy Reagan actually had a connection to the film industry, but having her announce the best picture winner during the Regan presidency would have been a vile and alienating gesture.

How about Ann Romney handing out the trophy at the Superbowl... I'm sure all of DU would have loved that!

Second Point: Having the wife of the national leader announce the best picture winner is the sort of crap America exists to avoid.

Our chief executive and his family is not supposed to be the ubiquitous personification of the nation.

It is in very poor taste, and un-American and antiquated and hearkens back to the worst of human history. That doesn't mean it was a tragedy... nobody died... but it was GROSS. The Academy should not have asked, though they have the right to do so, and she should surely have not accepted.

It was like the Emperor Louis Napoleon announcing the prizes at the Paris salon... distasteful, but what one would expect from 19th century France. Even if Louis Napoloen didn't judge the Salon, it's gross to have the Emperor come out to tell you what the good paintings are.

I get 'the fear' from a state imprimatur on the arts.

And I get the double-fear from the wife of the Commander in Chief amid military trapping announcing that a hagiography of the CIA and her husbands efforts to kill Osama Bin Laden being the apogee of our most vital art form... which easily could have happened. (Fortunately Zero Dark Thirty didn't win, and she only announced an award for a film that exposes the wickedness of a nation her husband is currently deciding whether to bomb.)

And I get the triple fear from the fact that the MPAA has tons of business before the government about how to protect their copyrights from The People, and were mostly Democratic contributors. (If they were mostly Republican contributors and Laura Bush gave that kind of national imprimatur to their trade organization awards show...)

And anyone who has the slightest capacity for thinking beyond naked partisanship (and celebrity worship) should get this. Seriously... isn't anyone capable of principled thinking???

This is America, where the president watches the Oscars just like everybody else, and where art and sports should be, to the degree piratical, separate from, and a vacation from, the freaking State.

I have never cared for the F'ing president calling to congratulate the winning super bowl team. It is very ROMAN. And why should I have to hear what Richard Nixon thinks of the football team I follow???

When the question is, "Should the First Lady announce the best picture winner at the Oscars?" the answer is not, "What party is she?"

The answer is, "No... of course not. That's gross."

There is not, nor has there ever been any American political figure who I would not say the same about. This has nothing whatsoever to do with Michelle Obama. (When I was a child, IIRC, the 4th of July fireworks on the mall tried to do a picture of LBJ in the sky, drawn with fire... that was way grosser!)

The biggest problem with the Chimp was not that he was a bad emperor. It was that he was an emperor, period.

[hedgehog]

1. Mrs. Obama used the occasion to make an argument for the

place of Art in our society. I have no problem with that!

[cthulu2016]

5. As an artist, I object to the State having much of an opinion on art either way.

I understand that many or even most people do not have principles in the area of degree of state involvement with art, conceptualy, but I do.

I expect to disagree with most.

C'est la vie.

[Cleita]

6. Well, if the state didn't fund a lot of the work of artists, we wouldn't have any art except the

commercial variety, cheap stuff that sells. http://www.nea.gov/

[progressoid]

25. Kind of ironic that she's pushing commerical stuff then.

Even worse when you consider NEA funding...

The NEA funding for last year: $146,020,992

The NEA funding for 1979: $149,585,000

[Cleita]

32. What commercial stuff is she pushing? She was using the Oscars that would have a very wide

international audience to make her plea for the arts, and that means all of them. Having grown up around and known movie people all my life, it is as much an art as oil painting, sculpture and music. Like anything else, some is better than others and some is genius. A lot is crap. All art is for sale if that is the commercial part you are upset about. Trying owning a Rembrandt for free.

[progressoid]

49. Well having grown up around and known movie people all your life, then you know it is a

commercial enterprise. I'm not upset about the commercial part (it's what I do for a living).

But you said that "if the state didn't fund a lot of the work of artists, we wouldn't have any art". Sorry, but just ain't true. Art goes on with or without the Federal govt. Obviously it does better with the support of the government, but the fact is, the Federal gov't is barely supporting the arts financially. This administration has cut funding to the NEA for the last three years.

http://www.nea.gov/about/budget/AppropriationsHistory.html

[Cleita]

54. Unfortunately, funding has been cut like in everything else.

It's too bad. Sure you will always have the starving artist in a garrett type, but it's so much better if they don't have to starve while becoming artists who can sell. Everything is a commercial enterprise if you are going to parse things down like that. Literature is considered art but it's also a business. I like to write novels and I will like writing even better when I find a publisher, a commercial entity. But because art makes money, does this decrease it's value as art?

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. You object, on principle of course, to NEA funding...I guess

Triple yawn...

[ProSense]

40. Bill Clinton Introduces "Lincoln" - Golden Globe Awards

The horror.

[Scurrilous]

94. "That's gross."

[ProSense]

45. Michelle Obama Glows At 2012 Kennedy Center Honors In Michael Kors (PHOTOS)

Michelle Obama Glows At 2012 Kennedy Center Honors In Michael Kors (PHOTOS)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/michelle-obama-2012-kennedy-center-honors-photos_n_2230580.html

[AverageMe]

93. The TV and movie industry is the fastest growing part of the american economy

One of the most unionized and therefore pays some of the best wages. From an economic standpoint the first lady did exactly the right thing in doing what she could to promote it.

[cali]

117. So I take it you think the NEA should be axed?

[Paladin]

170. Congrats: You've Raised Public Hissyfits To The Level Of An Art Form. (nt)

[Not a Fan]

83. place of Art in our society

[Scurrilous]

2. Many K & R's.

Last edited Mon Feb 25, 2013, 06:10 PM - Edit history (1)

∞

[quinnox]

3. meh, ok, I can see your viewpoint, but I don't watch that crap in the first place

To me, this whole thing is beyond trivial. Who gives a flying you-know-what about the Oscars and who presents what award, I don't.

[treestar]

4. I'm not sure

Movies are a big export of the U.S. Not that they are always good, it's like one of our major products. Like the Swiss Prime Minister attending the Watch Awards.

[Fumesucker]

7. LOL.. I can just *imagine* the DU reaction should Pickles have announced best picture at the Oscars

Meltdown wouldn't begin to describe it.

[Cleita]

9. Pickles did a lot of work with Sesame Street to encourage books for children.

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Laura_Bush

Neither of the first ladies were elected and I think they can promote the arts or literacy if needed.

[Fumesucker]

16. She was trained as a librarian if I recall correctly

Sesame Street is not the same thing at all as the Oscars though.

And I still think DU would have had the mother of all conniption fits.

[Cleita]

21. I don't know. We didn't have DU during Reagan's Presidency but Nancy Reagan was

criticized a lot for her Hollywood ways but it wasn't the liberals who were doing it. It was the same old mid-west values crowd that did, who are now criticizing Michelle.

[Fumesucker]

42. It's not mere coincidence that Reagan's last paid gig as an actor was narrator of Death Valley Days

[Not a Fan]

88. Neither elected

Agree.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

65. It wouldn't have bothered me at all.

I don't see anything wrong with a First Lady doing public appearances, even the Oscars, to promote the arts and the US film industry. That's the sort of thing First Ladies do. When MO appeared last night to read the Best Picture award, I thought, well, that was kind of cool - and now the righties' heads are going to explode because they hate everything the Obamas do, no matter what it is. Then I asked myself if MY head would have exploded if Laura Bush had ever done the same thing - and I can honestly say no (although I don't think she would have done it nearly as well, or as glamorously), because I just can't see anything at all wrong or inappropriate about this sort of appearance. I probably would have made a catty remark about Laura's dress, since they were usually kind of frumpy, but the appearance itself - no big deal.

[Fumesucker]

66. That's the thing about DU, there's always someone who is atypical

I just happen to think the first paragraph of the OP is spot on.

[treestar]

161. +1

I don't really care about this kind of public appearance. Pickles' problem was she didn't get out enough.

I don't care that much about the Oscars either. Really don't care who shows up.

[cali]

120. It wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest

I've actually written posts here defending Laura Bush who strikes me as a pleasant, unassuming woman, and I always thought that referring to her as "Pickles" was uncalled for.

[Fumesucker]

131. Maybe not you but the majority on DU would have hated and mocked the woman for doing that

BDS don't you know.

I don't give enough of a damn about it to have bothered, haven't watched the Oscars for at least a decade and probably twice that.

[Marr]

158. Imagine if Argo had been the winning picture, too.

Talk about putting a sinister spin on things.

I have to agree with the OP. It's distasteful, and not the sort of thing we're supposed to stand for. But then again, I suppose I'm one of those pre-Empire old men now, who's still uncomfortable with the President being referred to as "Commander in Chief" all the time. I recall when that particular appellation was only used in conjunction with the military.

[morningfog]

162. And if the winner was a film based on a CIA covert action, even worse.

[tularetom]

8. I kind of agree, however

To really agree would mean that I gave a shit about the academy award show in the first place.

My first reaction was that the remote was somewhat below the dignity of the first lady and Ms. T and I have been going back and forth about this all morning.

However, it seems that Ms. Obama's appearance has caused a massive outbreak of right wing head explosions all around the country.

And that can't be bad.

[ProSense]

10. First

"First Point: If Laura Bush had announced the best picture winner at any point in the reign of the Chimperor the DU reaction would be strikingly and hilariously different, so the whole thing is an exercise in deep hypocrisy."

...I think this is a silly false equivalency. There would likely be mocking, if that, but no one would be outraged.

Sternest Test of Star-Spotting: the opening montage. Errol Morris' short film of notables and not-quites discussing the magic of movies featured glimpses, sometimes only microseconds long, of Jerry Brown, Susan Sontag, Todd Rundgren (looking older than Zeus), Donald Trump, Jessye Norman, Laura Bush (praising "Giant," a film about a rich, spoiled Texas family that becomes way too prominent), Fran Lebowitz, William Wegman and pooch, Jack Valenti, Lou Reed, Al Sharpton (his hair behaving itself for a change), Mikhail Gorbachev and translator (who pronounced "Gladiator" to rhyme with "Radiator&quot , Walter Cronkite, Drew Nieporent, dozens more.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,220084,00.html

From the OP:

Our chief executive and his family is not supposed to be the ubiquitous personification of the nation.

It is in very poor taste, and un-American and antiquated and hearkens back to the worst of human history. That doesn't mean it was a tragedy... nobody died... but it was GROSS. The Academy should not have asked, though they have the right to do so, and she should surely have not accepted.

<...>

When the question is, "Should the First Lady announce the best picture winner at the Oscars?" the answer is not, "What party is she?"

The answer is, "No... of course not. That's gross."

There is not, nor has there ever been any American political figure who I would not say the same about. This has nothing whatsoever to do with Michelle Obama.

Oh, then this is likely to upset you:

State Department: Building Better Ties Through Trade: A Day on an International Film Set (Argo)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022425134

[freshwest]

166. Bad enough those people live in our White House, do we have to see them on TV, too? How gross!

[FSogol]

11. Unrec.

[ProSense]

14. Here's the bullshit line

"This has nothing whatsoever to do with Michelle Obama. "

It's like predators laying in wait.

[FSogol]

15. Exactly. n/t

[cthulu2016]

34. Projection

You without principles actually cannot immagine their existence.

Because you have to ask "who" in the hypothetical you think everyone does.

But I don't.

[ProSense]

36. You're a riot. n/t

[LanternWaste]

127. I imagine it's rather convenient to conflate disagreement

I imagine it's rather convenient to conflate disagreement with your premise and "you without principles...", and then label that allegation as some hand-me-down Freudian bumper-sticker.

But I don't.

[KoKo]

12. "Argo," "Lincoln" and "Zero Dark Thirty" were biggest Oscar contenders...

so it's possible that it was a Political Gesture that she was asked because each of the three movies had a political connection?

Obama has been compared to "Lincoln" in that he presides over the US in a time when the Red/Blue split is severe. "Algo" is about the Iranian hostage situation during Carter Administration and "Zero Dark Thirty" is about the killing of Osama bin Laden..

Assuming any one of those three movies could have won the Oscar it could be assumed that each had something to do with Obama, Democrats and a Republican President during Civil War who is compared to Obama's role today.

Given that Reagan (whom President Obama has said many times he admires) was an Entertainer, it would make sense that our First Lady and President are comfortable with our citizens viewing them as entertainers and national leaders.

[Cleita]

37. I really thought that the reason she accepted was because the odds were that "Lincoln"

would be the winner. It would have been fitting considering Lincoln is President Obama's role model. But it didn't win best picture but she graciously presented the winner anyway.

[JaneyVee]

13. Hilarious faux-rage.

[cthulu2016]

18. Those of you without principles will always find them inauthentic in others

[ProSense]

23. So you equate this bullshit outrage with "principles"?

Really?

[JaneyVee]

27. I work in the industry, I find the faux-rage hilarious. Michelle Obama is NOT "the State"

she isn't an elected official, she doesn't write laws, she doesn't write policy, she doesn't even receive a Govt salary. And btw, she is BELOVED by the industry and around the world.

[Javaman]

89. +1 nt

[Mz Pip]

96. Agree

I've got mcu more pressing isdsues to be outraged about. Michelle Obama presenting an Oscar isen't one of them. Laura Bush appeared on quite a few TV programs IIRC and I wasn't outraged about that either.

Besides anything that makes Michell Malkin's blood pressure rise is okay by me.

[nobodyspecial]

28. Could it be possible that other people have principles

but they are not the same as yours? And what you find "gross" another person does not? But, of course, you are right and superior and smarter than the rest of us.

[jeff47]

156. Could it be possible that other people search high and low for something to be outraged about?

Oh wait, those of us who don't think this is a HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING STATE TAKE OVER OF THE MEDIA have no principles.

[Puzzledtraveller]

55. ^^^this^^^

[grantcart]

72. lol did you hurt your arm patting yourself on the back.

If your principles are so much higher than the rest why don't you get out and run for office?

[Wait Wut]

78. "Those of you without principles..."

I complete disagree with your OP, but it wasn't important enough for me to comment...however...this comment was over the line. You may believe that your 'principles' are loftier than others, but I would disagree based on your comment alone. It seems that you have 'principles' confused with self-righteous indignation.

Now, back to rolling my eyes at all the uproar over our First Lady.

[muriel_volestrangler]

139. Now that is a nasty piece of holier-than-thou assholery from you

I wish I had read that before voting to allow your OP to stay. Suddenly, you look a lot worse than the alerter did. "Those of you without principles"? You seem to think that you have shown something with your OP, other than the massive stick up your butt. You haven't.

[Marr]

159. It is no different from labelling the post itself "faux outrage".

If you can't see that, you need to remove your partisan goggles.

[muriel_volestrangler]

168. Calling one post 'faux outrage' is very different from saying a DUer has no principles

One attacks a post, which is allowed; the other attacks a DUer, which is personal, and not allowed (well, it would have been deleted in DU2). This isn't about being partisan. It's about the distinction between what someone says, once, and what a person is like.

[treestar]

163. What principle is at work here?

The principal that the First Lady should have nothing to do with culture? Because they always have.

[DURHAM D]

22. lol

My thought exactly...

[Tarheel_Dem]

17. Just knowing that it pissed off Rush, and DU's Obamas' Hater Brigade, tickles the shit outta me.

FLOTUS is da bomb.

[freshwest]

128. I wish I could laugh, TD. Maybe it's just me today. It's stretching to find any fault. Tedious.

[Tarheel_Dem]

135. I mean, you expect it from the right, because it's what they do. But, when this foolishness comes..

from supposed allies, it's beyond ridiculous. Note that these are some of the same folks who couldn't wait to jump on Beyonce for her Inaugural performance. There's a pattern, and it's not pretty.

[freshwest]

137. TD, it hurts me inside. The RW, I expect. This cuts deeper. And it's applauded. No, it's not pretty.

What you and I may think will be ridiculed. It's hardly worth saying anything. Just me, though.

[MotherPetrie]

19. Thank you. I thought it was inappropriate to say the very least. At any time it would show

undeserved favoritism, but especially at this particular time, with the sequester looming, which will hurt so many people, for the first lady to get all glammed up to get beamed into the sickeningly bloated ego-fest of overpaid, over-privileged, and over-full-of-itself Hollywood's most lavish paean to itself struck an extremely Marie Antoinette-ish note.

I ordinarily greatly admire Michelle Obama and think she's a wonderful First Lady, but this appearance turned me off big time. The resources that were devoted to helping Hollywood celebrate its egotistical self could have and should have be spent where they were much more deserved.

[juajen]

63. My Word!

It was very special to a lot of people. IMHO, one of the things the opposition party detests the most, is that the military loves the Obama's, but their general popularity also "gets in their craw".

I have conservative friends who call him Emperor Obama and her, Your Highness. They constantly make fun of their "movie star" quality. Plain and simple, it is pure jealousy and/or racism.

[BeyondGeography]

20. If Michelle Obama was Laura Bush, we wouldn't like her

You're right.

[grasswire]

24. what I don't exactly understand is the uniformed ppl behind her

They appeared to be perhaps the singers from one of the military branches.The Navy Chanters perhaps. Or perhaps they were social aides from the WH.

That part puzzled me.

[JaneyVee]

33. She was hosting a military service dinner.

[bemildred]

26. Thanks for clearing that up.

We need to have much better vetting of first ladies. This is a travesty. What will people think?

[ProSense]

29. I hesitate...you're not going to like this:

the First Lady dancing: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022416154

Run for the hills!!!

[countryjake]

102. Thanks for that, ProSense!

I missed seeing your post on Friday...now, I can't stop watching the clip.

Belated rec for the grooviest First Lady!

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Yawn...serious...yawn

And I spent the evening watching people cooking.

[patrice]

43. I watched a Greek film about Iphigenia who was sacrificed by her father to his nationalistic

ambitions, a very interesting study in the 2500 year old roots of our violent paternalistic culture:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125516535

[Inkfreak]

119. I have to admit I enjoy coming across your posts

You have made me stop & think on many occasions. I appreciate your superbly informative point of views. Last night I just smoked a joint & watched the Oscars till The Walking Dead came on. But I know I can come here at some point & learn something new. Something from you. Thank you.

[patrice]

133. Thank you for your kind words! I love good synergy, especially from the Arts! nt

[Avalux]

31. Did you see Michelle dance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week?

Of course she was promoting her 'get moving' campaign, but she danced with Fallon (who was dressed up as a soccer mom) in a hilarious bit. Then she was a guest. And she made it clear she's a huge fan of Beyonce.

I don't necessarily agree with this, but it is the society in which we live. If this and announcing a winner at the Oscars gets people to listen and has a positive benefit, then I'm not going to pass judgement.

[KoKo]

44. You mean this? The full dance routine?

While I didn't have any problem with Michelle at the Oscar Awards given that the three films that were contenders to win were Political/Policy in theme....well...I did have a problem with the Fallow show appearance. I didn't feel it was appropriate for her "Get Up and Move! campaign because many low income struggling MOMS really wouldn't relate to what she was prescribing in the routine. I love her efforts for child nutrition and to try to get more active...but, I thought it would be hard for many mothers to relate to those dance routines. It looked like she was showing off her dancing skills., rather than addressing how one can make movement part of your every day activities. It wouldn't help address Moms who work shifts and barely have time to themselves that this would be a solution.

But, then...perhaps I'm not aware of the new exercise routines that are "in" today...

[Avalux]

51. Yes that's it.

And I get your point completely. Also, Fallon is on so late at night, who is really watching? I think Michelle enjoys her celebrity status, but hope she doesn't do these things just to be self-serving.

[EastKYLiberal]

38. The first lady appearing on camera is a slippery slope to a govt. takeover of artwork.

[onenote]

79. Seriously? What about the Kennedy Center Awards?

What about Performances from the White House on PBS? What about those times the President and the First Lady attend the theater? What about the numerous and well-noted performances by musicians and other creative artists during the Kennedy administration.

How is the First Lady making an appearance on camera to announce an award voted on by the movie industry more of a slippery slope than any of those things, which have been going on forever.

Funny, when I hear concerns about government support of the arts, it usually is coming from the right wingers who think that the govenment shouldn't support the arts.

[patrice]

39. I don't watch that stuff, but I strongly agree! nt

[blogslut]

41. I am Re-Invoking the Auntie Em rule

[madmom]

47. You're kidding right? You're

pretending to be outraged over something this idiotic as a way to show what freepers might say/do?

[Island Deac]

48. All those people who contribute to the Economy

should never be recognized by our leaders. How silly to get your shorts in a wad over putting on a hard hat and praising the workers. To be sure, well paid workers, but workers none-the-less. A big thank you to all the theater operators, ticket takers, popcorn sellers and floor sweepers. Oh, I get it, because everyone in America sits around with some device that will deliver them entertainment we are suppose to pretend that those who supply that entertainment don't exist. Then stop sending right-wing political yokels to NASCAR events.

[freshwest]

172. I know! They should just be invisible!

[SCVDem]

50. To the OP

May I offer you a Xanax?

I just completely disagree with you, but that's okay.

Thanks for your opinion.

[davidn3600]

52. The issue i have is it seemed......out of place

It was out of place, awkward, and almost cringe-worthy. It did not fit the flow of the show in any shape or form. It seems like it was just randomly tossed in there for no reason.

Just an opinion.

Considering the night was supposed to recognize 50 years of James Bond, and that seemed to be the general theme, it should have been one of the Bond actors presenting that award.

[Puzzledtraveller]

53. Spot on cthulu2016!!!!

[ProSense]

57. It was "un-American"

Sound RWish.

[monmouth3]

56. The wonderful thing about all of this....FLOTUS doesn't really care a whit what any of you think.n/t

[KoKo]

61. I wasn't going to REC the OP...but, because of your rant

against the OP which is OTT even if you are a "Drunken Irishman" and wish to be excused for that.

So..I'm heading to give the OP a Rec due to your uncalled for nasty reply.

[Tarheel_Dem]

121. Quelle Surprise! KoKo agrees with an Obama bashing o.p. I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!

[ProSense]

59. You've got company:

Iranian News Agency Adds Sleeves To Michelle Obama’s Oscars Gown
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022426383

[Cha]

62. And, Jennifer Rubin.. See link below..

[Cha]

60. Right wing hack Jennifer Rubin agrees with you..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022426232

I, otoh, disagree..


First Lady Michelle Obama announces the Best Picture Oscar to Argo live from the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Feb. 24 (Photo by Pete Souza)

And, Michelle, announced it was Argo! I'm thinking Ben Affleck was freaking Thrilled! And, so am I!

http://theobamadiary.com/

The lovely Plains @DaRiverZkind

Ronald Reagan in 1981 taped a message for the Oscars, the 1rst POTUS 2 address the academy was FDR, by raido in 1941. http://nyti.ms/ZtWSuI

Harvey Weinstein Arranged Michelle Obama's Best Picture Oscars Surprise

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michelle-obama-at-oscars-harvey-424146

[Fumesucker]

70. Would Rubin have written the same critique about Pickles in the same situation?

Republicans all have eleventh degree black belts in situational ethics.

[LuckyTheDog]

64. I do not buy the premise

"First Point: If Laura Bush had announced the best picture winner at any point in the reign of the Chimperor the DU reaction would be strikingly and hilariously different..."

No, I can honestly say that I would not have been shocked or outraged. Really.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

68. Nor do I.

As I commented above, I wouldn't have been outraged, upset, angry, or any of those things if Laura Bush had presented an Oscar. I would have made fun of her dress because it almost certainly would have looked like '70s-vintage upholstery, but I would have had no problem with the fact of the appearance. It's just fine for a FLOTUS to do things that promote the arts.

[nadinbrzezinski]

74. To me it would be...the oscars...yawn

[NYC Liberal]

152. I see posts like that around here all the time.

"You would be outraged about X if it were a Republican doing it!"

Well, no, some of us aren't hypocrites. Some of us don't get outraged at every little thing a Republican does just because they're a Republican.

[treestar]

164. ^^^This^^^^

We would have been busy making fun of her outfit, most likely. And there would have been at least one unflattering picture, with her bug-eyed smile.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

67. Celebrities and politicians both enjoy the spotlight.

And, the wives of politicians are not invulnerable to the allure of being "somebody".

[Enrique]

69. the reason I disagree is that the Oscars don't matter

or I should say, they don't matter that much. The Oscars are not equivalent to "the Arts". The Oscars are a diversion, like sports, and an event for a trade association. There is no separation of State and Diversion.

When you talk about the military propaganda then I'm with you. If that was an aspect of Michelle's appearance then I have a problem with it for that reason.

[onenote]

71. You must need a month at a spa everytime the President throws out the first ball on opening day.

[toby jo]

73. It lacked a certain 'flow'. Awards shows are ego-fests.

She went swimming there, she can reap the shit.

BTW, 'the arts' are not her cause, it's obesity.

[Bette Noir]

75. I was thrilled to see FLOTUS in the Oscars,

And loved her dress.

The Obamas didn't take a vow to work silently, in the shadows, and never dress up or have fun. Heck, if someone asked me to put on a gorgeous gown and present the Best Picture Oscar, I'd do it, and I don't see why Michelle should play shrinking violet because you don't approve of her.

[ecstatic]

76. Why put this much thought into a biased farce?

The Oscars are not at all credible when it comes to determining great movies and actors. I chose to avoid it entirely.

Regarding Michelle Obama's appearance, she was not there as "the State." That sounds incredibly paranoid. And no, it's not comparable to Ann Romney appearing because Ann is hated while MO is loved. In addition to being First Lady, Michelle Obama is a popular, trendsetting celebrity. The Oscars are all about celebrities. Hell, Michelle's personal popularity is higher than many actors who attended last night.

[phleshdef]

77. What an utter load of disingenious bullshit.

I wouldn't have given a shit if Laura Bush announced a fucking movie award. And anyone at DU that would've, should've, in that hypothetical situation, been told to shut the fuck up and stop acting like a spiteful child.

There is nothing wrong with the first lady or the President, regardless of who it is, getting involved in pop culture events. That's part of what America is, and anyone who has the gall to tell the number 1 governing American official or his/her spouse that they shouldn't participate in American pop culture needs to take a chill pill and be promptly put in their place. That's just so painfully stupid that its difficult for me to articulate WHY its so stupid with any measure of class.

Get over it. And spare us all this phony nonsense. You, like all the deranged right wing fools that are foaming at the mouth about an Oscar appearance, don't really care about it. You just want to whine about something. And the notion that it has anything to do with "principles" would be hilarious if it wasn't such an insult against the idea of "having principles".

If you had any real principles, you wouldn't give enough of a shit about something so innocuous to write a big phony rant about it.

[ProSense]

80. You nailed it.

"There is nothing wrong with the first lady or the President, regardless of who it is, getting involved in pop culture events. That's part of what America is...And spare us all this phony nonsense. "

Case in point:

"Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke to an Oscar audience by radio in 1941."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022426602

The OP has a strong anti-Obama essense, but no doubt those supporting it will brag about their "principles" while hiding behind this RW drivel.

[kelliekat44]

81. Not to mention that, except for the over-bangs, the First Lady was stunning!

Jackie O and JFK promoted the arts and the Oscars are a part of it..not all of it, but a part. I always think it is great when the First Family an identify with the rest of us.

[LuckyTheDog]

110. Yep. (nt)

[Pretzel_Warrior]

82. In the end...just your opinion. Deal with it.

I know the pressure for Barack and Michelle Obama to present themselves in a non threatening way and take crap day after day prior to reelection was immense. Now he won't be known as the first black one term president both are visibly relieved
And can kind of enjoy this wonderful privilege of serving.

With friends like you...

[leftstreet]

84. DURec - although politicians are just celebrities now

sadly

[Tx4obama]

85. Article: Michelle Obama Wasn't the First First Lady To Take Part in the Oscars. So Who Was?

Michelle Obama Wasn't the First First Lady To Take Part in the Oscars. So Who Was?

You could almost hear the collective groan from certain corners of the Internet last night when Michelle Obama made her surprise appearance during the Oscars telecast to announce Argo as the year's Best Picture. Given that, it's probably worth reminding everyone that—regardless of what you thought about her specific performance—her presence on screen wasn't the first time a first lady has taken part in the Hollywood extravaganza.

That honor—as far as my Internet sleuthing can find—goes to Laura Bush, who participated in this taped "What Do the Movies Mean to You?" segment for the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. (She shows up at around the 2:15 mark.)

-snip- (video at the link below)

At least two presidents have also gotten in on the Oscars fun. The first was FDR, who delivered a radio address from the White House during the 13th Academy Awards. Here's how the Los Angeles Times recapped his remarks at the time:

President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the 13th Academy Awards ceremony, addressing the nation and the crowd at the Biltmore Hotel in a six-minute direct-radio-line speech from the White House. Roosevelt was the first president to participate in the Academy Awards. He declined a special invitation to Los Angeles because of the world's political climate but made the most of his time as the opening act, chatting about the Lend-Lease Act and thanking Hollywood for raising money for defense and promoting the "American way of life" in its movies.

Ronald Reagan also taped his own video message for the 53rd Academy Awards in 1981 (which, you may remember, were actually postponed 24 hours in the wake of an assassination attempt on his life). I'm having a hard time finding an archived write-up of his intro, but here's how the New York Times previewed it a few weeks ahead of the show:

-snip-

Full post here: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/02/25/michelle_obama_oscars_first_lady_wasn_t_the_first_to_appear_at_the_oscars.html

I wonder if the 'republican' media machine will acknowledge the 'facts'

[JohnyCanuck]

86. Considering the winner was filled with CIA brainwashing propaganda.....

designed to blacken as much as possible, in the minds of a mostly ignorant public, the reputation of the most current bunch of the MIC/neocon/Israeli lobby's designated evil-doers, maybe it was quite appropriate.

Argo's Upcoming Academy Award and the Failure of Truth

Over the past 12 months, rarely a week - let alone month - went by without new predictions of an ever-imminent Iranian nuclear weapon and ever-looming threats of an American or Israeli military attack. Come October 2012, into the fray marched "Argo," a decontextualized, ahistorical "true story" of Orientalist proportion, subjecting audiences to two hours of American victimization and bearded barbarians, culminating in popped champagne corks and rippling stars-and-stripes celebrating our heroism and triumph and their frustration and defeat. Salon's Andrew O'Hehir aptly described the film as "a propaganda fable," explaining as others have that essentially none of its edge-of-your-seat thrills or most memorable moments ever happened. O'Hehir sums up:

The Americans never resisted the idea of playing a film crew, which is the source of much agitation in the movie. (In fact, the “house guests” chose that cover story themselves, from a group of three options the CIA had prepared.) They were not almost lynched by a mob of crazy Iranians in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, because they never went there. There was no last-minute cancellation, and then un-cancellation, of the group’s tickets by the Carter administration. (The wife of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor had personally gone to the airport and purchased tickets ahead of time, for three different outbound flights.) The group underwent no interrogation at the airport about their imaginary movie, nor were they detained at the gate while a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard telephoned their phony office back in Burbank. There was no last-second chase on the runway of Mehrabad Airport, with wild-eyed, bearded militants with Kalashnikovs trying to shoot out the tires of a Swissair jet.

One of the actual hostages, Mark Lijek, noted that the CIA's fake movie "cover story was never tested and in some ways proved irrelevant to the escape." The departure of the six Americans from Tehran was actually mundane and uneventful. "If asked, we were going to say we were leaving Iran to return when it was safer," Lijek recalled, "But no one ever asked!...The truth is the immigration officers barely looked at us and we were processed out in the regular way. We got on the flight to Zurich and then we were taken to the US ambassador's residence in Berne. It was that straightforward."

snip

O'Hehir perfectly articulates the film's true crime, its deliberate exploitation of "its basis in history and its mode of detailed realism to create something that is entirely mythological." Not only is it "a trite cavalcade of action-movie clichés and expository dialogue," but "it’s also a propaganda movie in the truest sense, one that claims to be innocent of all ideology."

http://www.wideasleepinamerica.com/2013/02/oscar-prints-the-legend-argo.html

[leftstreet]

92. Oh my

Thanks for posting that

[alcibiades_mystery]

140. I agree with that assessment

I was actually shocked that Argo won. It was a middling movie at best. And it was certainly a propaganda film of the worst kind. It attempted to innoculate itself from this charge by having at least some sympathy for the Iranian revolution's argument against the Shah. Apart from that, the Iranians came off as frothing savages, half-wits, or deeply sinister geniuses (the lead "searcher&quot .

[MineralMan]

87. She just opened an envelope and named the winner.

It's not that big a deal, really. And had another first lady done it, I'd feel the same.

Movies are popular culture. I don't watch the Oscar presentations, and haven't even seen many of the nominees this year. But I can see no possible issues with the FLOTUS opening the envelope for Best Picture and announcing the winner. First ladies have always been in involved in the arts and popular culture in one way or another.

It is a non-issue for me.

[goclark]

98. Some of their biggest supporters are from Hollywood

Non issue exactly.

[MineralMan]

99. Even if they weren't, I can't see what the issue might be.

The First Lady is a popular figure, and not a political figure. She can do as she pleases when it comes to such things.

[goclark]

123. Totally agree!

[graham4anything]

90. Hollywood employs about 1 million UNION workers

Baseball is the national pasttime, and Presidents have thrown out the first ball since day one

Bush41 and Barbara Bush went to the CMA awards and spoke

Presidents have gone to NASCAR races and the Kentucky Derby

Why shouldn't anyone be allowed

Too bad Lincoln did not win and too bad Jimmy Carter and Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton were not there. Having all 4 Democratic Presidents before and after President Obama would have been great. (inc. Hillary45 and MIchelle46).

[frazzled]

91. But it's okay for every (male) president to throw out the first pitch in MLB

Which is just as linked to big business and entertainment as the movie industry.

Chill out. She gave a little speech about the importance of the arts, and then opened a freaking envelope.

[NCTraveler]

95. WOW

"It is in very poor taste, and un-American and antiquated and hearkens back to the worst of human history. That doesn't mean it was a tragedy... nobody died... but it was GROSS. The Academy should not have asked, though they have the right to do so, and she should surely have not accepted."

You actually went to the un-American card. I would hate to see you discuss something of real importance.

I am trying to make heads or tails of that whole paragraph. The whole thing for that matter.

[tblue37]

148. And "the worst of human history." really? Is this a Hitler comparison?

Actually, he probably wasn't even the worst of human history.

BTW, I wonder how the OP felt about Queen Elizabeth's playful role in the James Bond parody in the opening of the London Olympics.

MO is not a queen, but the unelected FLOTUS. She is a figurehead. Her unpaid "job" is to show up at ribbon cuttings and the metaphorical equivalent of ribbon cuttings. The Oscars are just a particularly extravagant version of a ribbon cutting.

[MuseRider]

97. I agree, n/t

[frazzled]

100. Oh dear, turns out Laura Bush WAS the first First Lady to appear in the Oscars show

That honor—as far as my Internet sleuthing can find—goes to Laura Bush, who participated in this taped "What Do the Movies Mean to You?" segment for the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. (She shows up at around the 2:15 mark.)

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/02/25/michelle_obama_oscars_first_lady_wasn_t_the_first_to_appear_at_the_oscars.html

I don't recall getting bent out of shape over it.

[alcibiades_mystery]

141. Do you remember how this place EXPLODED over that?

Yeah, me neither. The original post is a pathetic piece of utter foolishness.

[Flaxbee]

104. I thought it was creepy, too. My husband and I looked at each other and

were puzzled...

Like some emperor's wife wants to be in showbiz so she's foisted upon the Oscar-watching world. With the military standing behind her. WTF?

She dances on Jimmy Fallon and then presents the best picture award?

Does she wanna be in the movies? A studio producer?

I'm glad he's president, not Romney. I'm not thrilled with everything he's doing, not by a long shot.

It was wrong. Wrong note. Even a very good friend of mine who works for the Dem. party thought it was weird.

Of course there are tragedies to actually be outraged over. I'm not outraged. Just kinda creeped out.

[phleshdef]

112. Right because Presidential spouses taking part in a pop culture event = emperialism.

Spare us the bullshit. You don't even believe what you just wrote.

[phleshdef]

111. No you didn't. And no one is actually buying that.

[onenote]

114. You must have the lowest threshold for being creeped out of anyone on the planet

At the honest right wingers (I know, an oxymoron) don't pretend that they're creeped out -- the only reason that they're upset is that it plays to their base of Obama haters.

[RevStPatrick]

103. I happen to agree with you.

But I've kept quiet about it.
Most people don't think, they react.

"She's part of MY tribe, so it's OK!"
As opposed to "Pickles is part of the OTHER tribe, so it's gross!"

Meh...

[NYC Liberal]

153. Laura Bush DID make an appearance at the Oscars as First Lady

There was no outrage here about it, nor among any Democrats I know of.

Try again.

[SidDithers]

105. She did it just to piss you off...

and it seems to have worked exceedingly well.

Way to go, FLOTUS!

Sid

[Cha]

113. That's our Michelle.. she really knows how

to stick it to the pettymongers.

"Un-American"..

Way to Go, Michelle Obama and the Academy Awards Show!

Another "un-American"..

President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the 13th Academy Awards ceremony, addressing the nation and the crowd at the Biltmore Hotel in a six-minute direct-radio-line speech from the White House. Roosevelt was the first president to participate in the Academy Awards. He declined a special invitation to Los Angeles because of the world's political climate but made the most of his time as the opening act, chatting about the Lend-Lease Act and thanking Hollywood for raising money for defense and promoting the "American way of life" in its movies.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022426826

[Denzil_DC]

106. I can assure you that during Bush's terms,

I had a heck of a lot of other things to be far more outraged, if not terrified, about than whether Mrs Bush appeared on some TV show. And likewise, I wouldn't give a damn if Mrs Romney streaked at the Super Bowl, let alone presented the trophy.

And funnily enough, I feel the same about Michelle Obama's appearance at the Oscars. Get over yourself and your oh-so-purist "principles."

[Vinnie From Indy]

107. One of the funniest bits of lunacy I have seen in a while on DU

Cheers for making me laugh. I loved this line,

"It is in very poor taste, and un-American and antiquated and hearkens back to the worst of human history."

The worst in human history? Really? So, to you, Michelle's brief appearance ranks right up there with genocide and such?

Also, what does "hearkens" mean?

[Zoeisright]

108. If you're serious about this,

you need to untwist your panties and put the pearls you're clutching down. Because your post is fucking stupid.

[Matariki]

109. I wouldn't have cared one way or the other if Laura Bush was announcing Oscars

George Bush, sure maybe, but I would have shrugged if it was the former First Lady. But then I don't really care about the Oscars all that much.

I get what you're saying, but I kind of think you're blowing a relatively non-issue out of proportion.

[tarheelsunc]

115. Did I fall asleep and wake up in Free Republic?

It's not like this is some yearly ritual. They likely only asked Michelle to participate because of just how many politically-based movies have come out in the past year. I don't see a problem with her being asked to and presenting an award. The Academy Awards should be honored to have her presenting and she should be honored to be asked to present. I wouldn't mind if it was Nancy Reagan or Laura Bush or any other First Lady.

[sheshe2]

116. Seriously?

[ProSense]

118. Here:

enjoy: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022427262

Hope that's not too "un-American" and "gross."

[Nye Bevan]

122. I have the same level of outrage as when Nancy Reagan appeared on "Diffrent Strokes" (nt)

[Bluenorthwest]

124. This is just redonkulous. Mrs Obama has advocated more for the arts than any major political

figure in my memory, and in particular for arts education. The AMPAS acknowledging that is fitting and proper. She was not even present just as other Presidents and First Ladies who have been part of Oscar shows since FDR have not been present in the room.
And of course and as always, it is up to the Academy who is and who is not part of the evening. The fact that several of the nominees were political in nature I'm sure was part of their decision. That is a very rare circumstance and one that many of us would like to see become less unusual.

[JoePhilly]

125. Where is the fainting couch when you need one?

[Skidmore]

132. Smelling salts.

Needs smelling salts too.

[JoePhilly]

134. Ah yes, those are good when one gets the vapors.

[KoKo]

136. No "Fainting Couches" here...from what I read..

What's the Problem?

[Bluenorthwest]

126. I had to come back to add that the Academy Awards are an international event

"Our chief executive and his family is not supposed to be the ubiquitous personification of the nation." is a nonsensical statement because the presenter of Best Picture is not in any way intended to personify this nation. Many presenters of that Award have not been Americans at all, Olivier, Sean Connery, and Arkira Kurosowa come to mind.

[LanternWaste]

129. I'm rather happy (more often than not) when the President, his wife, or any member

I'm rather happy (more often than not) when the President, his wife, or any member of his staff endorses American industry.

That being said, if I squint, get really drunk and hit my head really, really hard, I could probably see her presentation as being part and parcel of a nefarious takeover of the arts by Big Gubmint-- much like Roosevelt did the WPA.

[noiretextatique]

130. really?!? this seems very silly, and petty

i doubt i would have had a problem with any other first lady presenting a best picture award. then again: i don't watch award shows.

[Summer Hathaway]

138. I could add to the litany

of how utterly ridiculous your post is - but I'm rather late to that party, and others have already done so.

However, there is something I can't help but notice about the discussion on DU.

For a while, it was: "If you don't agree with me, you're not a true progressive (TM)."

That quickly evolved into: "If you don't agree with me, it means you're a DLCer, a Third Wayer, a corporatist," etc.

Now we have comments like this showing up regularly:

"And anyone who has the slightest capacity for thinking beyond naked partisanship (and celebrity worship) should get this. Seriously... isn't anyone capable of principled thinking???"

In other words: "If you don't agree with me, you have no principles," or the other popular one of late, "If you don't agree with me, you have no moral compass."

And now you go a step further, insinuating that anyone who was not outraged by Michelle's appearance at the Oscars is a celebrity-worshipper, who lacks the capacity to think beyond your interpretation of what constitutes "naked bipartisanship".

And BTW, I would not have had a negative reaction to Laura Bush appearing at the Oscars either. So you can add that to your little list of things that demonstrate a lack of principles.

[alcibiades_mystery]

142. Very good analysis of some very scary rhetoric: "no principles" and "no moral compass" can be

tweaked very easily into "you're just evil," and we all know where that leads. There really is a case to be made that some of our friends on DU are verging into some very dangerous territory indeed: the repeated and seemingly coordinated use of "no moral compass" was just chilling - it's easy to see how that slides into "you're just expendable," and "you can't be saved" (for the light). There's something very sinister and inquisitorial and creepy about these kinds of arguments, where the interlocutor is devoid of reason, principle, morality, seemingly by sheer virtue of disagreement. I used to enjoy and learn from discussions with many of our far left contingent, but, as with the "no principles" and "no moral compass" arguments, I think many of them are getting quite scary.

[freshwest]

174. Another analysis I appreciate.

[freshwest]

173. Yes, very tiresome, loaded insinuations being used. No way to answer, already condemned.

Add to the list 'blind willingness to follow the party without ______.' Insert progressive or liberal value that those who don't sneer at the Obamas or the party can't possibly possess.

You expressed it well. Such broadbrushes don't lead to hugs and kisses from other DUers.

[LittleBlue]

143. I didn't like this either

Hated it when Bush showed up at sports and entertainment events.

To me, presidents are the employees of the American people. They aren't celebrities or monarchs to be celebrated and fawned over. Perhaps an ex-president who has achieved an historic achievement, it isn't appropriate for a sitting president and his family.

[KoKo]

145. That's the problem.."We didn't like it under Bush...but. we Like It

under President Obama. Get's to be a disconnect.

[ProSense]

146. Just so you know,

"That's the problem..'We didn't like it under Bush...but. we Like It under President Obama. Get's to be a disconnect."

...that claim is nonsense trying to justify drivel.

Newsreel 1941 Roosevelt Speaks At Academy Awards...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022427262

Grammys Flashback '97: Hillary Clinton...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022427452

I'm so enjoying this.

[KoKo]

155. Ohhh...ProSense...I am Well Aware and find it amusing to deal with you

as you claim to do with me. HEY...it's all "Just Politics." I'm game...

[Denzil_DC]

154. "We didn't like it under Bush...but. we Like It under President Obama."

Who's this "we"?

Do you mean you went ballistic when Laura Bush featured in a filmed Oscars segment in 2002?

Really?

[JI7]

167. we didn't like Bush because he was a shitty fucked up President

[6000eliot]

144. Aren't there more important things to get upset over?

[ProSense]

147. Than protecting the country from a "gross" and "un-American" action by the First Lady?

Tough one.

[freshwest]

175. Not if you can't stand the sight of Michelle or Barack on television, there isn't...

[NYC Liberal]

151. Speak for yourself! I wouldn't give two shits if Ann Romney awarded the trophy at the Super Bowl

as First Lady. I'm sure Laura Bush did many of these things; I never got outraged over it.

Get over it. Not all of us here are hypocrites. I believe the vast majority of posters here on DU would not get outraged if a Republican did the same thing.

When the question is, "Should the First Lady announce the best picture winner at the Oscars?" the answer is not, "What party is she?"

You're right. The answer is "Absolutely!"

[Skittles]

157. I did not really resent Laura Bush

I don't think it would have bothered me

[jazzimov]

160. To repeat a famous quote:

"Lighten up, Francis!"

this has got to be the most stupid "issue" that I have ever seen.

And as for the concept "if Laura Bush had done this..."

SHE DID. It was stupid and irrelevant then, so we ignored it.

So...........

[LuckyTheDog]

171. Video

[donheld]

165. lol @ you

[lame54]

169. Actually - the answer is "Yes" - but nice try

[Zen Democrat]

176. I'm not a big fan of any Taliban, whatever political stripe.

Michelle Obama was beautiful and she was asked to do it, and I'm glad she did.

I actually laughed at Seth McFarlane, so shoot me.