First Lady's efforts vs obesity criticized

[azmouse]

WASHINGTON - Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush worked to end illiteracy. Nancy Reagan famously took on teenage drug use. Lady Bird Johnson planted flowers. But none of them has been seared for something as seemingly benign as calling for kids to eat more vegetables, as Michelle Obama has.

Just about everyone will agree that the nation's children are getting fatter and that obesity is a serious health problem. But the first lady's push for healthier meals and more exercise, which marked its first anniversary this month, has provoked a backlash from the right, who complain that the only thing here that's supersized is Big Brother.


Myra Gutin, an expert on first ladies and politics at Rider University in New Jersey, said the only other first lady to be as consistently criticized as Obama was Hillary Clinton, for tackling health-care reform in the early years of the Clinton administration.

"Some of the criticism (of Obama), quite frankly, has really shocked me," Gutin said. "There is a certain line with first ladies. You can take a shot, but I don't think people like it a lot. We're not talking about the war; we're not talking about the economy. At some level it begins to sound peevish and almost inappropriate."



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It's unbelievable the crap the RW will spew just to take potshots at the both the President and the First Lady. I couldn't agree more with the article in that the RW is making themselves look ridiculous with these types of attacks.

[atomic]

The ease with which the GOP trash-talks the pres and Mrs O is disgusting but not surprising. I can't help but feel there is a racial taint to the criticism.

[NJMaverick]

The problem isn't the First Lady's choice of issues, rather it's just another target for the billionaire hate club

[Treestar]

What are they complaining about? Do they find childhood obesity to be a good thing? It's just absurd. Anything to attack the Obamas.

[johnaries]

I'm willing to bet money these are the same people that think it's a good idea to have soda and junk food vending machines in public schools. They won't be happy until McDonald's franchises replace the school cafeteria. But, yes, I'm sure a lot of it is just any excuse to attack the Obama's.