March 10, 2009

"Thunder and Lightning" and love for all things O

Its not like Conservatives need reasons to whine and complain about the Obamas but this is pretty sad and unbelievable! Brooks was not so besotted with McPlain (see some of his Oct-Nov op-eds) but clearly he's still not becoming an O-lover! (Or maybe he is -- maybe he secretly desires "Thunder and Lightning"! ;-))

Here's an excerpt from a piece at Huffpost by Bonnie Fuller,  "a sometime fashionista who has edited the style bibles Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Glamour", that lashes out at Brooks ...rightly so.. by calling him wimpy and wondering if he has "jiggly girly-man arms." 
2009-03-09-brooks.jpgHave the Republicans reverted to a party with so little to say that they are reduced to making feeble jabs at Michelle Obama's biceps? Are they so afraid of the new Obama era that the First Lady's arms are a enough of a symbol of power that they cower before them? That can be the only explanation for Republican lite David Brooks, the New York Times columnist, to tell his fellow Times columnist Maureen Dowd that Michelle Obama should put away her arms, "Thunder and Lightning." Thunder and lightning? Has he actually named the biceps that offend him?He went  on to complain that Michelle's stunning eggplant sleeveless Narcisco Rodriguez dress, which she wore to Congress, was "ostentatious." And that the First Lady should not be known for one body part.Brooks also had the nerve to say that "sometimes I think half the reason Obama ran for president is so Michelle would have a platform to show off her biceps."
Sigh!!! What to say! The only way to deal with such nonsense from these media talking heads is with humor...or maybe occasionally striking back at them with the same kind of name-calling! :) I enjoyed this from Fuller's piece:
I think that Brooks, like many of his Republican cohorts, is more than a little jealous of the finely-toned Obama arms. When was the last time he saw the inside of a gym? I bet he's got jiggly girly-man arms. Think about it -- all those big-mouth Republicans are major Mr. Softies: Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich. Between the bunch of them, they probably wouldn't last five minutes on a treadmill. They are afraid -- Michelle COULD punch them out. Like the oversized Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the film Ghostbusters, 2009-03-09-ghostbuster.jpg they're all huff and puff with no sturdy center. They're fearful that someone like either Michelle or Barack Obama with real spine, fresh ideas and actual empathy for Americans will blast them into oblivion. Maybe if they took a cue from the First Lady and hit the gym, the flood of endorphins would spark some bright new ideas from their camp, not just another call for fresh tax cuts for the rich. 
Let's not forget that it takes a strong man to partner with a powerful woman.The fact that Barack isn't afraid to love and live with a woman who is his equal just adds to his own power.
In the meantime, David Brooks and his ilk would be better served muscling up to help in the battle against the recession than mouthing off about Michelle's beautiful arms.
Or like Maureen Dowd wrote in the aforementioned piece (emphasis mine), maybe ...
...Michelle’s flair is our depression’s answer to Ginger Rogers gliding around in feathers and lamé. Her arms, and her complete confidence in her skin, are a reminder that Americans can do anything if they put their minds to it. Unlike Hillary, who chafed at the loathed job of first lady, and Laura, who for long stretches disappeared into the helpmeet role, Michelle has soared every day, expanding the job to show us what can be accomplished by a generous spirit, a confident nature and a well-disciplined body.
P.S. Also read: Taylor Marsh: David Brooks Fears First Lady's Biceps

P.P.S. Seems conservatives have supplanted “liberal” with “socialist” as their abuse-word-of-choice for "Comrade Obama" and his party members!!

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