The Hillary-ization of Michelle Obama

By Kathy G.

Before I get to the main subject of this post, I wanted to share my enthusiasm about my favorite new blog: Ta-Nehisi Coates. Though Ta-Nehisi's blog centers on politics, he is also the author of a fascinating-sounding new memoir, The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood. (You can watch an engaging video about the memoir here). He's had some especially smart things to say about the presidential race. Read this post, for example, about Hillary Clinton's instantly infamous "hard-working white people" remark, and why "the obligatory 'not a racist' defense" is irritatingly beside the point, and offensive to boot.

All this is by way of introduction to my favorite of his most recent posts, this expert takedown of Christopher Hitchens' recent nasty, dishonest, and embarrassing attempt at a hit job on Michelle Obama (which appeared in Slate, wouldn't you know. And just when I thought Slate couldn't possibly suck any harder). Ta-Nehisi has a much, much higher opinion of Hitchens than I do (I think the man descended into disgraceful hackdom long ago), but that doesn't stop him from seeing very clearly what Hitchens was trying (and pathetically failing) to do in that piece, and calling him on it. Among other things, Ta-Nehisi points out that if you want to smear someone for the non-existent radical views they allegedly had in college, it would help matters if you yourself don't have a lengthy and well-documented past as a Trotskyite Trotskyist, as Hitchens himself does. D'oh!

The Hitchens piece, contemptible piece o' shite though it is, a surefire sign that, now that it's clear Hillary's presidential campaign is all but over, the right is proceeding apace with its attempt to Hillary-ize Michelle Obama. We have, of course, all heard about how "unpatriotic" she is. Maureen Dowd has already cattily attacked her for not being sufficiently deferential to her husband. And now we're being treated to Hitchens' exegesis of how her college term papers prove she's really Stokely Carmichael in drag. Delightful! But hey . . . radical, unfeminine, unpatriotic -- remind you of any other right-wing caricatures of a certain prominent Democratic woman with a famous husband?    

It's not surprising that they're doing this to Michelle, because it's one of the most basic moves in the wingnut playbook. All Democrats are radicals who hate America, of course; in addition, all female Democrats are ballbusting beeyotches (just as all male Democrats are girly-men). The gender crap, sadly, is probably still going to be an issue for any Democratic first lady. The only first ladies who seem to  be noncontroversial and enjoy wide popularity are the ones who, like Pickles, resemble Stepford wives. But overwhelmingly, it seems to be Republicans, not Democrats, who marry that sort of woman.

The role of first lady tends to be a poor fit for today's Democratic wives, many of whom have been outspoken women with significant careers of their own. Though, of course, virtually any modern woman would chafe against the ridiculous 19th century-style confines of the role. Even the title itself -- "first lady" -- has the musty odor of an antique about it. It's a term that sounds like it's straight out of the 19th cult of true womanhood.

And speaking of the cult of true womanhood -- here is the classic article on the subject, by the historian Barbara Welter (I took her undergrad course in the history of American women, more years ago than I'd care to remember). This is the opening paragraph of that article:

The nineteenth-century American man was a busy builder of bridges and railroads, at work long hours in a materialistic society. The religious values of his forbears were neglected in practice if not in intent, and he occasionally felt some guilt that he had turned this new land, this temple of the chosen people, into one vast countinghouse. But he could salve his conscience by reflecting that he had left behind a hostage, not only to fortune, but to all the values which he held so dear and treated so lightly. Woman, in the cult of True Womanhood presented by the women's magazines, gift annuals, and religious literature of the nineteenth century, was the hostage in the home. In a society where values changed frequently, where fortunes rose and fell with frightening rapidity, where social and economic mobility provided instability as well as hope, one thing at least remained the same - a true woman was a true woman, wherever she was found. If anyone, male or female, dared to tamper with the complex of virtues that made up True Womanhood, he was damned immediately as the enemy of God, of civilization, and of the Republic. It was the fearful obligation, a solemn responsibility, which the nineteenth-century American woman had - to uphold the pillars of the temple with her frail white hand.

I always did love that phrase about the true woman holding up "the pillars of the temple with her frail white hand." "First lady" is a term which originated in the 19th century, and the role of first lady was very much part and parcel of the cult of true womanhood. But, as we see, the cult of true womanhood was very much a racial construct -- that was (a lot of) the point. So if Michelle Obama ascends to the role which is the apotheosis of the cult of true womanhood -- the role of First Lady of the United States -- I predict that wingnut heads will explode throughout the land. And there will be a whole other layer of bullshit Michelle will have to deal with. In addition to the anti-Democrat bullshit, and the sexist bullshit, there will be, of course, the racist bullshit.

My heart goes out to her. The road she will be traveling on will be a difficult one, in particular because there is no one in the history of America who has trod that particular path before. She is an exceedingly courageous person to have chosen such a public role. Just by sheer virtue of being black and female, and daring to live a public life, she will be highly controversial. She will attract a hell of a lot of ugly hatred. Even for a person as strong as I am sure she is, there are sure to be times when that will be very, very hard to take.   

What I'm wondering right now is, what can we - as Democrats, as feminists, as people who are deeply committed to racial equality -- do to help and support her? Here's the thing: we have, to an extent, the benefit of hindsight here. We know what the right did to Hillary, and we can expect them to do a lot of the same things to Michelle. How do we combat this?

I realize the Republicans and the right are going to do the same disgusting things they always do. But one thing we need to be hyper-vigilant about is not letting the media get away with repeating right-wing memes and narratives about Michelle (or Barack, or any Democrat, for that matter). Close scrutiny of the media coverage of Michelle Obama, as well as some energetic media-centered activism, will of course be  crucial. Do readers of this blog have any more specific ideas? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

[Chris]

The headline of this post alone made me swear out loud. I guess it's inevitable, and I hate it.

I think Michelle ought to go on Limbaugh once or month or so. Those fuckers are cowards. They'd have a much harder time talking shit about someone they had to confront in real life.

[Jefffrane]

I have no specific suggestions, but I wanted to thank you for the link to Coates and thank you for your own excellent insight and writing. And to agree that, yes, Hitchens has been stone batshit for years and has degenerated from a superb writer and critic to a useless, lying hack.

He enrages me, largely because of that descent; I view it, absurdly, as a personal betrayal.

[drip]

I have already heard calls to C-SPAN's Washington Journal from people who cannot vote for Obama because Michelle Obama is unfit to be first lady, hates America, etc. I hold out no great hopes for the results of this election, but if we get to Labor Day and Obama is polling well, we are going to see some racist, sexist slams at him like we've never see. This includes the "you must be a sexist if you support Obama who beat Hillary", the "you must be a racist if you think white folks have advantages" as well as the "you must be an elitist if you don't burp after swilling bad beer".

Obama's solution seems to be to stay above the fray. We'll see how he does when hit with some mutation of the attacks on Jane Muskie (foul mouthed drunk), Rosalyn Carter (stupid hillbilly), Kitty Dukakis (unstable Jew) and Hillary Clinton (need we say more).

Your call to support is noble. I do believe that Americans see themselves as inclusive, open-minded and tolerant. I expect a full frontal assault when the journalists, pundits and moderators discover that Michelle Obama is taller, stronger, smarter, richer, and more beautiful than they are. A constant reminder that we are a beacon on a hill may be the answer.

[Johninpt]

Excellent post and great tip on the Coates site -- thanks!

[winer]

Excellent post. I wonder if Michelle Obama will be treated differently if Barak chooses a female running mate. I haven't really thought this one through, but if, say Kathleen Sibelius were to run as vice president, would Michelle be less of a lightning rod? As the only woman covered day to day, the potential first lady would be compared to Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, and in the measure of some she might be portrayed as "unfirstladylike," but if there were another liberal, professional woman on the ticket, Michelle might be compared to her and be treated as the competent human being that she is. I'm just thinking out loud here, but I do wonder if the presence of a woman on the ticket would dilute the sexist gaze.

[Tony Cohen]

Humm...the "Hillary-ization" term has an implication of an unfounded brutal attack on a victim...and while I agree, based on recent conduct I am just not sure how I feel. And that is the real tragedy, that her recent behaviour has been so horrid that I am loosing the ability to care about a brutal injustice that had been previously done to her...I feel sad and dirty

[mn]

i'm not sure what can be done but i know that i cringed when during the whole jeremiah wright firestorm chris matthews made the suggestion that perhaps it was michelle obama who had chosen their supposedly radical church and barack like many husbands just kind of went along with it. the the groundwork for narrative of michelle as an america hating, abrasive black woman had already been laid, and he stepped into it without a second thought. i personally think michelle obama is wonderful, and i'm not at all looking forward to discovering just how awful they will be to her. she's a strong, intelligent woman and i love that barack is married to someone like her,i wish them all the best & am bracing myself for the revelation of just how ugly this society can, i hope they come out the other end victorious.

[Glenda Dickerson]

Thank you for this thoughtful and timely post. I am so pleased to see that some of you young women (I am a 60 yr old black woman) are thinking ahead and being proactive. Michele is wonderful and we should "have her back" all the way.

One other thought, I tend to agree with the writer above who is disgusted by hillary's behavior recently. she is not a feminist.

[Ken Houghton]

You mean Michelle "it's now or never" Obama? Michelle "don't go into Corporate America" Obama (whose salary is something over $300K)? That Michelle Obama?

(Let's ignore, "for the first time, I'm really proud of my country," though it looks more and more like a fair shot than the usual "taken out of context"just as the shots at Corporate Lawyers from the ex-S&A attorney were intending to hit HRC and be teflon on Herself.)

Laura Bush proudly declares her experience as a librarian. Hillary Clinton talks about her lawyering experience--for instance, her pro bono work for children and familiesand doesn't deny her past.

Michelle Obama pretends she isn't an Ivy-educated corporate lawyer cum Health Executive. When she stops doing that, then I'll start giving her credit.

But if she's going to deny her public history, why should we have the least sympathy for her being attacked for what she is?

Links:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/12/michelle_obama200712

http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=290127980171083

[Chi]

Thank you for this post. We should, absolutely and without question, "have her back"- all the way. all too often too many women have been singled out by the media for not "knowing their place"- it is long past time for that to end. keep up the good work!

[KRK]

The term "Hillary-ization" might seem more apt if commenters at some of the more polarized pro-Clinton blogs weren't joining in on the slurs on Michelle Obama, all in the pursuit of a very specific form of "feminism" I guess.

[INNC]

Michelle is tough and will be just fine. Considering that Barack has benefited immensely from the unfair treatment of Hillary Clinton by the media for the last 16 years, I for one don't understand why any of us should do anything to help Michelle. Her fate was sealed the day the Obama camp attempted to destroy the Clintons to advance his personal ambition. Michelle will get the same unfair treatment, except she will have to blame herself for it. Either that or she can tone down her role so she won't become "polarizing" like Hillary did.

We have let the Republicans define the rules rather than fight against it. They could have 2 Bushes, 1 incompetent, we barely got one to have 1 Clinton, even though both are more than competent. Barack Obama took up the right's mantle and has put in the final nail in the coffin of the Clintons. He shouldn't be suprised when the very rules he has agreed to benefit from are then turned on him and his wife. The right still rules our politics, they are down but they are not out. We are going to need everyone to fight them, but Obama and his cronies in the press have so marginalized the Clinton wing of the party that I can promise you that while they may be forced to vote for him, they will never fight for him or his wife. Find a better way to use your time then wasting it asking them to do so.

[JackieKayOh]

We can just change the ending to "uphold the pillars of the temple with her strong black hand." (And Newt Gingrinch faints somewhere off in the distance.) :)!

[kiki236]

It will be ugly and will show the true measure of women/feminists in America.

I am not hopeful, a lot of progressive/"feminists" have been throwing the racist darts at Michelle so I don't see how this next phase will be better.

[rikyrah]

I don't believe for one iota that most of the 'Feminist Movement' when defend Michelle Obama when the attacks come. That's ok, because there are those of us who will DEFEND HER.

[El Cid]

People are using these disgusting fake arguments about Michelle Obama to cover for even baser reasons they hold to oppose Barack Obama. They're grasping at straws to justify things they'd rather not say directly.

[Amanda]

Excellent post and very timely. I agree that they will smear her no matter what because it's what they do. But I really believe that Michelle will be okay and will have the support of many feminists -- of every race, myself included -- when that happens.

I was just as peeved as the next feminist at the sexism hurled at Hillary this time around. But I was equally horrified by the racist junk that came out of her campaign and from her surrogates -- as well as all the woe is me, everyone's beating up on me stuff that seemed to have no end (wasn't she supposed to be the tough one?). Not that I wanted or needed Hillary to go all Maggie Thatcher on us, but that was the storyline she was telling about herself, so it feels like a fair criticism, imho.

I'm reminded, on reading your post, of Eleanor Roosevelt's improbable journey. I wonder if Michelle as First Lady will be seen as being on the same level of revolutionary (in a different way, obviously). For her time, ER was extremely radical and really pushed the envelope on what was possible for a First Lady, despite her obvious race and class privileges. And she had a commensurate impact. By virtue of her race and her personality (ie no BS, blunt, etc), I imagine many will see Michelle as pretty revolutionary too. ER had a tough time as First Lady, for a whole host of reasons -- chief among them her very screwed up and complex marriage and not so great relationship with some of her kids. Loneliness was a constant problem for her. So I can't help but think that one big thing Michelle will have going for her is a very strong marriage and a strong bond with her kids -- all of which will be a huge support when the you know what comes flying her way. But she will also have all of us, too. :-)

[Kristin]

I find encouraging the insightful and committed support for Michelle on this thread. I am discouraged that some of her critics rationalize their negative view of her by claiming that all the negative stories about her really are true. I guess if you cannot admit your prejudice, you have to claim the person really is not worthy of respect and admiration.

[carlosbas]

She's up against a two-headed monster, racist and sexist. She will win the battle by calling the least on his attention. In other words, I am sure she will be counseled as how to best approach the media without coming through as too independent or opinionated. Makes me sick but the main battle needs to be won, his presidency.

[Kate Madison]

I am not worried about Michelle Obama. She is a smart, tough and savvy woman. I AM worried about the over-protected women with plenty of financial resoures (probably white) out there in America, who think Michelle Obama is different from them! And who feel threatened by her blackness and her outspokedness. They will feel more comfortable voting for the anti pro-choice John McCain and his seemingly "Stepford wife," Cindy--who has got to stop doing Nancy Reagan at his speeches! It doesn't fit her! (As it didn't Nancy!)

Bottom line: I think this is going to be a landslide for Barack Obama. People, all kinds of people, are beginning to "get it!"

Go Obama!!!!

[SUE COHEN]

I am certain that every slur against Michelle will backfire big time. The bigots and sexists who want the same old, same old white men to run Washington will vote for McCain. Unless you are fabulously rich they will, once again, vote against their own interests but as my 5 year old niece says, TOO BAD SO SAD!

Michelle will do fine and be excellent--Let the fools try to slime her--America is sick of the lies and smears.

BTW: Why hasn't anyone discussed the fact that Hillary's campaign was run by MEN? All these feminists bemoaning sexism need to look hard at the fact that she allowed herself to act MUY MACHO rather than remain true to her own best female self.

Listening to Mark Penn, Terry McCauliffe Harold ICK-es, Lanny Davis and of course the ever present Billy Clinton is not FEMINISM!

[R>E>M>]

What's with all the potty mouth talk and deplorable use of the English language and the structure there of !

Michelle will destrot Barack, not because she is female nor black. Because she is a deep rooted hate monger and racist, simple as that. Let's all sit round the fire and read her Princeton thesis and Barack's birth certificate....OH that's right right, they are both secrets !

C'mon now smarten up

[Thea in Colorado Springs]

It is typical that what distinguishes democratic women is that we don't sit meekly, smiling supportively at our men-folk who know oh, so much more than we. In fact if they put it in front of us we'll point out what it is. We'll tell our friends. And we won't necessarily get up and clean it up for them - but rather we'll advise them on how to clean it up themselves. To my awareness Jackie Kennedy was the last Democratic "First Lady". The Queen Guinivere of First Lady's, attractive, fashionable, devoted mother and wife, even Jackie had the audacity to have a mind of her own. That she was never accused of all the nasties that today's democratic women are accused of is because she just didn't enter the political arena - her's was the soul of an artist.
I think the sad truth is that just as the political arena ineveitably (pray that I'm wrong) sucks the life and souls of all who enter there, there are requirements of armor to enter the field of battle, not the first of which is - you're gonna take a hit. Sure polish your tactics and strategies, sharpen your sword and gird your loins. But if you can't take the hit - don't enter the arena. In other words, I think Michelle could use a little mentoring on HOW to say it - but she's strong enough to say what she's saying.

[Aproudindependent]

I am suprised by these attacks since John McCain claims to be going after the women vote and yet he is attacking the very gender he wants to attract. This is double speak, flip flopping at its highest. I am very disappointed.

I was going to vote for him because of his recent position towards women, but this has turned me off. How would he feel if someone attacked his wife, daughters, mother, female relatives and ex-wife.

As a professional juggling a career and family I am very proud of the candidates wifes and the female presidential candidate-Hilary. They are examples for many women out there both young and old. Don't steal that joy and pride from us women by descending to such levels. When you attack Michelle, you are attacking every woman in the US. It hurts as a woman, whether Republican, Democrat or Independent.

Talk about the issues John and forget these distractions. They are turning off people like me who would have voted for you. Stick to the REAL issues-gas, the economy, health care, education. There are many better and more important issues than this smut and mud slinging.

[John]

I find it strange that this piece speaks of the "hillary-ization" of the wife of the candidate who claims to have won BECAUSE of that "Hillari-zation"...it happened to Hillary first in order TO GET her husband to the point where he now has to DEFEND his own campaign against the very techniques USED to help it succeed...
okay, so the right is using the same techniques against Michelle that were used against Hillary...Bill CLinton has been trying to convince people of this for two years! NOW we're supposed to say oh poor Michaelle or Borack Obama??? I'm more concerned that these techniques are being USED...PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!