Social Justice and the First Lady

Away from the cameras, the Michelle Obama is reaching out to DC's poor and neglected

By Eleanor Clift | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jul 3, 2009 | Updated: 2:32  p.m. ET Jul 3, 2009

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  • Posted By: nooneinparticular @ 07/17/2009 7:39:23 PM

    If Michelle Obama really wants to champion the poor, sick and indigent, she would do well to refuse any more expensive shopping trips, sightseeing trips and married couple dates on the American citizens taxpaying dime. I applaud her efforts, but am left with a sour taste in my mouth every time I hear she spent millions of taxpayers' dollars flying here and there to take her girls shopping and sightseeing or spending the night on the town with her husband.. If she and her husband paid out of their own pocket for the use of the air force one jet, secret service, military escorts etc. then I have no problem. I also fail to see how charity is so close to her heart when spends thousands of dollars on a dress when that money would be better spent doing her charity work. Oh by the way I feel that way about any presidential family that has done that or any congressperson or senator, and state governor, or rich person celebrity or not for that matter.

  • Posted By: KathyMc @ 07/09/2009 10:56:18 AM

    Thanks to the women of N Street Village for sharing their stories that demonstrate what can happen when an organization encourages women to believe in their own strengths and to follow the dreams they so deserve to achieve. These types of organizations cost effectively bring about the changes we need. Now is the time for our country to support non-profits who do so much with so little because of the commitment of those who choose to work in these organizations. Thank-you!

  • Posted By: KathyMc @ 07/09/2009 10:41:04 AM

    Many thanks to all the women of N Street Village and the staff who supports them as they show themselves and the world what individuals can do when they believe in themselves and make a commitment to a better future. They are inspiration for all of us and I thank Ms. Clift for telling the N street Village story.

  • Posted By: a brighter America 08 @ 07/08/2009 5:57:59 PM

    My, my! All of you who are so critical of the poor, the mentally ill, the disadvantaged, and the disabled, to you I say: "There, but for the grace of God go you". Let's hope you "better-than" the above folks never end up poor, mentally ill, disadvantaged, and disabled because you, too, will need the help of others in one way or another. Michelle is doing a job that the rest of you don't even think of doing because YOU are "comfortable" and have the attitude of, "the heck with the rest of the world". Jesus HELPED the poor. Are you all better than Jesus? Like I said, I hope YOU never come to the point where you do because there will be other then that will have the same attitude YOU now have! And, they too, will look down on you!! I feel sorry for you....for but for the grace of God there go YOU!!

  • Posted By: a brighter America 08 @ 07/08/2009 5:49:54 PM

    My, my! All of you who are so critical of the poor, the mentally ill, the disadvantaged, and the disabled, to you I say: "There, but for the grace of God go you". Let's hope you "better-than" the above folks never end up poor, mentally ill, disadvantaged, and disabled because you, too, will need the help of others in one way or another. Michelle is doing a job that the rest of you don't even think of doing because YOU are "comfortable" and have the attitude of, "the heck with the rest of the world". Jesus HELPED the poor. Are you all better than Jesus? Like I said, I hope YOU never come to the point where you do because there will be other then that will have the same attitude YOU now have! And, they too, will look down on you!! I feel sorry for you....for but for the grace of God there go YOU!!

  • Posted By: concerned liberal @ 07/07/2009 10:07:22 AM

    Social Justice is just another way of saying that if you were born, the rest of us , no matter how much more we toiled to survive and prosper than those deserving of that "justice", are OWED something, as opposed to having EARNED anything!

    Just another way of saying that there are those who feel that their personally percieved enlightenment rises above the wishes of the majority or the requirement of having to SOW before you REAP!

  • Posted By: Gungus @ 07/03/2009 5:24:23 PM

    Bullcrap!!!!! Michelle Obama is no more a caring person than her no good communist husband. If you are not black and if you do not have money, she does not even want to see you. I am sick and tired of hearing the bullcrap that she cares about people. You Liberal idiots are all alike. I did not vote the fool into office, you foolish nuts did. I agree with Rush and Mike Savage. Obama is a Neo Marxists ready to spread communism around the country. He is also an Islamic Muslim.

    • Posted By: Apolitical @ 07/03/2009 6:23:26 PM

      If Limbaugh and Savage is your source of opinion and inspiration, then there is no hope for you Gungus. As the old adage says: Idiots just learn plain idiocy from another idiot.

      • Posted By: paproudmom @ 07/06/2009 3:09:21 PM

        With your lack of knowledge on what Laura Bush did to help the poor I wonder if you ever read anything?

  • Posted By: mk162 @ 07/04/2009 11:47:59 AM

    Funny, Michele should have told her husband not to cancel the DC voucher programs that allow the poorest kids a chance at success by attending private schools. It's much better than the pathway to failure through DC horrible public school system. But, if you want to see what effect Obama's legislation has on public schools, just look back at the under-performing Chicago schools.

    Photo ops, gotta love 'em.

    • Posted By: paproudmom @ 07/06/2009 3:08:08 PM

      That thought (about the voucher programs) ran through my mind as well. Talk about under cutting the poor.

  • Posted By: Apolitical @ 07/04/2009 4:25:08 PM

    Michelle Obama, unlike Laura Bush whose stay cocooned inside the White House, have been visiting DC poor sections, mixing with the ordinary WH helps and staff. She gave up a top level and high paying job to engage in social service work. For the neo-cons, understandbly they can't relate to this. They are one with Bush hobnobing with the corporate raiders and giving no bid contracts to his already rich cronies.

    • Posted By: paproudmom @ 07/06/2009 3:06:23 PM

      You obviously do not know what Laura Bush did or did not do from your comments. Laura Bush did much to help the poor slhe just did not make it into photo ops. Gee I wonder what that expensive date to NYC that the Obama's took to NYC could have funded instead. Talk about self indulgent.

  • Posted By: arachne 646 @ 07/06/2009 1:47:57 PM

    Reaganomics started cutting programs that held the mentally ill in a huge institution that could not treat them Now we have medications and other treatments so that they can work and live with certain aids, with is much cheaper than prison, jail or sanatorium, isn't that what we pay taxed for? To give people who need it, aid to participate in our working world. It won't happen for ill people tossing psych prescriptions out of Drl;s windows, and it won't happen without rehab programs that are available, and that work. It costs money at first, but some of the tax money the rich used to pay before Rebublican tax cuts should take care of it easily. The dividend is lively, xorking Americans.

    • Posted By: paproudmom @ 07/06/2009 3:00:25 PM

      Actually Kennedy started the process not Reagan.

  • Posted By: sixpaq45 @ 07/04/2009 7:17:48 PM

    Everyone deserves to be happy, live life to the fullest, and conquer life's challenges. Michelle Obama is continuing what she has already done for years, without publicity. Great job Mrs. Obama, keep up the good work!!!
    God has and will richly Bless Mrs. Obama for taking care of his children. We are all of God's children and until we recognize that, nothing good will come out of it.

    • Posted By: bahanson @ 07/06/2009 8:43:57 AM

      No body "deserves" such things. You only deserve that which you've earned through ideas, skills, and work. If these people have no ideas, skills, or products, they are recieving social justice. Everything is is charity, and charity isn't earned or deserved.

      • Posted By: arachne 646 @ 07/06/2009 2:26:00 PM

        No one in society deserves to be taken care of? There are lots of Veterans homeless on the streets of our Country. How about men and women with schizophrenia--born in 1950, hospitalized around '68, she was discharged in 1988. I guess she doesn't have the go-getter attitude to get off the streets. Probably likes it the. Only been raped twice, that she can remember. There have been times that she had a job and a room. Something happens...

  • Posted By: conlawprize @ 07/04/2009 10:10:55 AM

    i hate the word social justice. would sometime please explain to me what it means before they use it every third sentence?

    • Posted By: arachne 646 @ 07/06/2009 2:12:47 PM

      Social Justice is a term derived from some N American Protestant church philosophy, especially during the great depression, that started looking at the way society wasy constructed, with the rich having so much money and power, including control of the legal system, and there were so many, many poor people who had nothing. This is what the Old Testament Prophets preached against in Israel: God wants everyone to have a fair chance, and he has a particular care for the poor. So Social Justice is not just a religious idea, but the idea that we should all start out at the same spot if we're going to run a race. It's not fair to compare someone with a disability to the usual worker, unless the office has designs for accomodating her needs. It's not written down, so can't be measured, more like the innocent children's notion of "that's not fair",but it's necessary to be able to see where both sides are, and listen

    • Posted By: bahanson @ 07/06/2009 9:08:49 AM

      T o me it means if you put nothing in, you get nothing out. To most of these people, it means the sick, lame, and lazy are entitled to your money, and government needs to get it to them. You can dress it up all you want, that's what it is. The shame is most of the "social justice" crowd thinks that "society" and "government" are synonymous. Thereby justifying taking from you by force to give to the needy. I donated more to charity than Biden last year(On E-6 salary), because I think it's my duty as a Christian to help people. Liberals think along the same lines, but they don't do it with their money, they do it with yours. It's a "moral imperative" that justifes theft.

  • Posted By: Vegas Shopper @ 07/04/2009 9:57:12 AM

    Love MIchelle Obama or hate her, but use her celebrity to shine a light on a situation that should be our nation's shame. The dire poverty that exists within sight of the White House and the Capitol.

    • Posted By: bahanson @ 07/06/2009 9:01:38 AM

      Poverty will always exist. If every man woman and child had a million dollars, the new poverty line would be at a million dollars. This is how economics works. In addition, most of the pre-recession homeless are they way because they gave up trying to contribute to society, or had nothing to offer in the first place. For it to be a shared shame is ludicrous. They are responsible for their own well being; not me.

  • Posted By: chumley41 @ 07/06/2009 6:56:07 AM

    Michelle O. is truly the 1st.lady. What an example of elegance,caring and beauty. Mr. President, you are one lucky dude (excuse me, I got carried away thinking of Michelle)

    Chip - Sarasota

  • Posted By: The Messiah @ 07/05/2009 3:14:12 PM

    Did Mrs. Bimbo buy a round of KFC for everyone in DC on tax payer money? It would be cheaper than the $10,000 Bama Burgers she sneaks out for when KFC won't deliver to a bad neighborhood like the White House.

  • Posted By: Ethan30 @ 07/03/2009 6:46:06 PM

    I don't remember a president and first lady that were so obsessed with being seen, interviewed, having PR staff members around the clock and TV coverage as these couple.

    Michelle Obama is everywhere. She's on TV, on magazine covers when I buy my groceries. I keep hearing about them meeting this movie star or that TV actor, about their trips to Paris, NYC and Egypt.

    Francly, it's tiring and vapid. I'd rather watch Angelina Jolie than Michelle Obama doing the PR round. Had she cared so much about charity, Michelle and her husband could have given much more out of their own pocket to various organizations.

    They are millionaiares for many years now, and I haven't seen their charitable giving in any grave manner.

    • Posted By: mac2499ca @ 07/04/2009 1:21:56 AM

      Ethan, how much has George given to various organization? What is George doing now? What is Laura Bush doing now? Answer those question and then critize the Obamas.

      • Posted By: arkay @ 07/05/2009 11:04:06 AM

        She could have said that $300,000 from a non-profit largely governmental funded organization was too much money; instead she grabbed the money while the hospital was laying off staff or she could have spoken out against the Uof C steering poor patients away form its ER to other community hospitals, but I guess that is what a person with real ideals does.

      • Posted By: debbhou6 @ 07/04/2009 2:02:29 PM

        probably enjoying not having to listen to all you statists complaining about evrything that they did. The Bush's were very regular, normal citizens who were loyal to the country unlike the obama's who continually trash this country. Wife obama even said she has never been proud of America until her white (with black heritage husband) became a pres. candidate.

        • Posted By: parkbench @ 07/04/2009 9:03:31 PM

          What are the Bushes doing now? Did you read Mrs. Bush's recent op-ed in the WaPo about Burma? She has stayed heavily involved in that issue for which she is a hero in SE Asia! BTW, the media never covered Mrs. Bush's frequent trips to assist with women's programs in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, focusing on education and health. She made 20 trips to Afghanistan alone.
          Barbara Bush has helped found a health care non-profit that assists women in underserved rural communities in West Texas. That's in addition to her the work that she continues with breast cancer and heart disease charities that she began before she was First Lady. She doesn't just "lend her name" - she actually works as an active member of several boards.
          Both she and Barbara Bush are active in literacy programs that they helped found while they served as First Ladies.
          They did NOT do this for publicity. The Bush family has a long and distinguished record of public service and volunteerism.

          The Obamas? The "charitable" work that they did was as paid staff. "Community organizers" may not get paid much, but they do get paid.

    • Posted By: BOthatSaysItALL @ 07/04/2009 3:27:49 AM

    • Posted By: BOthatSaysItALL @ 07/04/2009 3:26:11 AM

      It's true. All show and glamor but little behind it. Bush helped many troops that were wounded personally. Obama avoided them. Obama's wife also did patient dumping, showing how much she really cared for the people.

  • Posted By: razedbywolveswi @ 07/05/2009 12:52:15 AM

    Interesting to hear Michelle Obama is "touting money in the stimulus bill to build twenty additional exam rooms" for the indigent. I thought all that "emergency" stimulus spending had something to do with the economy and creating jobs, which explains the 10% unemployment rate. It???s nice to know the Obama's intend to take care of everybody who should be gainfully employed by printing more money.

    Back in 2000 to 2004 when Michelle and Barry were making $250,000 a year their charitable giving was less than 1 percent of income, that old compassion monger Joe Biden could only manage a miserable $369 dollars a year for the whole decade. But with your money, well, now we're talking free health care, free educations, and with Barney Frank unplugged free condo's!

    Speaking of failed social policies, wasn't it all those Great Society programs that destroyed the black family in the first place and created that world Michelle has worked so hard to avoid?

  • Posted By: wilsan @ 07/05/2009 12:33:04 AM

    My oh my... Here is more Obama Public Relations paid for by Newsweak tabloid.

    This is "Journalism"?

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