Starvin’ Like Marvin In the Vegetable Garden

March 21, 2009

Starvin’ Like Marvin In the Vegetable Garden

I swear, Michelle and Barack take up more initiatives, ideas and causes that it leaves my head spinning trying to keep up. It seems just five minutes ago I was chatting about Michelle honoring Women’s History Month, before that she and Robin Roberts were comparing who’s taller and now she’s planting a vegetable garden to encourage healthier eating. When does this woman sleep? When does Barack sleep? Between the press, the town halls, the press, the Congress, the press, the galas and events, the press and the usual crisis of the day (which is almost always the economy), it has been a non-stop marathon for those two. (Photo courtesy of the White House via ShoppingBlog)

daniellebelton

Obamarama

25 responses to “Starvin’ Like Marvin In the Vegetable Garden”

sandy williams

March 21, 2009

I agree. They are doing it!; And I like Michelle’s novel ideas on making the white house the people’s home. But it burns me up when people say Barack is doing too much and he should slow down… The man is trying to keep his promises and delivering value added service… Best governing I’ve seen in decades.

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L

March 21, 2009

Since Michelle is having kids come on a regular basis I wonder if Malia and Sasha will help out when the kids are there or if the Kids will ask Michelle can Sasha and Maila come to help

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CareyCarey

March 21, 2009

HelloI am just stopping by to say hello. I am thinking about blogging and found myself at your site. It’s very interesting …very interesting indeed. I believe I found my way here by going through Mizrepresent’s blog

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Chris Chambers

March 21, 2009

Hey, your post title rhymes! 😉

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dukedraven

March 21, 2009

I wish I had their energy. I have fatigue and insomnia and I’m a couch potato for it. How does this woman do it? They’re on speed!

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Andrea

March 21, 2009

This is my favorite iniative so far because it has the most consequential results that can synergize off-shoot initiatives. I thought all the other ideas were one-sided showcases when this one invites the country to replicate the model and then build out from it. It’s a simple idea that is so innovative because of the mere fact that people will follow. They needed something tangible to do that proved collective works.I think the Obamas have to do as much as they can do as political strategy to keep focus on development and social reinvestment while the economy is crumbling. We just got this notice at our Board Debrief that the economy is going to get worse for years. The source was pretty trustworthy and most of the Debrief was about bracing for the economy instead of talking about what happened the past 3 months within the organization since the last Board meeting. The tone was different so I can see that Michelle is really helping in the way of that Eleanor helped her husband’s presidency during the Depression.Besides the standard opposition talking points that they are doing to much, the opposition is just not used to including the common public in wanting to learn how to restructure their lives through ideas hands on. Actually I never saw Dems do it either. So I think they say it reacting to wanting nothing to evolve in potential progress they did not design. This agricultural project is so BIG IDEA. I can see it exploding and connecting to other initiatives.

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mattie

March 21, 2009

These two people are something else!!! they are non stop, they are making up for the SLOTHFULNESS of the BUSH’S, I know LAURA BUSH is some place ashamed, and she should be, I can’t think of a single thing that she did, that was of any substance, when she was the FIRST LADY, but, look at MICHELLE, here she is digging up dirt, she could be laid back in bed, with servant’s waiting on her day in and day out! oh, but, I’m sure at the end of the day, the FIRST LADY has SERVANT’S all around her to assist her with her every need! GOOD! she deserve’s it! L, your comment was meant to be mean, those kid’s were not at the WHITE HOUSE to do SLAVE LABOR!!! and I’m sure MALIA and SASHA take part in the activity’s, MICHELLE invite’s kid’s to the WHITE HOUSE, because children add life and joy! and the OBAMA’S have to keep their two daughter’s out of the camera shot as much as possible!

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Roslyn Holcomb

March 22, 2009

Okay, I love Michelle like a play cousin, but damnit NOBODY dresses like that to garden! She’s giving me a freaking complex!!!

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dukedraven

March 22, 2009

Yeah, I’m now thinking that it’s a photo op. She should be wearing some Farmer John overalls and holding a corn cob pipe.

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Snob Fan fo’ Real

March 22, 2009

Snob, You might want to peep the editorial page of The Economist this week as Michelle is its topic. Without giving away too much, the magazine takes issue with the premise that a woman that smart, with diploma’s from Harvard and Princeton, would REALLY be so taken with just being fashion savvy and gardening. And I have to say, having the pleasure of knowing a few truly driven women in my life with an equal and obvious insatiable desire for knowledge (which a double ivy degree list would testify to I’d say), I think they might be on to something.

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o-nista

March 22, 2009

I love, absolutely love Michelle O. But girlfriend, let’s keep it real. You’re Princeton and Harvard Law (with a fab bit of South Side thrown in). You did the corporate and government law thing, married Barack, had two gorgeous kids. You DON’T do gardens. Or the kitchen. Let’s stop playing to Middle America’s ideal and DO YOU!We need you to rock the U.S. Senate from Illinois in 2010!

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J. Clarence

March 22, 2009

Maybe I’m just a real big cynic, but I don’t see the appeal behind growing a Garden on the White House property, besides trying to make the White House more of a home–which can only be done so far. The kitchen staff is not going to rely on the vegetables, and for the major stately dinners it won’t be near enough. Sure it’s a great photo-opt, but maybe going out to urban areas to discuss how to eat healthier would be more productive and less cute. Still, I agree Michele is keeping herself busy, which is much appreciated. I have no idea what Laura did the past eight years, with the exception on a speech about education, which her husband’s education policy undercut.

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glory

March 22, 2009

The fact that Michelle Obama has double Ivy degrees makes it that much more likely that she would be interested in doing something progressive, like starting a garden with school children to impress upon them the importance of fresh healthy food and doing things yourself. I see this as a nice symbol of teaching through example.Please explain this idea that a highly educated woman would not want to do such a thing. Who says gardening and mothering aren’t "doing her?" Why can’t Michelle actually BE Middle America, instead being accused of PLAYING TO Middle America? What’s she supposed to do, use her husband’s elected office to wrest political power for herself like Hillary Clinton did? Sure, she’s qualified enough to do it, but is it that hard to believe that she may simply not want to? She paid her dues and achieved everything she set her mind to thus far. The whole point in working her ass off was to have her own choices. She, apparently, chooses to take a break from the fast track. It’s HER choice. She earned it.Apparently no matter what she does or wears somebody’s going to have something to nitpick about. I hope she continues to do whatever she wants to do.

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Kelly

March 22, 2009

i just had to post a link to this picture. Look at how CUTE Sasha is! That baby has a face from the gods!http://community.livejournal.com/obama_daily/199466.html

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willet784

March 22, 2009

@ Glory: Thank you so much for expressing what I wanted to say. It’s like women can’t ever win. Hillary was accused of, rightly or wrongly, of wanting power and not knowing her role as the FLOTUS, which is to be a hostess. And now people are saying an educated woman like Michelle Obama shouldn’t have so much fun being a hostess. I don’t know what people expect. The First Lady is supposed to complement the President and not use his role to enhance her own political ambitions. As Laura Bush said, the FLOTUS is not an elected position. Your job is to be second fiddle because you weren’t elected. And to some extent I think that is true. There are more ways to demonstrate power. Michelle is doing what she and her husband discussed should be her role which is to campaign for military families and be Mom-in-Chief. She’s highlighting an important issue which obesity and the role of community gardens in combating that. She gets press for wearing dresses. Now schools and neighborhoods will use her example to start a garden of her own. I don’t understand why she has to be legislating in order to be truly in a position of power. Also, she going around congratulating the government workers. On another blog someone mentioned that doing that was genius b/c for so long Repubs have been demonizing government workers and Dubya defunded all the gov’t programs. By congratulating the workers, and funding them, especially the EPA and FDA, she’s highlighting to the public the important job gov’t workers do and how they are important–not just lazy people who do nothing. Furthermore, I think it’s wonderful that white Americans will see a black woman as a stereotypical Donna Reed type of mother to her black children b/c that’s not the image they usual get of black women. Michelle’s mother alternatively worked and stayed home so this role is something Michelle is used to. Before the whole Blair House thing, I liked Laura Bush –her shtick used to be women in Afghanistan and education–and after her husband messed up both, she rightfully sat down and shut up b/c there was nothing she could do when her husband messed everything up. I still think that Mrs. Laura Bush could have run the country better than her husband b/c even when she had that plastic smile on her face, you saw her brain working, you saw that she did not want her husband’s idiocy to rub off on her…And I admire her for being that forbearing and not bludgeon her husband in public like she looked like she wanted to 75% of the time.

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tia

March 22, 2009

Some of you all are making it sound like she’s sitting around and eating bon bons all day. Michelle is working dam hard. She bringing Kids into the White House, speaking to them, going to schools, etc etc. She has consistently said she does not want to go into politics. Man this woman cannot win for losing.

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mattie

March 22, 2009

Thank God, finally a BLACK WEBSITE that will allow you to SPEAK! what’s wrong with constructive criticism, if I say I don’t like the dress the FIRST LADY is wearing, that is not beating up on her, yes, we have a AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRST LADY, but, do we have to like every single outfit she wear’s! yes, i love MICHELLE and I want her to shine as pure GOLD as the FIRST LADY! and her light is shining, when I see her on TV, I still can’t believe she is the FIRST LADY.MICHELLE may be a well educated woman, but, she is not disconnected from the people, she can flow either way, and that outfit she had on was very fashionable, I liked her boot’s and I’m sure woman are on the internet, trying to find that exact out fit! to be honest, I get on the computer every day to see what the FIRST LADY is wearing, (smile), and other people do it as well ! go over to HUFFINGTON POST!

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dukedraven

March 22, 2009

Willett784, you’re right. Wives shouldn’t let their husband’s idiocy rub off on them, and they shouldn’t bludgeon them in public. They should do that behind closed doors. Those are excellent words to live by, ladies.

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Dee

March 22, 2009

I love Mrs. O lawd knows I do but we know good and well Michelle LaVaugn Robinson ain’t into no damn gardening. 1st off look at what she’s wearing, she did not show up to sweat or get dirty, and unless a camera is there she won’t be touching that ground lol. I’m not mad at her though, shee rockin this1st lady gig and doing it in style.

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Dee

March 22, 2009

I just checked out the Economist web site, and I have to say I wish these illustrators would stop drawing Michelle like so crazy angry looking woman

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Christina

March 22, 2009

On another blog I follow, some folks were talking about how she wasn’t dressed to garden. This just seems to be a no-duh moment for me – the garden is going to be an acre large. Of course she’s not going to be the one digging it up. Of course she won’t be the person primarily maintaining it. When people have groundbreakings for new skyscrapers, do they say to the officials there for the ceremony, "hey, why aren’t you wearing construction clothes?" No, they don’t.This was a photo op, Michelle and the kids all worked for about 15 minutes and then had treats from the White House kitchen. That’s all it was. She was dressed perfectly appropriately for that. But I also don’t understand why being an Ivy league grad means you can’t like gardening. Is she supposed to be too good for it or something?

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Alsace

March 22, 2009

willet784: I still think that Mrs. Laura Bush could have run the country better than her husband b/c even when she had that plastic smile on her face, you saw her brain working, you saw that she did not want her husband’s idiocy to rub off on her…And I admire her for being that forbearing and not bludgeon her husband in public like she looked like she wanted to 75% of the time.This is the best comment I’ve read on any blog, ever!

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Danielle Belton

March 22, 2009

@ AllMichelle’s gardening outfit for the photo op made me thing of Mama Snob and how she would tease her hair, and wear three inch heels to bring me my hat and gloves when I forgot them back in elementary school. She’s presently at that grand age where you can dress however you like because you don’t give a good dang doodle anymore, but when she was younger you’d think she was prepped for papparazzi EVERY TIME we went out!RE: My mom totally would have rocked Michelle’s outfit for a garden photo shoot, only her boots would have been knee high and brown to match her favorite "Coats and Things" based ensemble. I swear, I don’t know how she found the energy to be a glamorpuss with three daughters and a husband who required constant "man maintenance." My parents had a "traditional" marriage despite the fact that both, politically, are feminists. But, both believe feminism is about having choices and I tend to agree as that was what I was raised on.I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that Barack and Michelle may have a similar view, where you can be an Ivy League lawyer and work in your community while also dabbling in the many "womanly arts." You wouldn’t know it by looking at my smiley faced mother, but she’s a borderline militant. (It wasn’t my dad who encouraged me to read "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" at 13! Or to watch the entire "Eyes on the Prize" miniseries marathon on PBS.) I was raised in a world where you could be labeled as a "militant parent" by the school district for demanding "crazy" things like making sure parents saw children’s homework and grades weekly, but walk around looking like Valerie Jarrett and have a college degree and talent, but choosing to stay at home with your daughters.Women can do many things and have so many options today. It doesn’t surprise me that Michelle is doing a little of everything from playing hostess, to talking to various government agencies and state departments, to kicking off her own initiatives while fielding questions about clothes and women’s rights. As I said in the post, the woman (and her hubby) are DOING IT ALL, at once. They make me tired just looking at them!

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Bahiyah Shabazz

March 22, 2009

I am extremely proud of the couple. I enjoy reading about their contributions and public engagements.

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Mad Professah

March 26, 2009

The boots! LOVE THOSE BOOTS!!

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