OBAMA WATCH: ST MICHELL????

Sunday, March 30, 2008

ST MICHELL????

Michelle Obama’s halo
Submitted by John Jones on Wed, 2008-02-13 20:30.Barack Obama | Photography | politics | visual analysis

Timothy Noah at Slate has been keeping an eye out for evidence that Barack Obama is, in fact, the Son of God. In his latest post, he linked to this picture of Michelle Obama from Reuters:

Michelle Obama's halo

According to Noah, the framing and Obama’s posture suggest a passing resemblance to this woman:

Mary with halo

Despite how Ms. Obama photographs, according to Noah, she keeps her husband down to earth.

In the Feb. 13 Financial Times, Edward Luce suggests that the candidate's Sancha Panza of a wife, Michelle Obama, keeps her man from developing a Messiah complex, and scolds this column for not recognizing that. Actually, I never suggested Obama had a Messiah complex (though others have). I merely suggested that a few excitable souls in the media bear the apparant conviction that Obama is the Redeemer.

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I don't get it
Submitted by mkhaupt on Thu, 2008-02-14 11:04.

Noah at Slate draws a parallel between the Virgin Mary and Michelle Obama? So, Barack "Jesus Christ" Obama is in an incestuous relationship with his virgin mother? I smell fallacy.
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Fallacies
Submitted by John Jones on Fri, 2008-02-15 11:04.

Melanie,

Though I suspect your comment is a bit tongue-in-cheek, I think Noah is pointing out that some members of the media have had a tendency to depict Obama in a somewhat saintly light, not trying to build a coherent theology around the man.

Here’s my question: has anyone taken any similar photos of Clinton?
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That photograph is so
Submitted by timturner on Fri, 2008-02-15 11:45.

That photograph is so remarkable. I don't think they could have done a better job than if they'd staged it. Everything is so perfect...even down to the weirdly draped sleeves of her clothing (OK, otherwise they wouldn't seem weird, but this context makes them seem funny!). It may seem unfair or fallacious, but surely the person who snapped this photo was aware of its fortuitous iconographic potential. Whether this is evidence of support or detraction is more debatable.

It's also interesting to think about in terms of gender. The parallel with the Virgin Mary goes beyond the Halo: there is also the way her hands are clasped, the way her face is tilted, the look on her face. She does look like she is waiting for something to come--something from above, as indicated by her upturned face. To me it plays into a narrative about Michelle Obama exemplified in this recent NYT article about what an asset she has been on the campaign trail--and for "asset" read "supportive wife." The article is about how she is very helpful and persuasive, but also about how she retains her individuality and doesn't always tow the party line (witness her recent reluctance so say straight up whether she would support Clinton in the general).

Oh, to be the wife of a candidate: this photograph may be an extreme example, but nonetheless there is a role waiting for her, and everyone is anxious to know whether she will play along. (The red garment she is wearing has something to do with this: click here for a series of posts about first ladies and the color red).

(And to answer John's question about Hillary: absolutely not. In fact, I suspect the photogs are looking for the opposite; witness the dustup about a very unflattering photo of her recently prominently displayed on the Drudge report. That photo, too, had everything to do with gender.)

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

This will go to the following congressional recipients:
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

On April 15, the House of Representatives debated a motion to recommit H.R. 5719 (Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act) to committee with instructions to add language that would deny tax subsidies to states and localities that declare themselves sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. The motion failed due to a tie vote.

Had the motion passed, states and cities that practice "sanctuary" policies to protect illegal aliens would have faced pressure to start enforcing the law.

Your representative was the deciding vote. By voting "Nay," he/she doomed the motion to failure.

Click here to learn more about sanctuary policies.

Please remember to personalize your fax by using our edit feature or adding a P.S. at the end.

More Background:

Wally Herger (R-Calif.) issued the Motion to Recommit (to committee) with instructions to prohibit tax subsidies to states and localities that declare themselves sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. Here is his floor speech:

Madam Speaker, Federal law requires local governments to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Local law enforcement authorities may turn over individuals who have been apprehended if the police believe they are not legally present in the United States.

Unfortunately, many local governments flaunt this requirement and openly boast that they refuse to cooperate with the Federal Government in helping to enforce our immigration laws establishing an irresponsible precedent and frustrating our shared goal of having safe and secure borders.

As you know, taxpayers all across the country subsidize local governments through a provision of Federal law that permits States and localities to issue debt that is exempt from Federal taxes. The motion presents the Members of Congress with a simple question: Is it reasonable to put some strings on this subsidy?

If adopted, the motion would clarify that the Federal tax subsidy does not apply to new debt issued by States or localities that declare themselves by statute or other manner to be a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. In other words, having self-helped themselves out of helping the Federal Government address the growing burden of illegal immigrants, then they should not expect American taxpayers to subsidize their debt.

Madam Speaker, on April 15, we are reminded again about the many Americans who are playing by the rules, yet still feel the squeeze on their family budgets, particularly at tax time. Isn't it only fair that we ask our city mayors and county boards to do the same?

....Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this motion to recommit. While I am greatly concerned about the message sent by the underlying bill that somehow we are going to take away an effective tool to ensure we all pay our fair share of taxes, this motion helps correct that wrong-headed tilt by trying to prevent tax benefits from going to illegal aliens and cities and States who shelter them from our immigration laws.

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