Michelle is a Better Dancer...

Michelle Obama gets jiggy on Ellen. She so fab.

Future First Family.

Like Snob, I too, will never get tired of looking at this family. She has a million and one pics of them from last night. Go look. And is it just me, or is Malia the world's tallest ten-year-old? She's gotta be about 5 feet tall -- she comes up to her father's shoulder. Those girls are from a genetic goldmine; they got the best of both of their parents.

An Emotional Election.

[Picture borrowed from the lovely and hilarious Black Snob. She keeps us swimming in Obama family photos.] Is it just me, or is this the most tear-inducing presidential election ever? I've cried or come close to it soooo many times since Iowa, I'm a little ashamed of myself. Between Barack's amazing speeches (to which I've become somewhat immune, though I'm sure I'll need a box of tissues on Thursday) and the gorgeous Obama family, I'm often a pathetic, weepy, mess. The speeches from last night were no exception. And I know it's not just me. It's also my friends. And I would say maybe it's just because black folks are so durn proud of the Obamas that we can't help ourselves, but it ain't just us. My Puerto Rican-Jewish coworker said his wife (who's white) was crying by the end Michelle's speech too. What got me while Michelle was speaking was the moment when her eyes started to shine and you could hear in her voice that even she was close to tears. I'm not complaining, mind you. It's good to feel something about the political process, just as it's important pay attention to the actual issues. I just wanna know, did people cry when FDR was running for president? Did people tear up at the sight of Nancy Reagan on stage? In other news, I posted a round-up of reactions to Michelle's speech on PB, and I somehow managed to keep my hormones out of it.

Ok, I'm Sorry About This.

But I love this wedding picture of Michelle and Barack. I'd love it even if it weren't them, though. It's so laid back, which is a rarity for a wedding portrait. According to People, this is on their mantle at home. Straight chillin' with the shoes off. Love my people. .

Why I'm Done Talking About Barack Obama...

... that is, until he gets into office and starts doing things that piss me off. From Time Magazine (via Daily Kos).

Oh, let's just admit it: John McCain is a long shot. He's got a heroic personal story, and being white has never hurt a presidential candidate, but on paper 2008 just doesn't look like his year. And considering what's happening off paper, it might be time to ask the question the horse-race-loving media are never supposed to ask: Is McCain a no-shot?

Yes. Hillary was the one to beat (remember her?). Now it's Barack's race to lose. It doesn't matter how many thousands of hours CNN and MSNBC waste, trying to prove that John McCain has more than a shot. They want to keep us tuned in. If you follow the numbers, you'll see the horse race is just not that close. Unless you're talking red states, which, of course, is particularly bad for McCain. So Barack will win, because he rocks, and because McCain is everything that's wrong with this country — an old white warhawk. Note: Despite rocking, Obama's made some poor choices (well, smart choices, I guess) that are not exactly favorable with his thinking base. I'm talking about people like me who support him — with words and wallet — but aren't expecting him to walk on water. It's up to us to hold him accountable. We know he's gonna win, so let's worry less about defending him from the press and the GOP, and more about making sure he represents what we want. Anyway, at this point, the Obama I'm interested in is Michelle. I suspect she might effect more change than Barack will when it comes to race. Not through specific actions, but by simply being an around-the-way girl who's rising into the upper echelon of American political life with grace, class, and a strong presence. (JJP documents some recent positive articles on Michelle.)

Live-Blogging Boule

Michelle Obama has accepted honorary membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Update: as you can imagine, I was really excited when I sent off this post (blogging via Blackberry is dangerous, y'all). But here's what actually went down. At the Public Meeting, our Centennial International President Barbara McKinzie announced that Sen. Obama received an award -- the Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion of Honor. Barack wasn't able to attend, so he wrote a letter, which she read to the room. In it, he thanked the sorority for the award, and then said something to the effect of, "and Michelle is honored to have been selected as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha." And the room went wild. If you know me, or have read this blog for some time, you'll know that I adore Michelle. She's the one who brought me to Barack. And not to get all corny and vomit-inducing on ya, but she is, to me, everything a woman (and an AKA, by extension) can be.

Michelle Obama on 'The View'

The Obama campaign posted this pretty quickly.

No, not 'Whitey.'

This article on The Root kind of sums up why the whole Michelle Obama saying "whitey" in the pulpit just sounded totally fabricated to me. I don't know any black people who use the word "whitey." It's the kind of insult a white person would make up, not knowing anything about how black people speak. The author, Kim McLarin, writes:

The campaign of Barack Obama has had to rebut, not once but several times, the wild rumors that his wife Michelle used an insulting term for white people while railing from the pulpit of Trinity United Church in Chicago. His campaign has had to set up a website to refute the charge, and Obama himself has had to chastise mainstream reporters for spreading the lie.

What he hasn't done—because he cannot if he wants to win the presidency—is roll out the clearest and most obvious knockdown of Whiteygate. Namely this: "When the hell was the last time you heard a black person call somebody 'whitey?'

I may still be on my Malcolm X kick, but I think 'ofay' is much more likely and effective (with the added benefit of actually sounding pseudo-African).

The Michelle Obama Watch

It's no secret that I am a fan of Michelle Obama. She was the one who made me sit up and take notice of Barack Obama's campaign. Before she caught my attention, I thought he was little more than the Democrats' flavor of the month. But she's getting vilified in the press, and by people who don't like it when a black woman speaks her mind. Hillary's supporters complain about sexism, but Michelle gets the short end of the stick when it comes to sexism and racism. There's now a blog which records all attacks on Michelle. The Michelle Obama Watch. H/T TooSense.

This can go one of two ways.

Way One: I can respond to Fox's use of the term 'baby mama' in reference to Michelle Obama calmly. Way Two: I can get really, really angry. I'm leaning toward Way Two.

CNN Ruins Everything

Remember how I said I don't like CNN? This is why. In one of their annoying Jeannie Moos videos (which are supposed to be funny, and possibly are, to white people over the age of 50), they tackle the 'fist bump' shared by Barack and Michelle in St. Paul on Tuesday. First off, it's not called a fist bump. That's lame. It's a pound, which falls under the category of dap. And the one thing CNN's cute little video fails to mention, is the black origins of said dap. You'd think they would, considering it was two black people sharing a pound who got all this started. The video hinted that baseball was involved in the evolution of the pound, but... come on. As Ta-Nehisi writes, something can be both black, and mainstream.

"The most interesting, and quite common, response has been "well I'm white as hell and I do the fist-bump with my wife, so it can't be that black." To me that response says more about the speaker--and race in this country--than about any measure of "blackness." It has as its unspoken premise that black is something that's stagnant, mutually exclusive to itself, and incapable of existing alongside other qualities. [...] The fact that you're in Wisconsin somewhere performing an ritual that was perfected on the South Side of Chicago probably means that it's mainstream. But that doesn't mean it didn't come from the South Side. Both are true at the same time."

It's amazing that even a little presidential nominee pound can open up discussions about race. I suspect CNN avoided the black thing purposely, because there's still some desire to paint Barack as post-racial.

michelle obama is my new bicycle

I know I'm mad late on this, but since I'm sure someone out there hasn't caught on to Barack Obama is Your New Bicycle and it's spin-off, Michelle Obama is Your New Bicycle, (and because I don't have time for a real post today) I present: five of my favorite quotes on MOIYNB. Go visit, and click through, 'cuz there are lots more, some funny, some poignant, all brilliant.

Who is Michelle Obama?

Interesting feature on Michelle Obama.

She realizes not everyone finds her jokes funny, but doesn't seem all that interested in curbing her tongue. "Somehow I've been caricatured as this emasculating wife," she tells NEWSWEEK. "Barack and I laugh about that. It's just sort of, like, do you think anyone could emasculate Barack Obama? Really now."