From the East Wing

In the midst of all that Congressional noise of our legislators debating gun safety measures came the sane voice of the lady down the street--the First Lady, that is.  Here's what Michelle Obama said yesterday at a luncheon in Chicago:

"We can't stop all of the violence in the world, but if there is even one thing we can do, even one step we can take to save another child or another parent from the grief that's visited families like Hadiya's, and so many others here today, then don't we have an obligation to try?"

She's right.  Saving lives is the bottom line, however small the step might seem.  All of the other arguments we hear, particularly those of second amendment rights, simply don't rise to this level of moral import.

She's right.  We have an obligation to try.

Honor Thy Blue-Collar Parents

For all of you working-class parents out there, it's your time to shine.  And the poorer you are, the better.  At least this is the message I take from both parties' political conventions.  Speakers are knocking themselves out to boast the humblest, most self-sacrificing parent on earth:

Ann Romney's father started working at 6 years old cleaning bottles in a small village in Wales.

Mitt Romney's father, born in Mexico, began as a carpenter.

Marco Rubio's father was a bartender, and his mother worked the overnight shift at K-Mart.

Paul Ryan's mother rode 40 miles on a bus each morning to earn a college degree.

Chris Christie's father grew up in poverty and worked at the Breyer's Ice Cream factory.

Michelle Obama's father was a pump operator at the city water plant.

Elizabeth Warren's father was a maintenance man, and her mother answered phones for Sears.

All of these people have in common the gift of unconditional love for their children, a good thing of course.  But you gotta wonder.  When did parents become so fashionable?  You didn't used to acknowledge even having parents, let alone brag about them--especially if they toiled away in low-paying jobs.

Blue-collar parents are cool, I guess, especially if you turned out OK.  If you didn't, well never mind, you won't make it to a speaker's podium anyway.  Besides, with all of the money flowing through these two campaigns' coffers, you won't matter a whole heck of a lot. 

Talk is cheap, after all.  Isn't that what Paul Ryan's father used to say?*

(*Actually he used to say, "You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution"--but who cares about facts?)

Liberty Central's Olive Branch

Just when the stories of bizarre behavior of political candidates seem to have crested, along comes the news of Virginia Thomas contacting Anita Hill for an apology. Readers’ opinions expressed on the internet are as varied and as strange as the story itself. But make no mistake: anyone who thinks that Ms. Thomas’s action is personal and not political is naïve.

When Anita Hill testified in 1991 against Clarence Thomas—current Supreme Court Justice and husband of Virginia Thomas—three main undercurrents in American culture came out from hiding. The ugliness of race, gender, and power intersecting with sexual harassment could not be denied. Whether or not you believed Anita Hill’s testimony at the time, the tension was as real as it gets.

Fast forward to 2010, when a black man sits at the top. Those of us who are white and accustomed to people of color tipping their hats to us and saying, “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir,” are now on the other side of the hat. Our troops salute a black man, and our fashion magazines highlight a black woman.

Anyone who thinks that the current rage among Tea Partyers and other angry Americans isn’t driven by this race reversal is naïve.

Virginia Thomas, the founder of a new conservative, activist group called Liberty Central, knows what she’s doing. Married herself to a black, powerful man and an experienced politico in her own right, she commands all of the necessary tools to exploit the racial tension that lies at the heart of America—and that lies at the heart of this November’s election. Digging up Anita Hill, under the guise of an “olive branch,” was a brilliant move.

There’s a war going on. And it’s not just in Afghanistan. It’s right here in America, on the internet, on FOX news, and on talk radio. It’s as obvious as Republican candidate Sharron Angle telling a classroom of Hispanic children in Las Vegas that “Some of you look a little more Asian to me” or as subtle as Ginni Thomas leaving a voicemail message that says, “O. K., have a good day.”

Anyone who thinks that this war is going away any time soon is naïve.

First Lady Rising

Michelle Obama took on the giants of the food industry last week, as she continued her efforts to eradicate childhood obesity. In speaking to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, she told representatives of some of the leading junk food generators that there “needs to be a serious industry-wide commitment to providing the healthier foods parents are looking for at prices they can afford.''

Good for her. It’s time that someone of prominence assumed the lead in tackling one of the most serious health challenges we face.

And she’s going about it in the right way. Last month she launched “Let’s Move,” a comprehensive approach that addresses the problem at many levels and amasses the support of both public and private agencies.

“Let’s Move” brings to mind the efforts of Lady Bird Johnson, whose name became synonymous with “Keep America Beautiful.” Though Mrs. Johnson’s efforts began as a project to beautify areas around the White House and along the mall, she quickly expanded her mission to include urban renewal and environmental preservation. Her agenda focused on national forests and parks, air pollution regulation, and beautification of highways. The bursts of floral color we see in the spring and summer along many of our interstates derive from Mrs. Johnson’s vision.

Her multi-faceted campaign wasn’t free from controversy, however. When she supported an act to restrict roadside billboard advertising and remove junkyard eyesores from the landscape—concepts now widely endorsed in many communities—she was ridiculed and opposed by strong unions and lobbyists.

Michelle Obama will no doubt encounter similar resistance. But like Mrs. Johnson, she’s tough. And she’s not shying away from the complexity of the challenge before her.

Most of us today wouldn’t dream of throwing trash out our car windows. This wasn’t always the case. Thanks to Mrs. Johnson and her support of “Keep America Beautiful,” none of us wanted to be litter bugs.

Perhaps some day, owing to Michelle Obama’s foresight and leadership, most of us won’t want a super-sized soda or a fat-laden burger either.