First Ladies of the USA - time for some civillity, folks.

[Mertex]

Jackie Kennedy might have been the mainstream's ideal wife simply because she conveniently ignored her husband's serial and perhaps criminal infidelity. The media was fully aware of Jack Kennedy's adulterous relationships so Jackie must have known that her husband couldn't keep his fly zipped. It's always open season for the mainstream media to attack republican politicians and their families. President Bush's daughters were targets for left wing investigative reporting and Sara Palin's family was the subject of left wing soap operas but the low information left seems acutely sensitive to the slightest criticism of Hussein Obama's family.

Oh who are you kidding....the right has insulted each and every Democratic President and their family.....what's even worse, the right tries to go and find something to discredit them with and impeach them.....fortunately, their idiotic tactics don't get them anywhere, all they end up doing is spending taxpayer money with their wild goose chases and then they whine and bitch about how much money is being spent.....

I don't think so. Spent taxpayer money was a legitimate concept last time I looked.

You must be in total "denial"......all the money they wasted and continue to waste trying to repeal Obamacare....don't they get it? It won't be passed in the Senate and if it by some miracle it could, Obama would veto it....yet they have wasted time and effort, what 44 times? How much money and effort did they waste on Benghazi? If Democrats were prone to waste money like that they would have gone after Bush and Cheney for 9/11....so, either you want to be petty or just completely want to whitewash what has been going on.
That is not good use of their time and our taxpayer money.

 

[Foxfyre]

If you are going to show your ass and go off topic about mid-term elections when this thread is about First Ladies, you might as well learn some electoral history in the process:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/elect...pared-to-presidential-terms-1855-present.html

I'll go where I like...and I was replying to someone else...now just because you started the whiney thread doesn't mean you are the whiny police of it...so go stick your head up where you keep it stored speaking of asses...and that civility thing you were whining about? yeah that flew out your ass too eh?

Poor Stephanie, she just whines on and whines on and whines on, goes off topic, rants and crys like a four year old. So much anger in her.

Tsk. Tsk.


It is totally entertaining!

Oh, and btw, I go where I like, too. And I will remember to do that with you very often now...

So your OP was targeted at giving respect to women. And you post this? Somehow 'physician heal thyself. . . .' or some such comes to mind.

 

[Mertex]

How much did the Democrats cost taxpayers over Valerie Plame?

Yeah, and that wasn't a waste. Bush and Cheney put her in harm's way....of course they don't care, as long as they get even for whatever was ailing them.

but hey, it's only a waste when it was done to that dear Democrat Billy boy Clinton and now under Obama with investigating the abuse of the IRS

That's a total right-wing myth....none of the conservative organizations were denied tax exemptions.....they just want to continue whining so those that don't know it's just a Faux News lie will continue to believe it.

then we hear wails of, it's a witch hunt, a waste of monies

Yeah, because trying to repeal Obamacare 44 times, knowing it won't get passed is a waste of time and effort....well, maybe they are that dumb and think that somehow the Senate will mess up and pass it, or maybe Obama will have a brain fart and not veto it....

 

[Mertex]

If you're so loved why did you lose the house...THE PURSE...The people wised up there at least because they saw you Democrats were going to BANKRUPT our country so they gave the house to Republicans...TWICE...

Bwahahaha....no, it's because of all the gerrymandering conservatives have been able to do in many states. Our districts now look like puzzle pieces due to the extent conservatives have gone to make sure conservatives get elected in the states.....

 

[Foxfyre]

Well HE claims to be a Democratic strategist and has worked for the Democratic Party--never for the Republicans. Where are you getting your information?

From Schoen's own website


He worked for Evan Bayh's campaign. You want to call him a Republican?

Doug Schoen left the Democratic party with George H.W. Bush's election in 1988. Doug Schoen has not voted for a Democrat since then. Doug Schoen was hired by FOX precisely because he claims to be a Democrat (he was a pollster for Jimmy Carter) but is not. Doug Schoen was the idiot douchebag "Democrat" who wrote the column that Obama should not run for re-election, there is no way he could win.

Douglas Schoen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doug Schoen supported one single Democrat, in 2010, a DINO. Schoen claims to have worked for the Clinton campaign in 2008, but that is a lie. He wrote like 3 documents for her, that was it. Doug Schoen was responsible for (with John McCain's help) forming the PUMAs, claiming that the Hillary Clinton supporters would NOT vote for Obama on election day, but of course, they did. Anybody in my party who knows him knows that he is less than a DINO. And no one in my party even wants to get near him. For this reason, Doug Schoen does the FOX NEWS / NEWSMAX circuit, because other outlets refuse to hire him and FOX can use him as a "Democrat" who can bash the President. It's all a scam. He is making money off of lying about his party affiliation. It's that simple.

yep. Fox can use him as a supposed strong democratic voice in their faux on-show debates. Geez Foxy Murdoch tee vee has you fooled or you were trying to slip one hack post beneath the radar & got busted

Did you actually read the Wiki link provided? This guy is as Democrat as they come--he hasn't left the party though a lot of it has left him. He is the type of Democrat I once strongly supported back in the days when I could be a Democrat with a good conscience, and I too worked for numerous Democratic candidates.

 

[Mertex]

Good thing I don't give negs or this would of been the first.

-Geaux

Geez, you would think that some would be smart enough not to include all the @mentions when they quote the OP.....everyone gets a mention all over again....it's so easy to "click and back space over such a small area"

 

[JakeStarkey]

It's fair too to say that family members should be held to a higher standard since they got their power for free not having to run in, and win an election. The First Lady wields very real power and what she says can absolutely effect public perception and policy. But no one elected her. So certainly targetting her with opposition is just as fair as the President. The kids are off-limits naturally and completely.

As long as the opposition is factual and objective.

A partisan sniper at a person is generally detested by the public.

 

[Pogo]

Good thing I don't give negs or this would of been the first.

-Geaux

Would it of [sic] really?

'Member that time you negged be twice in two hours?

 

[Gracie]

STOP QUOTING!!! Every time someone does, it sends the @ to everyone again!!!!

Geez!

 

[Statistikhengst]

"Walk a mile in my shoes" my fucking ass. Fucking bitch never did anything in her fucking life worthwhile. Free rides all the way.

LMAO...You are a disgrace to the GOP and conservatives. You are a racist, you have no sense of reality, and you embody the idea of white privilege as you complain that a Princeton and Harvard Law graduate has done nothing and took free rides all the way.

I may dislike Barry and Michelle's policies. I dislike Michelle's comments about being proud to be American for the first time. But I will guarantee that Michelle Obama is far more successful than you, your spouse, your mother, your father, your grandfather, your great grandfather...all put together.

But, then again, that's the real issue, isn't it. Black success is your excuse for hate and racism. Because your neighbor GAVE you $1 an hour...you think you worked hard for everything...even though the truth is you probably got that 'job' because your neighbor was giving you a HANDOUT. Doing you or your parents a favor...a free ride.

You are a racist, nothing more...I just want to make sure others don't confuse your racism for conservative thought.

Welcome to USMB, [MENTION=47651]Nutz[/MENTION]!

 

[Statistikhengst]

I'll go where I like...and I was replying to someone else...now just because you started the whiney thread doesn't mean you are the whiny police of it...so go stick your head up where you keep it stored speaking of asses...and that civility thing you were whining about? yeah that flew out your ass too eh?

Poor Stephanie, she just whines on and whines on and whines on, goes off topic, rants and crys like a four year old. So much anger in her.

Tsk. Tsk.


It is totally entertaining!

Oh, and btw, I go where I like, too. And I will remember to do that with you very often now...

So your OP was targeted at giving respect to women. And you post this? Somehow 'physician heal thyself. . . .' or some such comes to mind.

Oh, please.

My disdain for Stephanie has nothing to do with her gender and I did not even mention gender in that posting. YOU did, not me. My disdain is for her despicable behavior.

Care to try again?

 

[Stephanie]

I'll go where I like...and I was replying to someone else...now just because you started the whiney thread doesn't mean you are the whiny police of it...so go stick your head up where you keep it stored speaking of asses...and that civility thing you were whining about? yeah that flew out your ass too eh?

Poor Stephanie, she just whines on and whines on and whines on, goes off topic, rants and crys like a four year old. So much anger in her.

Tsk. Tsk.


It is totally entertaining!

Oh, and btw, I go where I like, too. And I will remember to do that with you very often now...

So your OP was targeted at giving respect to women. And you post this? Somehow 'physician heal thyself. . . .' or some such comes to mind.

he starts threads so he can spit on everyone..he nothing more than a troll really and a devoted Democrat sheep..... and a whiny one at that

 

[Foxfyre]

I must concede. Michelle is pretty elegant and graceful. She puts these other two ladies to shame:

I remember this photograph. Syrenn posted it last year and I was looking at it and wondering why anyone would think the two women on left looked appopriately dressed. They weren't. They look like two high priced hookers coming up the steps of the Georgia Dome. I'm sorry but I have to be honest with you here, Drifting Sand. When it comes to politics? These two wives are a reflection of their husbands and the clothing they select sends a powerful message. ( wrong one )

A daytime outfit with a sleeveless white top and a pink skirt with flats is preferable to what these two have on but I would have selected a nice Jackie O two piece suit for Michele Obama. Still she is sending a far better message then the two on the left! My 2 cents.

- Jeri

Ummm --- that there is a photoshop.

>> A photograph from the latter event has been manipulated (as shown above) to add a figure representing Michelle Obama, making her appear to come off a very distant third in fashion sense with her plain, rumpled skirt contrasting with the shapely and stylish backsides of the two European women. That image is clearly a fabricated one, as Michelle Obama was not present at the Spanish dinner (she was back in Washington, where she participated in the unveiling of a memorial bust of Sojourner Truth), and other newspaper pictures of the same scene do not include her in the position shown (i.e., the Michelle Obama figure was obviously added to the original photograph later) -- see Snopes

You learn a lot about people's legitimacy of reasoning by what they have to make up lies about.

So, would you say that photoshopped photo--and none of us believes it is anything other than a photoshopped photo--was done by a Michelle Obama critic? Or was it done by a Michelle Obama supporter wanting to accuse Republicans or conservatives of that sort of thing? Do you know? Does it matter? Do you think that photo is used more by conservatives to ridicule Michelle Obama? Or is it used more by liberals to denigrate conservatives? Do you know? Does it matter? Who makes up the most lies? Does it matter?

The idea I thought Stat was promoting was a return to civility and some sense of decency in our national culture--at least until he himself started being insulting to others here. But even if he doesn't support his own OP, it was still a good one.

 

[Pogo]

I remember this photograph. Syrenn posted it last year and I was looking at it and wondering why anyone would think the two women on left looked appopriately dressed. They weren't. They look like two high priced hookers coming up the steps of the Georgia Dome. I'm sorry but I have to be honest with you here, Drifting Sand. When it comes to politics? These two wives are a reflection of their husbands and the clothing they select sends a powerful message. ( wrong one )

A daytime outfit with a sleeveless white top and a pink skirt with flats is preferable to what these two have on but I would have selected a nice Jackie O two piece suit for Michele Obama. Still she is sending a far better message then the two on the left! My 2 cents.

- Jeri

Ummm --- that there is a photoshop.

>> A photograph from the latter event has been manipulated (as shown above) to add a figure representing Michelle Obama, making her appear to come off a very distant third in fashion sense with her plain, rumpled skirt contrasting with the shapely and stylish backsides of the two European women. That image is clearly a fabricated one, as Michelle Obama was not present at the Spanish dinner (she was back in Washington, where she participated in the unveiling of a memorial bust of Sojourner Truth), and other newspaper pictures of the same scene do not include her in the position shown (i.e., the Michelle Obama figure was obviously added to the original photograph later) -- see Snopes

You learn a lot about people's legitimacy of reasoning by what they have to make up lies about.

So, would you say that photoshopped photo--and none of us believes it is anything other than a photoshopped photo--was done by a Michelle Obama critic? Or was it done by a Michelle Obama supporter wanting to accuse Republicans or conservatives of that sort of thing? Do you know? Does it matter? Do you think that photo is used more by conservatives to ridicule Michelle Obama? Or is it used more by liberals to denigrate conservatives? Do you know? Does it matter? Who makes up the most lies? Does it matter?

The idea I thought Stat was promoting was a return to civility and some sense of decency in our national culture--at least until he himself started being insulting to others here. But even if he doesn't support his own OP, it was still a good one.

Naturally I have no idea who did the photoshopping, nor does it matter. What matters is how it's used.

I'm an audio editor. When Larry Craig held a press conference about his uh, airport bonus miles, I took the audio of his statement and edited it to have him saying the opposite of what he intended. Just for fun and an editing challenge. The difference is, I never put it on the internet (or anywhere else) and claimed it was real -- as was going on with this picture just a few posts above.

I'd have to say that "supporter" and "critic" are not applicable terms for a "First Lady" (I put it in quotes because it's a bullshit pseudomonarch term). The FLOTUS is not a politician; she doesn't make or promote policy. She has no function. All we have here as an issue, purely rhetorical, is some jealous sniping by losers using family members as proxy targets.

I suppose whoever did do this photoshop garners some measure of professional satisfaction from the knowledge that a number of wags were fooled. But considering the caliber of those who would make hay of it, that's prolly not much of a score.

 

[Dot Com]

rw hate for FLOTUS is off-the-scales STOP IT REPUB-VOTERS!!!

 

[freedombecki]

I have seen a lot of nasty stuff written about First Lady Michelle Obama in the last 6 years, it's pretty damned ugly and stupid, too.

There is even an ultra-whackazoid website dedicated to trashing her every move. I think it is called "Michelle's Mirror".

To combat this insanity, I want to take second and reflect on who our First Ladies have been and to say quite openly that I, as a Democrat, have liked all of the ones I have encountered live AND those over whom I have read a great deal.

A lot of shit has been thrown around over the costs incurred by First Ladies, but virtually all of them have incurred costs - this is very natural and EXPECTED perk that comes with the Presidency, and Presidents of both parties have made full use of this perk.

Currently, next to our current FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, there are five former First Ladies still living, thank goodness:

Former First Lady Laura Bush (2001-2009), former First Lady Hillary Clinton (1993-2001), Former First Lady Barbara Bush (1989-1993) and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter (1977-1981). Not pictured: Nancy Reagan.

Each one of these ladies is a model of grace and excellence and kindness in her own unique way.

Maybe it would help were people to do less bitching and more reading. Want to know how the title as we know it came into being? Then read here:

First Lady of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Here is a complete listing of the FLOTUSes throughout our nation's history:

List of First Ladies of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Within the wiki is also a pretty good description of what a FLOTUS does:

The First Lady of the United States is the hostess of the White House. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, but, on occasion, the title has been applied to women who were not presidents’ wives, such as when the president was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president was unable to fulfill the duties of the First Lady herself. The First Lady is not an elected position; it carries no official duties and receives no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. Traditionally, the First Lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office.[1] She has her own staff, including the White House Social Secretary, the Chief of Staff, the Press Secretary, the Chief Floral Designer, and the Executive Chef. The Office of the First Lady is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President.

According to the White House and the National First Ladies' Library, there have been forty-six First Ladies and forty-seven First Ladyships. This discrepancy exists because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth president; his wife Frances Folsom Cleveland is also counted twice.

The White House website keeps bios of all of our First Ladies:

The First Ladies | The White House

And here is also a very good website for such:

First Ladies of the United States


There is a lot of GOOD material about our First Ladies from the above links. I would recommend that you begin reading to see what interesting and unique and wonderful individuals they were.

I will start contributing material about each FLOTUS over the course of the year.


But right now, I would like to say some kind (and historically accurate) things about First Ladies within most peoples' living memory.

Being born in 1963, the first FLOTUS I have in memory is Ladybird Johnson, but Jackie Onassis (formerly Kennedy) was still quite on the scene and very beloved.

Jackie Kennedy was a model of charm and grace an genteel-ness. I cannot imagine any person in the world wanting to say something nasty about that woman. Alone, having to bear the grief and loss of her husband, John Kennedy, should be enough to simply honor her and her fine memory.

Ladybird Johnson (Claudia Taylor Johnson) was a great lover of nature and she brought that love of nature with her into both the Vice-President's mansion and then into the White House. She is probably best known for her involvement in Head-Start for Pre-K kids.

Pat Nixon was a former High School teacher and lover of theater. In fact, she and Dick Nixon were cast in the same play and there they met and fell in love with each other. As FLOTUS, Pat Nixon worked tirelessly to get people to do volunteer service. She is also probably best known for inviting tons of people to non-denomination ecumenical church services every Sunday.

Betty Ford is one of my favorite First Ladies. Like Gerald Ford, she was a "lucky accident" for our nation. She was Gerald Ford's guiding hand in many matters. The two truly loved each other right through their last days on earth. She had to undergo breast cancer in 1974, and by going public about her cancer, she embolded a lot of women to get themselves checked out. Who knows how many lives Betty Ford saved by simply being an advocate for preventative medicine. Betty Ford also did our nation a big service by coming out as an ex-First Lady and admitting her own alcoholism - again, breaking a lot of tabus. Who knows how many lives Betty Ford may have saved by having been an advocate for getting treatment for alcoholism. And the Betty Ford clinic is still open today. What an incredible woman she was. I also believe that Betty Ford was the first FLOTUS ever to appear on a TV sitcom (or two). I believe she did a neat cameo either in the Bob Newhart show or the Mary Tyler Moore show - or both.

Rosalyn Carter tends to be forgotten some, mostly because she was a very quiet person. A skilled speaker, but a quiet, genteel person with a love of the fine arts, for which she advocated. Both she and then Second-Lady Joan Mondale were great lovers of the fine arts. I would wager that you cannot find even one mean or sour quote from Rosalyn Carter, who, like her husband, is a born-again Christian (Southern Baptist).

Nancy Reagan was the second divorcee in a row, after Betty Ford, to have married a future President in her second marriage. Those two lovely women together broke the tabu that a First Lady somehow could not be a divorcee. Considered aloof by many people, Nancy was anything but aloof. She was an intensely concentrated person and spent tons of time behind the scenes helping veterans and the homeless. She supported the foster Grandparent Program and wrote a book about it in 1982, the year I graduated from High School. She is probably best known for her "Just say no" to drugs program. I always liked and respected her.

Many saw Barbara Bush as the grandmother whom everyone wanted to have in their family. Barbara Bush advocated strongly for literacy programs. VERY STRONGLY. She was the first FLOTUS to advocate for public awareness about HIV/AIDS. I adore Barbara Bush and hopes she still lives a very long time.

With Hillary Clinton, a lot of "molds" were broken, or perhaps re-introduced. Hillary was on the campaign trail in 1992 for her husband Bill more than any other First Lady in our history. She made the first real attempts at Health Care Reform. Like Nancy Reagan before her, Mrs. Clinton wrote a book: "It takes a Village" (1996), for which she received a Grammy. She was and still is a strong advocate for women's issues. And of course, she is the only FLOTUS in history to go on to become a US Senator, a serious Presidential candidate, a Secretary of State and a likely presidential candidate again. I don't think that any FLOTUS in history has as high a name recognition or public profile like Hillary Clinton.

Laura Bush is one of the most charming FLOTUSes I have ever seen up close. I even got to shake her hand once. A truly nice person. Laura was the key force behind then President Bush's "No Child left behind" program. Laura Bush was a main supporter of women's rights in Afghanistan. She is the first FLOTUS ever to give the President's weekly radio address (November, 2001). Laura Bush is the most travelled FLOTUS in history, having visited all 50 states on behalf on the President and 73 foreign countries. She was on a foreign trip for 212 days out of her husband's 2-term presidency, a lot of it in Africa, having advocated for AIDS prevention and hunger prevention, causes that President Bush himself took up, to his great credit. In spite of all sort of partisan strife from 2001-2009, I found Laura Bush to be a class act. Just as I find the current FLOTUS.

I think that history will smile upon Michelle Obama for her "let's move" program to combat obesity, a real problem in the USA, and worldwide. Really not much more to say about her, she he is often in the news, as most FLOTUSes are during their time in the White House.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It's time for people to stop snarking about and attacking our current FLOTUS. She is doing nothing that other FLOTUSes have not done. She is filling the role of First Lady as we have seen other first ladies do. And I personally find that people who attack her must be serverely lacking in a lot of categories, not the least of which is sanity.


< SPOILERs omitted >

Good thing I don't give negs or this would of been the first.

-Geaux

I'd let it go, Geaux. I remember how I felt when the loyal opposition went after First Lady Laura Bush for everything from her body parts to her career in promoting literacy as a librarian.

A person who tries to stick to the factual may live in a different country and have a different background than those who live here.

One thing is sure though, in politics we need to stick to ideologies, principalities, and powers. The most surefire way to make permanent the illwill that grips our nation is to beat up a woman in the public press for the simple reason she married a politician who has been made into a whipping boy by the popular opinions of people who do not respect the trait of her loyalty to family, spouse, and supporters. Just sayin'.

 

[Geaux4it]

I'm sorry but they are there to represent their husbands. Not Victoria Secret. It is the type dress you seen in a Victoria Secret womens clothing catalog for their dresses. ( although its obvious these are designer dresses - shoes ) It's poor taste. Watch how Jolie dresses when she appears as an ambassador for the UN. Look at her photo with Condi Rice. That is how you present yourself in the world of politics. She doesn't draw attention to herself. She knows how to dress for the occasion.

These two women? Not so much. The dresses are too tight. The high heels belong in a nightclub. It's too much. That is what I see when I look at the photo. Seductive clothing is a cry for attention. Not the message a politicans wife should be sending. Sorry.

Maybe Obama will 'stain' their dresses. The new norm for Dem POTUS

-Geaux

^ Can't stand that President Obama is a devoted husband and father.

Is that what his gay lover, ... I mean trainer says?

-Geaux

 

[Geaux4it]

Good thing I don't give negs or this would of been the first.

-Geaux

Would it of [sic] really?

'Member that time you negged be twice in two hours?

Only in response to your neg. I should of clarified. Thanks

-Geaux

 

[Geaux4it]

Good thing I don't give negs or this would of been the first.

-Geaux

Geez, you would think that some would be smart enough not to include all the @mentions when they quote the OP.....everyone gets a mention all over again....it's so easy to "click and back space over such a small area"

Sorry about that one. Admonishment warranted

-Geaux

 

[jillian]

I have seen a lot of nasty stuff written about First Lady Michelle Obama in the last 6 years, it's pretty damned ugly and stupid, too.

There is even an ultra-whackazoid website dedicated to trashing her every move. I think it is called "Michelle's Mirror".

To combat this insanity, I want to take second and reflect on who our First Ladies have been and to say quite openly that I, as a Democrat, have liked all of the ones I have encountered live AND those over whom I have read a great deal.

A lot of shit has been thrown around over the costs incurred by First Ladies, but virtually all of them have incurred costs - this is very natural and EXPECTED perk that comes with the Presidency, and Presidents of both parties have made full use of this perk.

Currently, next to our current FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, there are five former First Ladies still living, thank goodness:

Former First Lady Laura Bush (2001-2009), former First Lady Hillary Clinton (1993-2001), Former First Lady Barbara Bush (1989-1993) and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter (1977-1981). Not pictured: Nancy Reagan.

Each one of these ladies is a model of grace and excellence and kindness in her own unique way.

Maybe it would help were people to do less bitching and more reading. Want to know how the title as we know it came into being? Then read here:

First Lady of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Here is a complete listing of the FLOTUSes throughout our nation's history:

List of First Ladies of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Within the wiki is also a pretty good description of what a FLOTUS does:

The First Lady of the United States is the hostess of the White House. The position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, but, on occasion, the title has been applied to women who were not presidents&#8217; wives, such as when the president was a bachelor or widower, or when the wife of the president was unable to fulfill the duties of the First Lady herself. The First Lady is not an elected position; it carries no official duties and receives no salary. Nonetheless, she attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the president. Traditionally, the First Lady does not hold outside employment while occupying the office.[1] She has her own staff, including the White House Social Secretary, the Chief of Staff, the Press Secretary, the Chief Floral Designer, and the Executive Chef. The Office of the First Lady is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House, and is a branch of the Executive Office of the President.

According to the White House and the National First Ladies' Library, there have been forty-six First Ladies and forty-seven First Ladyships. This discrepancy exists because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the twenty-second and the twenty-fourth president; his wife Frances Folsom Cleveland is also counted twice.

The White House website keeps bios of all of our First Ladies:

The First Ladies | The White House

And here is also a very good website for such:

First Ladies of the United States


There is a lot of GOOD material about our First Ladies from the above links. I would recommend that you begin reading to see what interesting and unique and wonderful individuals they were.

I will start contributing material about each FLOTUS over the course of the year.


But right now, I would like to say some kind (and historically accurate) things about First Ladies within most peoples' living memory.

Being born in 1963, the first FLOTUS I have in memory is Ladybird Johnson, but Jackie Onassis (formerly Kennedy) was still quite on the scene and very beloved.

Jackie Kennedy was a model of charm and grace an genteel-ness. I cannot imagine any person in the world wanting to say something nasty about that woman. Alone, having to bear the grief and loss of her husband, John Kennedy, should be enough to simply honor her and her fine memory.

Ladybird Johnson (Claudia Taylor Johnson) was a great lover of nature and she brought that love of nature with her into both the Vice-President's mansion and then into the White House. She is probably best known for her involvement in Head-Start for Pre-K kids.

Pat Nixon was a former High School teacher and lover of theater. In fact, she and Dick Nixon were cast in the same play and there they met and fell in love with each other. As FLOTUS, Pat Nixon worked tirelessly to get people to do volunteer service. She is also probably best known for inviting tons of people to non-denomination ecumenical church services every Sunday.

Betty Ford is one of my favorite First Ladies. Like Gerald Ford, she was a "lucky accident" for our nation. She was Gerald Ford's guiding hand in many matters. The two truly loved each other right through their last days on earth. She had to undergo breast cancer in 1974, and by going public about her cancer, she embolded a lot of women to get themselves checked out. Who knows how many lives Betty Ford saved by simply being an advocate for preventative medicine. Betty Ford also did our nation a big service by coming out as an ex-First Lady and admitting her own alcoholism - again, breaking a lot of tabus. Who knows how many lives Betty Ford may have saved by having been an advocate for getting treatment for alcoholism. And the Betty Ford clinic is still open today. What an incredible woman she was. I also believe that Betty Ford was the first FLOTUS ever to appear on a TV sitcom (or two). I believe she did a neat cameo either in the Bob Newhart show or the Mary Tyler Moore show - or both.

Rosalyn Carter tends to be forgotten some, mostly because she was a very quiet person. A skilled speaker, but a quiet, genteel person with a love of the fine arts, for which she advocated. Both she and then Second-Lady Joan Mondale were great lovers of the fine arts. I would wager that you cannot find even one mean or sour quote from Rosalyn Carter, who, like her husband, is a born-again Christian (Southern Baptist).

Nancy Reagan was the second divorcee in a row, after Betty Ford, to have married a future President in her second marriage. Those two lovely women together broke the tabu that a First Lady somehow could not be a divorcee. Considered aloof by many people, Nancy was anything but aloof. She was an intensely concentrated person and spent tons of time behind the scenes helping veterans and the homeless. She supported the foster Grandparent Program and wrote a book about it in 1982, the year I graduated from High School. She is probably best known for her "Just say no" to drugs program. I always liked and respected her.

Many saw Barbara Bush as the grandmother whom everyone wanted to have in their family. Barbara Bush advocated strongly for literacy programs. VERY STRONGLY. She was the first FLOTUS to advocate for public awareness about HIV/AIDS. I adore Barbara Bush and hopes she still lives a very long time.

With Hillary Clinton, a lot of "molds" were broken, or perhaps re-introduced. Hillary was on the campaign trail in 1992 for her husband Bill more than any other First Lady in our history. She made the first real attempts at Health Care Reform. Like Nancy Reagan before her, Mrs. Clinton wrote a book: "It takes a Village" (1996), for which she received a Grammy. She was and still is a strong advocate for women's issues. And of course, she is the only FLOTUS in history to go on to become a US Senator, a serious Presidential candidate, a Secretary of State and a likely presidential candidate again. I don't think that any FLOTUS in history has as high a name recognition or public profile like Hillary Clinton.

Laura Bush is one of the most charming FLOTUSes I have ever seen up close. I even got to shake her hand once. A truly nice person. Laura was the key force behind then President Bush's "No Child left behind" program. Laura Bush was a main supporter of women's rights in Afghanistan. She is the first FLOTUS ever to give the President's weekly radio address (November, 2001). Laura Bush is the most travelled FLOTUS in history, having visited all 50 states on behalf on the President and 73 foreign countries. She was on a foreign trip for 212 days out of her husband's 2-term presidency, a lot of it in Africa, having advocated for AIDS prevention and hunger prevention, causes that President Bush himself took up, to his great credit. In spite of all sort of partisan strife from 2001-2009, I found Laura Bush to be a class act. Just as I find the current FLOTUS.

I think that history will smile upon Michelle Obama for her "let's move" program to combat obesity, a real problem in the USA, and worldwide. Really not much more to say about her, she he is often in the news, as most FLOTUSes are during their time in the White House.


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It's time for people to stop snarking about and attacking our current FLOTUS. She is doing nothing that other FLOTUSes have not done. She is filling the role of First Lady as we have seen other first ladies do. And I personally find that people who attack her must be serverely lacking in a lot of categories, not the least of which is sanity.

Spoiler: Some of the invited.

@AceRothstein , [MENTION=47870]Vigilante[/MENTION], [MENTION=45693]American4Americ[/MENTION] , [MENTION=40495]AngelsNDemons[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=39464]antiquity[/MENTION] , [MENTION=35553]aris2chat[/MENTION] , [MENTION=9429]AVG-JOE[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=24076]Avorysuds[/MENTION] , [MENTION=18990]Barb[/MENTION] , [MENTION=34109]beagle9[/MENTION] , [MENTION=47248]bedowin62[/MENTION] , [MENTION=24619]Bill Angel[/MENTION] , [MENTION=44336]birddog[/MENTION] , [MENTION=36422]blackhawk[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=21616]blastoff[/MENTION] , [MENTION=25197]BlindBoo[/MENTION] , [MENTION=44536]BobPlumb[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46834]Bombur[/MENTION] , [MENTION=33449]BreezeWood[/MENTION] , [MENTION=29100]bripat9643[/MENTION] , [MENTION=44706]Bumberclyde[/MENTION] , [MENTION=44680]Camp[/MENTION] , [MENTION=14617]Cecilie1200[/MENTION] , [MENTION=36528]cereal_killer[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=22617]chikenwing[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46975]Circle_Breaker[/MENTION] , [MENTION=21503]Claudette[/MENTION] , [MENTION=25032]ClosedCaption[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=12120]Coloradomtnman[/MENTION] , [MENTION=19448]CrusaderFrank[/MENTION] , [MENTION=29614]C_Clayton_Jones[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46316]dannyboys[/MENTION] , [MENTION=30065]dblack[/MENTION] , [MENTION=22981]Defiant1[/MENTION] , [MENTION=39553]depotoo[/MENTION] , [MENTION=36589]DGS49[/MENTION] , [MENTION=11393]DiamondDave[/MENTION] , [MENTION=45679]Diana1180[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42777]DigitalDrifter[/MENTION] , [MENTION=32913]Disir[/MENTION] , [MENTION=20866]Dutch[/MENTION] , [MENTION=30139]eflatminor[/MENTION] , [MENTION=22295]emilynghiem[/MENTION] , [MENTION=35662]Erand7899[/MENTION] , [MENTION=26011]Ernie S.[/MENTION] , [MENTION=40418]farmorto4[/MENTION] , [MENTION=30473]flacaltenn[/MENTION] , [MENTION=20411]ForeverYoung436[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=34052]g5000[/MENTION] , [MENTION=31362]gallantwarrior[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42952]GISMYS[/MENTION] , [MENTION=27168]HereWeGoAgain[/MENTION] , [MENTION=4791]hjmick[/MENTION] , [MENTION=18867]HUGGY[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42934]hunarcy[/MENTION] , [MENTION=24610]iamwhatiseem[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46539]Iceweasel[/MENTION] , [MENTION=45443]Impenitent[/MENTION] , [MENTION=38243]irosie91[/MENTION] , [MENTION=22181]Jarhead[/MENTION] , [MENTION=32813]JimBowie1958[/MENTION] , [MENTION=24535]jknowgood[/MENTION] , [MENTION=33658]Katzndogz[/MENTION] , [MENTION=45702]kjw47[/MENTION] , [MENTION=20204]Kondor3[/MENTION] , [MENTION=47727]korean[/MENTION] , [MENTION=33282]LeftofLeft[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46773]Len[/MENTION] , [MENTION=32163]Listening[/MENTION] , [MENTION=3254]Little-Acorn[/MENTION] , [MENTION=19381]Lonestar_logic[/MENTION] , [MENTION=39846]longknife[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=46604]longly[/MENTION] , [MENTION=7538]LordBrownTrout[/MENTION] , [MENTION=44252]MACAULAY[/MENTION] , [MENTION=23094]martybegan[/MENTION] , [MENTION=22889]Matthew[/MENTION] , [MENTION=23819]MikeK[/MENTION] , [MENTION=45791]Mojo2[/MENTION] , [MENTION=22217]Mustang[/MENTION] , [MENTION=27234]natstew[/MENTION] , [MENTION=16263]nodoginnafight[/MENTION] , [MENTION=31215]Oldstyle[/MENTION] , [MENTION=1996]onedomino[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42380]OriginalShroom[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=23262]peach174[/MENTION] , [MENTION=34176]plant[/MENTION] , [MENTION=12394]PoliticalChic[/MENTION] , [MENTION=39618]proudveteran06[/MENTION] , [MENTION=27986]R.D.[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42379]Redfish[/MENTION] , [MENTION=11710]Richard-H[/MENTION] , [MENTION=25033]RoccoR[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=46474]Ronin[/MENTION] , [MENTION=26838]Ropey[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=39688]RosieS[/MENTION] , [MENTION=36154]Roudy[/MENTION] , [MENTION=37424]Rshermr[/MENTION] , [MENTION=25283]Sallow[/MENTION] , [MENTION=35716]SAYIT[/MENTION] , [MENTION=39075]Shaitra[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46796]shart_attack[/MENTION] , @@ShootSpeeders , [MENTION=44514]Silhouette[/MENTION] , [MENTION=24208]Spoonman[/MENTION] , [MENTION=20452]theDoctorisIn[/MENTION] , [MENTION=36327]TheGreatGatsby[/MENTION] , [MENTION=39852]TheOldSchool[/MENTION] , [MENTION=46391]Theowl32[/MENTION] , [MENTION=2926]Toro[/MENTION] , [MENTION=23905]Trajan[/MENTION] , [MENTION=27995]Uncensored2008[/MENTION] , [MENTION=42404]Vandalshandle[/MENTION] , [MENTION=20296]VaYank5150[/MENTION] [MENTION=45104]WelfareQueen[/MENTION] , [MENTION=27324]whitehall[/MENTION] + , [MENTION=21679]william the wie[/MENTION] , [MENTION=14367]YWN666[/MENTION]

Spoiler: Some of the invited.

, [MENTION=42916]Derideo_Te[/MENTION] , [MENTION=41527]Pogo[/MENTION] , [MENTION=3135]jillian[/MENTION] , [MENTION=43625]Mertex[/MENTION] [MENTION=20412]JakeStarkey[/MENTION] [MENTION=20112]bodecea[/MENTION] [MENTION=20704]Nosmo King[/MENTION] [MENTION=25505]Jroc[/MENTION] [MENTION=44172]Sweet_Caroline[/MENTION] @NTG [MENTION=40845]Jeremiah[/MENTION] [MENTION=18645]Sarah G[/MENTION] [MENTION=11703]strollingbones[/MENTION] [MENTION=38281]Wolfsister77[/MENTION] [MENTION=42649]Gracie[/MENTION] [MENTION=36528]cereal_killer[/MENTION] [MENTION=20285]Intense[/MENTION] [MENTION=40540]Connery[/MENTION] [MENTION=19170]Coyote[/MENTION] [MENTION=23239]westwall[/MENTION] [MENTION=20285]Intense[/MENTION] [MENTION=6847]Foxfyre[/MENTION] [MENTION=36767]Bloodrock44[/MENTION] [MENTION=15726]Hossfly[/MENTION] [MENTION=36154]Roudy[/MENTION] [MENTION=31178]MeBelle60[/MENTION] [MENTION=28109]Amelia[/MENTION] [MENTION=29697]freedombecki[/MENTION]

Going after a politician's spouse, kids, or other family is cheap. But, if the spouse or family are politically involved and active than criticisms based on that activity is fair game. Though I don't spend any time at all involving myself with Mrs. Obama's activities, I watch the news and am aware she does in fact involve herself in policy matters. So if I were to have an objection or complaint about her positions thusly, criticizing her for them is I think perfectly fair. Beyond specific policy complaints however isn't fair.

That's false. She has an issue like every other First Lady. Other than Hillary and nancy none in recent times has been involved in "policy". Healthy eating is not "policy"