There’s something pretty despicable going on right now in much of the right-wing blogosphere. A video of Michelle Obama taken during the 9/11 memorial flag service is being propagated throughout the blogs. In the video, Mrs. Obama leans towards her husband and says something while an American flag is ceremoniously folded. The video has no audible recording of what Mrs. Obama actually says to her husband, nor has anyone asked Mrs. Obama what she said during a private comment with her husband. However, that does not stop unfair and damaging speculation by many so-called conservative blogs and their readers. Suddenly it seems, everybody is a skilled lip reader or knows someone who reads lips for a living. Look at her smirk, look at the way she shakes her head, read her lips they cry – “She hates the flag. She hates America!”
The beauty for these haters is that they can claim she says whatever they wish her to say. Doesn’t matter if she said it, the damage gets done all the same. No one, other than her husband and she knows what she actually said, and as I far as I know, they haven’t told us, but that doesn’t stop these so-called “conservatives” from putting the words right in her mouth.
Not only that, but LipGate seems to have opened the door even wider for sexist and racist comments to flow right along with the unfair speculation. You think I exaggerate? Take a look around. The racism and sexism that Michelle Obama has been subjected to by some popular so-called conservative blogs is not hard to find and easily rivals the sexism to which Sarah Palin was subjected. In fact, even the normally top-notch American Thinker has posted the video in question with suggestions for the viewer to guess at what she is saying. I say disgusting and unfair.
These types of attacks do not help the conservative movement and can only hurt it. It is fair to castigate Michelle Obama for comments she actually made or policies she actually endorses, but to malign her for conservative wishful thinking reeks and I want no part of it. Don’t get me wrong, I could probably vote for almost anyone other than Obama in 2012, but I also believe in fairness and honesty. And honestly, this stinks.
