Last week, we learned that Michelle Obama donated over $500,000 for girls’ education worldwide. We also learned that she was planning on visiting Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia. Julia Roberts is traveling with Michelle, as is Jenna Bush Hager, who is interviewing Michelle during the trip. Part of Jenna’s interview aired Monday. Michelle told Jenna that focusing on girls’ education is her “life’s work.” People has more on their chat, during which Michelle also shared her thoughts on impeachment:
“It’s surreal, I think,” Obama said. “The last impeachment hearing, a lot of young people weren’t around for that, so this is all new. I don’t think people know what to make of it.”
However, the mother of two feels optimistic that the country can survive, no matter how things play out.
“But do I think we can come back from it? Oh yeah,” she said. “We have seen worse times, we have seen tough times in this country. We have gone through depressions and wars and bombings and terrorist attacks and we’ve gone through Jim Crow and we’ve always come out stronger.”
“And that’s what we have to continue to believe, because what’s our choice?” she continued. “To ball up in a corner and call it a day? Well, that’s not fair to this next generation that’s coming before us, that is counting on us to get this right. It’s not an us or a them, not an R or a D. We are all here in this country, we all want the same things. It’s just sometimes that gets lost in the noise.”
I miss listening to Michelle speak. I miss her calm, rational take on catastrophes. And she’s right: We’ve been through much worse as a country. But, do we all want the same things, really? On a basic level, we all have the same needs, but I don’t know that that translates to all of us wanting the same things. Trump still has his supporters in Congress and around the country. Democrats are introducing two articles of impeachment against Trump today: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. It seems very unlikely that the Senate will vote to convict him, and then he’ll just continue to carry on about “fake news” and “witch hunts,” and his supporters will eat it up. So while I believe that Michelle is right, that we have no other choice but to believe that we will be better eventually, I don’t think that that road is going to be easy, and I’m not convinced that at least some irreparable damage isn’t going to be done in the meantime.
Here’s a clip from Michelle’s interview:
I used to think that – that we all wanted the same things, and just had different ways of going about it, and that our primary debate was just the role of government. I don’t think that anymore. My goals do not align with the goals of these Republicans in congress.
I agree. It’s no longer a matter of disagreeing on how to achieve a common goal, the goals are different now. Very different.
I was honestly thinking the exact same thing as you. I don’t believe at ALL that “we” all want the same things. If we did, many things would be different. Too many people want the exact opposite of what I and others want. She’s been sitting next to Dubya for way too long. I so don’t want to dislike her
Really, I don’t. I can’t keep giving her and her husband passes anymore.
We may have seen worse times as a country, but this is a really bad time, too. I believe Trump’s illegal activities are far more serious than Nixon’s were and that Trump is the most corrupt American president in history (and this includes Warren Harding, no slouch in the swamp department himself).
No one is denying that. But there’s seems to be some serious amnesia about the history od this country in relation to what is happening now. What is happening is bad but this country has experienced two world wars – which included locking up Japanese Americans in internment camps. 200 years of slavery, the decimation of an entire race of people (the American Indians), the civil rights movement, Vietnam, the assassination if Malcolm X, MLK, JFK and RFK. And 9/11.
And honestly? The desperation and fear that so many people are feeling for the first time in this country is what black and brown folks have felt for decades.
Agreed. Yes we’ve seen horrific times in this country. We have seen injustice and cruelty, but that doesn’t excuse today. Trump is as corrupt as they come. He needs to be accountable for the destruction he and his minons have caused.
We won’t be okay for a really long time. The damage Trump and the republicans have done is long lasting, especially to people of color.
On a superficial note, I LOVE Michelle’s hair with more texture.
I’d say this is the worse time politically. I’ve never had another president make me worry he might install himself as permanent dictator, and get support from 30% of the people for it.
While the circumstances and details were very different, there was a real concern about it with FDR; he effectively became our “permanent president” and was elected four times. He served for three full terms and would have served the fourth if he hadn’t died in office. I’m not saying the situation we’re in now isn’t bad (it is) but it’s not unprecedented.
FDR was a smart effective leader (considered one of our greatest presidents), who through the new deal brought the country back from depression and created and got passed social security, a huge life changing legislation that guaranteed people an old age security net. Comparing him to trump is laughable and an insult.
I wish I had her optimism. What was different about past times was we had a common goal to overcome – wars, the Depression. What is so bleak about now is the realization that 40 percent of this country are willfully ignorant and cruel racists. I knew racism existed, but not to this level.
Plus I am reminded of the SNL post-election sketch where a bunch of white upwardly mobile people watch the election results in 2016 and wailed, this is the worst thing that ever happened, and watching guests Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle smirk to each other knowingly. A country that tolerated slavery for centuries has very shaky moral grounds.
I agree with all of these comments.
Real question: if he is impeached, is he allowed to run for reelection?
Yep. He can run again even if he is impeached.
Yes, unless the Senate votes to forbade him from doing so.
Our country has seen FAR worse times in the past but if we don’t win the fight against Trump and the GOP, we are ALL screwed. Russia is scaring the crap out of me. Putin owns Trump and Russia has already infiltrated our country. I think things are much worse than we know.
Yep. I agree this country has been through some shizz before, and if you exclude the wars — the big issues we had are ones that we had INTERNALLY within our own borders. WE made the problem/injustice and WE fixed it (kinda/mostly).
Now it’s different because we are fighting both Internal and for the first time EXTERNAL forces from a hostile nation that is now in the mix. And many high powered leaders and government officials are literally on the side of the enemy against this nation. It is a harder and scarier battle to fight, because we don’t know where the next hit is going to come from. Internal white supremacist a-holes or external a-holes or both? It’s a different battle this time, and we are not united in common cause to defeat the usurpers and degenerates who are maxing out their fingers in the keyboard wars.
Yes, we’ve had some scary times before what’s happening now and I believe the former first lady is correct in that we need to stay optimistic and FIGHT.
However, we’ve never had a “president” that was an asset for one of our biggest enemies before now. While hate groups like the KKK effectively spread their propaganda in the 20s, we’re now having to deal with big brother-style data collection and narrative manipulation by way of social media. Many today can’t even tell what’s real anymore thank to it.
I believe we will overcome in the end but it’s not going to be easy or a quick conclusion.
Yes, I totally agree about all of this too! (See my above comment)
It’s crazy how Trump’s presidency has played out.
It’s kind of an apocalyptic vicious circle. If not for Trump none of this corrupt activity would have taken place and because he does not have a micron of humility and self-awareness Trump won’t concede a millimeter although it is clear he committed every crime he has been accused of but the Republican Party will not sacrifice him or their position of power for nothing so they have to support him so Trump stays. To soon commit even more egregious and outrageous acts because his non-removal emboldens him to think he did nothing wrong or at least is allowed to do whatever he wants while POTUS and the Republican Party defends him…wash rinse repeat.
I don’t think Trump will lose in 2020. I can’t believe I typed those words. He will remain because nothing has changed about the way he was elected in the first place. He has shown himself and the nation he can say and do anything his addled brain can muster and his party and supporters stand by him. They’ll scheme and cheat any way possible to ensure he gets re-elected. I have zero faith in the system, zero faith in anyone on the Republican side to do the moral or principled thing for the good of the country.
And I hope the adage of expect the worst but hope for the best plays out in some way to good’s advantage. Because I cannot take much more of this. I simply cannot.
Trump represents a dying demographic in this country. Whites will be less than 50% of the population in the next 20 years and the Republican Party is literally having its last white nationalist gasp before it becomes a small regional party. GOP, through the electoral college inequalities and states like Wyoming with less than a million people getting 2 senators while calif with 40 million also gets two, has been able to eek out power but I think their days are numbered. Once Texas turns blue, they’re done.
I know she has stated she has no interest in running for political office but my god, she would make a wonderful president.
She’s just a class act all the way around. Sigh.
Ffs, Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. There’s no Kuala Lumpur AND Malaysia.. this is the second post where I believe you’ve made the mistake..