Friday
Oct172008
Perhaps Michelle Should Have Ordered Chicken Fingers and a Box of Wine
Friday, October 17, 2008 at 8:51PM The Blogmother 
I cross posted this over at Michelle Obama WatchSo talk radio was all abuzz today because some employee at the Waldorf Astoria hotel claims that MIchelle Obama ordered two lobsters and a bottle of champagne.
While he was at a meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Michelle Obama called room service and ordered lobster hors d'oeuvres, two whole steamed lobsters, Iranian caviar and champagne, a tipster told Page Six.
I first saw this story over at Sandra Rose, my heart fell when I read the title: Obama Mocks Himself While Michelle Got Tipsy. But then I read the post and just had to shake my head.
I guess it’s safe to say the children weren’t with her while she got tipsy.Sandra Rose
Why Sandra WHY??? Sandra Rose wasn't alone. Rush Limbaugh got in on the action:
Obama wrote in that book what passages of Reverend Wright's sermon, Audacity to Hope, most inspired him, and this is one of them. "It is this world, a world where cruise ships throw away more food in a day than most residents of Port-au-Prince see in a year, where white folks' greed runs a world in need, apartheid in one hemisphere, apathy in another hemisphere…That's the world! On which hope sits!" And so while he's lamenting all the food that cruise ships throw overboard and all the apartheid that was out there, here's his wife ordering all this stuff. It's hypocrisy. Rush Limbaugh
First, I highly doubt that Michelle Obama personally picked up the phone to order room service personally. How do we know the order was for her. Second, even if she did order 2 lobsters and champagne, I doubt that the Waldorf Estoria has chicken fingers on the menu. I doubt that they run a lunch special. Third, I highly doubt she drank the whole bottle herself. Last but not least, the Obamas are not broke and occasionally I like to drop by Red Lobster and enjoy some rubbery lobster with coconut shrimp and that delightful pineapple dipping sauce. COME ON! It was a white tie event at the Waldorf Astoria not the La Quinta. If I get all dressed up to go out, I am not picking up an extra value meal.
UPDATE: You can check out the menu at the Waldorf Astoria yourself. I was curious and looked it up. They offer a lobster burger. Why the heck would you do that to lobster?
UPDATE: THE NY POST STORY IS NOW MISSING--DID THEY PRINT A RETRACTION?
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Reader Comments (28)
Of course they have chicken fingers! They're probably just called something like "breaded chicken fillets". Or translated into French, which Babelfish tells me is "doigts de poulet" -- sounds classy, mais non?
I think she deserves as much lobster and champagne as she wants. Anybody putting up with a presidential campaign deserves some comfort food.
No habla francais. Girl if you say so.
I wonder if they realize that there was once a time when lobster was considered food for the lower class. That is right it was a regular of prisons menus for a very long time before the rich decided to turn it into a delicacy thus causing the value of lobster to soar through the roof. The idea that one kind of food is more valuable than another is ridiculous. This is all a result of the ridiculous capitalist system that we live under. No matter what food she ate, it served the purpose of nourishing her body.
Not to agree with Rush or Sandra Rose but I can see how this may rise eyebrows.
In a time when items like hamburger helper, ramen noodles, pork and beans, and spam are selling out in grocery stores, it doesn't look good for the probable First Lady (especially a Democratic one), splurging on lobster, caviar, and champagne.
Michelle isn't Theresa Heinz Kerry or Cindy McCain. She and Obama are supposed to be normal middle-class people. Middle class people (unless they live in coastal areas) don't eat lobster just because it's Tuesday.
What she ordered was special occasion food.
Knowing all eyes would be on everything she does, it makes me wonder why she didn't order a normal entree and a bottle of good wine.
Monica,
The Obamas aren't middle class but millionaires. He can thank his book sales for that. I see your point, but I do believe that the media should look for more important things than what she ordered for dinner. She has a right to enjoy her wealth, IMO.
Wow Rush Limbo, this the same guy with the drug problem who goes down to Dominica with Viagra? He's a "dead boy / infant girl" event waiting to happen.
I'd drink too if the Secret Service was pretending not to hear "kill him" (about Obama) shouted at GOP rallies. Not crazy about champagne though.
Why is this even an issue? Renee brings up a good point.
I don't understand Sandra's beef with the Obamas. First Barack's not bright, then Malia's "too grown," and now Michelle's an alki. It's not everyday that we see images of a seemingly healthy Black family, y'know.
@Anonymiss
"It’s not everyday that we see images of a seemingly healthy Black family, y’know."
I see images of healthy black families every day. Did you mean, wealthy? There are definitely fewer of those. But, even they exist.
Me personally, I don't like lobster. It has a funny texture. I could care less what Michelle Obama eats or drinks. I'm sure Cindy McCain isn't eating hamburger helper, either.
I agree. It shouldn't be an issue.
LorMarie,
I'm not an elitist and I'm not rich.
(I had to add that because of what I'm about to type)
A million dollars is a lot of money but it's not as much as it was.
With the economy the way it is and rise of the super-wealthy class, all 2 or 3 million dollars means is that you a bit of a cushion if you lose you job. You'll be able to sent your kids to a 2nd tier private school. It means that you'll be able to put your kids through state college without aid. It means you won't have to find another full time job when you retire from your main job.
A million dollars doesn't pay for champagne wishes and cavier dreams.
Obama sold a lot of books, but he didn't have DeVinci Code numbers, so he's still not in league of the McCains.
The Obamas are today's middle class-comfortable but not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
I'm with the "WHO GIVES A RAT"S A$$" crowd. Frankly, to an extent at this time whatever the Obama's do will most likely be critiqued and critized by the Republican base because they're losing. If Michelle had of ordered Chicken Fingers, someone would have probably said something about why she was ordering ghetto food (that chicken fingers are ghetto, but you know what I mean) at a fancy hotel. That's a grown woman that can order whatever she wants. It was a big occasion. Who doesn't go all out when they attend certan events or even stay in a fancy hotel?
Ummmm Monica
The Obamas made over 4million dollars in 07 ALONE from roughly 3 as profit from book sales.
You have an opinion to air despite whatever facts come up.
Whats your point anyway? You have know idea why she ordered what she did and its none of your frigging business either way. They earned it. They pay tax. Donate to charity.
This is so irritating. Next time shes at the Waldorf Astoria i guess she should order watermelon and chitlins... *loud kissing of teef*
Settle down people. Don't go all acolytis up in here! Monica, I tohught you were laying low til November 5th? HAHAHA
Anyway, did any of you consider that this story MIGHT be false? Second I added up the cost of the lobster fromt he menu, they are $50 a peice. i think that caviar goes for $200 an ounce and I don't have a clue regarding the champagne. So the lobster was a whopping 100 dollars. I drop over $100 in the nail salon once they get through adding on extra services.
At the most the bill was likely $500 bucks. She can afford it.
Laying low. Me? OMG, no. Working hard for the money. In this economy, I think everyone is trying to make themselves look good to management. If the ax is going to drop, it shall not be on me.
As for the story, I really hope this isn't true.
As ya'll know, I'm not an Obamite but I do think that their working class roots work to their advantage and are among their main strengths in this economy. To me, if the country is headed for a recession or a depression, it's not a good look for leaders (it doesn't matter who they are) to be living large. We need leaders to lead by example not edict. People who know what it's like to tighten the belt and hunker down until times get better. We are in trouble and we're going to be for the next 6 or 7 years.
And I don't think it matters if she paid for it herself. It can be spun to 1) make the Obamas look like the new rich (a la Real Housewives of Atlanta (ugh)) or 2) suggest that the Obamas are living it up while the millions of people who contributed amounts less $50 to the campaign are struggling to make ends meet.
We'll see how Michelle's people deal with it.
And just for the record, I work in the pharmaceutical industry in research and development. With salaries, bonuses, stock options, and other incentives, above the director level, it's rare for executives not to be in the millionaire club. Please trust these are the people who have always kept the champagne sipping to a minimum. Now in an effort to kick up their frugality to the next level, these folks are riding the bus and train instead cruising in their Nissans and Hondas.
Baby, times are tight.
I don't see what the big deal is. They sell lobster at the local grocery store. Just b/c you enjoy lobster once in awhile doesn't mean you are elite. Its not like she washed her hair w/ bottled water or something.
She would be damned either way. If she ordered chicken and waffles that would have been too black.
Haven't we seen this all before??? Why oh why do we get drawn into this...because it works! Karl Rove, Limbaugh and his fellow high level thugs know the "common folk" get more attached to the personal stories than the bigger issues. Hence the Ayers story, now Lobster-gate, Joe the plumber...any thing to divert our attention from the war and recession. I am guessing we will see many more of these stories.
As for Rush trying to label someone else as hypocritical or elitist....isn't he the same junkie that argued for tougher penalties for drug crimninals???
As for elite, isn't he the same junkie that forced his maid to buy his 30 pills a day? What's the difference between him and Bubba or Ray Ray? The wealth and privledge to have access to the best doctors, hospitals and support.
That's what I call privledge.
I see that gas is $3....hmmm until about the end of November, right?????
And another thing about being hypocritical, I am sure prized guest Limbaugh has helped to fatten that huge gut and a.. at many a corporate banking function. I am sure he has seen the fat side of corporate excess...enough to know that a $500 dinner means very little.
Further speaking of hypocrites and pricey dinners. After weeks of publicly blaming our financial crisis and economic downfall on greedy, evil Wall Streeters McCain had trouble filling the seats at his $25K a plate fundraising dinner in New York recently.
As in "You're a greedy evil bastard and because of you many hard working American families are losing their homes and our elderly are having to sleep on the street, oh and by the way...can you lend me a few of those dollars???
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122393943185530625.html
Have we heard the "greedy Wall Street" speech this week from the McCain camp? Hmmmm
@Monica
Although I'm in the crowd of, "Who gives a flying flip?" I do understand your point. You're expressing it well. It's kind of like, "McCain has 7 houses, can he really understand working class America." People could possibly perceive it as, "aahh, these people are just a bunch of elitists."
I don't think it'll be a problem, though.
@Monica
LOL. I do, however take exception to Hillary begging me for money to help pay off her campaign debts. She had better sell a few more books. I've got kid's shoes to buy.
All this might be interesting if, in fact, Michelle had actually been staying at the Waldorf during the dinner. However, The Post has removed the article because she wasn't staying there!
khia12 where is the retraction? I see they removed the story. Did they print a retraction?
On the Obama website, they have a cool little tax calculator feature on their website.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
You can put in your income range and your circumstance and see how much of a tax cut you would get.
You can also embed the code into your own website or blog. Not a bad little feature.
@YME, thanks I just completed it. Everybody loves a tax cut.
I think Sandra Rose is suffering from a severe case of "Michelle envy". It's not about whether you support Obama for president or not. Sandra Rose's commentary on the Obama family reeks of "crabs in a barrel" syndrome - or should that be "lobsters in a creel" syndrome?
Sandra is that you?
Actually, Sandra has been pretty complimentary of Michelle over the last few months. Barack not so much, but I got the impression she was fond of Michelle. I just took this to be her usual sensational headlines. Nobody reading the post would think Michelle was actually tipsy based on the post.
As someone who knows a little bit about search engine optimization ( although I never use that knowledge), I am sure that headline sent a few thousand page clicks her way.
Only a black woman would have to worry about people critiquing what goes in her mouth.
For someone like Rush Limbaugh, this is not about the lobster, this is about his and many of his peers ongoing hate for Michelle. The elephant in the room is that michelle obama is a successful and happy black woman and she's unapologetic for it. This started from her "proud" statement. If you come from humble beginnings and your black, people want you to express eternal gratitude to this country for what you have as if you didn't earn it and it was some kind of gift. Why doesn't Rush as "Joe Six Pack" Sarah Palin about her Valentino suits next time her interviews her? Both of these issues are stupid and if that was Cindy McCain ordering lobster I wouldn't care either. After two years on the campaign trail I'd be drinking bottle of champagne for breakfast everyday!
Sandra Rose is just an idiot. Plain and Simple.