Only In America: Michelle Obama and the Heckler

Why?

As far as I can tell, President Obama and Michelle Obama have been supportive of gay rights. Our last democratic president, Bill Clinton...affectionately known as Big Dawg...gave us Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The President went out on a limb (after a slight shove by Biden) and dragged black churches, the NAACP, and other groups right along into the battle with him causing shifts in polls dealing with gay rights issues our country has never seen. A shaky initial start, but a start non the less.

I realize things are not equal yet. It takes time. Too much time. Any delay, is too much of a delay. That's just a fact.

But, to my mind, that means...you charge the hill that the enemy is standing on...not your friends. Your friends take the hill with you. But, that isn't possible if you stab them on the way up.

That's how I feel about this Michelle Obama, heckler situation. I feel Michelle Obama has been a friend. Someone willing to help take the hill. There is a known opposition. Michelle Obama can't sign an executive order. She isn't in a position to write a bill.

But, when this heckler looked around to see who she could put in check...she didn't go to a legislator. Nope. She didn't even take it to the president. Who did she choose? Michelle Obama.

At some point, when we weren't looking, Michelle Obama became enemy number 1. Why do I assume she became enemy number 1? Because people don't heckle their friends. What would be the point?

As for the race issue, I don't have any indication that the heckler was a racist. She was simply a woman wanting to see equal rights before she died. It's one thing to tell a twenty year old to keep up the good fight, your time is coming. It's something different to say it to a 70 year old. To either, it's cold comfort and like asking someone with a knife sticking in their back to wait a minute, you'll get back to them. Which again to me, means take it to the opposition in full force, not your friends. But, that's just me.

But, I admit it, I am perplexed at the notion that Michelle Obama, according to some here on DU had no right to speak, when she wanted to speak, at an event to which she was invited to speak at.

The posts go on and on about the heckler being an American hero. Her claim to fame. She heckled a friend. According to others, Michelle Obama was just wrong in her approach. But, they can't tell us what was wrong with it...other than somehow she was disrespectful to the heckler. That's a new one for me.

I don't know anything else to boil it down to. So, I come away with this conclusion. No matter what words were coming from Michelle Obama's lips, they were unworthy, compared to what was coming from Sturz. For the moment, Michelle Obama was unimportant and any topic she was discussing was unimportant as well...unless it was Sturz's topic.

Make no mistake, it was gay rights today, a worthy cause. But, I have no confidence that another topic couldn't have easily flowed from Sturz's lips and still been more important.

For a tiny, vocal minority, the President and Michelle Obama are meant to be puppets. If they don't obediently do what they are expected to do in a timely manner, then they don't even deserve to speak. That's the point of heckling. To disrupt even the words that come out of your opponent's mouth because they're not worthy of the current platform and not even their words are worthy of the current platform. So, they drown your voice out and replace it with their own.

That's where the charge of racism enters, for those who care to hear. It's that notion of, be quiet, someone else more worthy desires to speak...even though by right (as the actual invited speaker), the floor is yours.

But, Sturz got a surprise. She tried to talk over someone used to people trying to diminish her. And, she was unprepared for the result.

Michelle Obama is no Laura Bush. Laura probably wasn't accustomed to people attempting to diminish her. So, she was caught off guard. But, if you're in a minority group....any minority group. You've had it happen to you. And, one day you just get fed up. I think that's what happened. It was her day. I think Michelle Obama just got fed up. You don't have to be first lady to have it happen. Michelle Obama's just gave a lesson to all of us.

It's time to get fed up. But, when you do, have the audacity to target the opposition, not your friends.

Sorry for the long rant.