Some GOP stalwarts defend first lady's anti-obesity campaign from Palin's shots

[RamboLiberal]

Some Republicans watching the cluttered 2012 presidential field may have found an unlikely point of disagreement: the first lady and flab.

Sarah Palin has taken to assailing Michelle Obama's anti-obesity initiative on her reality show and elsewhere, while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, the Republican Party's resident authority on obesity and a potential Palin rival, has been defending it from Palin's salvos. Two other possible GOP presidential contenders, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.), have also praised Obama's efforts.

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Barbour offered praise for Obama's efforts in March, when the first lady toured Mississippi, the nation's fattest state for the fifth straight year and one that has its own statewide efforts to fight fat.

"As Mrs. Obama takes this campaign nationally, she'll be a catalyst. . . . She'll be a fantastic spokesman, leader," he said.

And Santorum said Wednesday that it is "a proper role for the first lady to highlight something as important as childhood nutrition and what parents can do."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/29/AR2010122901940.html

[AtomicKitten]

1. This should be a no-brainer but then again we're talking about Republicans. nt

[louis-t]

2. Isn't that a 'mixed metaphor'?

:rofl: I crack me up sometimes.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Has anyone looked at the details of what Michelle is promoting?

If she promotes balanced meals, I'm all for it. If she promotes eliminating fat and cholesterol from the diet, she isn't getting the best information.

long term Low fat, high carb diets are being blamed for the insulin problems in this country. Not only a problem for diabetics, but also hypoglycemics who eventually become insulin resistant with the advice they're getting from doctors.

A very delicate balance to work out, when it comes to diet.

[Arkansas Granny]

8. At the website, it appears that she is tackling the childhood obesity problem

from many angles including nutrition and activities, among others. Educating kids about eating healthy and getting them involved is a big part of her plan. It will really be an accomplishment if she succeeds.

http://www.letsmove.gov/

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. I suspect I know what the problem is about when it comes to exercise.

Too many nasty neighbors to allow the kids out to play with their friends. Too many people trying to usurp common ground in Associations that can be used for recreation. That means that parents have to actively put their kids in cars and cart them to playgrounds. Not the best community planning in the world in these days when both parents have to work until the evening hours.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. In my experience, many parents find it easier to park the kids in front of the tv

or video games instead of sending them outside to play. All over town I see big fenced yards, but no kids playing in them. There are neighborhoods where outdoor play may not be possible, but I don't think that's the main reason kids stay inside.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Sending them out to play, where?

In Florida the yards are ridiculously small, and the neighbors ridiculous. Period. There are hostile neighborhoods and no way of knowing where they are until after you put your money down. I think the time has come where the ACLU should look into the matter because people are paying loads for their houses and there is no guarantee that the community will respect whatever right you have to the common areas.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Palin is making it seem as though what Michelle Obama is proposing

is a law to control what people eat instead of a campaign to promote healthier eating. If Palin or any of her fellow "mama grizzlies" don't want to follow the guidelines, then they don't have to, right? Am I missing something? Is she suggesting that any kind of government campaign to promote science- and fact-based ways to live healthier are inherently an evil government plot to control us or something?
:wtf:

Good ol' reliable Sarah. You can always count on her to give every issue out there a carefully fair and balanced examaination.
:sarcasm: :eyes: :banghead:

[Life Long Dem]

5. I quit reading this after the first sentence.

[Enrique]

6. Haley Barbour-Michelle Obama 2012

or not. :shrug:

[Arkana]

7. Santorum's, of course, is creepy and backhanded.

[craigmatic]

9. They're just being rational and using this to play to the pro-family types

it's a different type of conservatism from palin's know nothingness. It says more about who's running for president rather than who's out to beat Obama.