Michelle Obama Has a Right to Be 'Angry'

The latest round of attempts to portray Michelle Obama as an "angry black woman" are enough to make any sensible person angry, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. Parker says the various political operatives and former staffers she has talked to, including Republicans, "without exception" have all had strongly positive things to say about the first lady. Even if Michelle Obama clashed with Rahm Emanuel, so what? "Who doesn’t butt heads with Emanuel?" asks Parker.

The racial aspect is a little harder to pin down, given how few public critics of the first lady actually use the phrase "angry black woman." But the sentiment is unmistakable given that most of them are white, and just check out the comment sections of right-wing blogs for some truly despicable stuff. Ever since Michelle Obama made the infamous gaffe that she was proud of her country "for the first time," she has been subject to relentless assaults on her feelings about America. "If she isn’t smiling at the camera or looking riveted by every instant of her public life, she’s an angry woman," writes Parker. "Those who insult her insult us all, and, yes, we should be angry." (More Michelle Obama stories.)