Baroque Obama

This is one of the most famous pictures of Baroque Obama. As someome pointed out, though, this Dutch costume is closer to the early 1600s than 1708, by which time such ruffs were long outdated. It actually looks more like a Renaissance Obama. A true Baroque Obama would probably wear a three-cornered hat rather than a frilly collar.

The term Baroque originally referred to a period of European history between the years 1600 and 1750, and to its bizarre style. The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese barrueco, word meaning “a pearl of irregular shape”.

The original meaning of the word makes the “Baroque Obama” joke a perfect  analogy for the new President of the United States, a self-described mutt. For those who don’t remember, here is the joke he made in regard to choosing a puppy for his daughter:

“We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic,” he said. “On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.“

As you can see, back in 2008 someone even organized a concert dedicated to Baroque Obama!

Politically inspired music from the Early Baroque – 17th Century. There was no charge, although donations were “greatly appreciated”. Proceeds after expenses have, of course, been donated to local Democratic activities and the Obama campaign.

“Shame on Michelle Obama.” It was repeated over and over again, from housewives, mothers, grandmas, dads, you name it.

Where do you think the First Spouse will burn through taxpayer money next? Is there a limit to where the First Diva would go, or how much she would spend to get there?

If the current White House was occupied by people of any decency, and a boondoggle like Michelle Antoinette’s lavish vacation happened somehow, by some sick accident, we think decent people would realize the horror Americans feel about this — and they would reimburse the Treasury for this trip.

It was not official business.  It was not a working trip for Michelle Antoinette.  Dressing inappropriately and having lunch with royalty at their summer palace is not a good enough reason to burn a million dollars by taking dozens of people along with her for an extravagant vacation.

The Obamas made something like $7 million last year. They need to write a check to cover Michelle Antoinette’s poor decision on this. They won’t, of course.

After a widely admired start in the White House, first lady Michelle Obama’s popularity is falling and, if the current downward trend in her approval ratings continues, could touch lows not seen since the scandal-tainted days of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 50 percent of those surveyed say they have a positive opinion of Mrs. Obama. That’s down from 64 percent in April 2009 and 55 percent in January of 2010.

Mrs. Obama’s ratings are decidedly different from predecessor Laura Bush. In December 2001, as George W. Bush’s popularity soared after the 9/11 attacks, Mrs. Bush’s positive rating stood at 76 percent in the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Nearly four years later, in 2005, it was 65 percent. Still later, when President Bush’s job approval rating hit bottom, Mrs. Bush fell briefly to 54 percent — still above where the current first lady is today.

Michelle Antoinette, the queen of deified fiber, cares about you. After all, the them she’s talking about is you. Too slack-jawed to feed yourselves properly, much less your kids, the First Lady is sacrificing herself by doing battle with Big Chow on our behalf. Unfortunately, Americans having freedom, will probably not eat from the list of State sponsored foods until the food you love is made too expensive to buy. Look what we’re making them do! Let them eat taxes. –Dale

First Lady Michelle “Antoinette” Obama has a legacy she wants to leave behind: drastically reducing childhood obesity.

The idea here is very simple: to put in place commonsense, innovative solutions that empower families and communities to make healthy decisions for their kids.

This is a great plan, and Mrs Obama deserves kudos for bringing childhood obesity to our collective attention. No doubt her status makes her one of the best champions for the cause. Who better to offer guidance on lifestyle choices than politicians and their charming spouses? Washington is, after all, pooling $1 trillion to pay for the nation’s health care needs. Isn’t it only fair that someone started harassing kids who are too stout to pull their weight?

Let’s say you’re preparing dinner and you realize with dismay that you don’t have any certified organic Tuscan kale. What to do?

Here’s how Michelle Obama handled this very predicament Thursday afternoon:

The Secret Service and the D.C. police brought in three dozen vehicles and shut down H Street, Vermont Avenue, two lanes of I Street and an entrance to the McPherson Square Metro station. They swept the area, in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with bomb-sniffing dogs and installed magnetometers in the middle of the street, put up barricades to keep pedestrians out, and took positions with binoculars atop trucks. Though the produce stand was only a block or so from the White House, the first lady hopped into her armored limousine and pulled into the market amid the wail of sirens.

Then, and only then, could Obama purchase her leafy greens. “Now it’s time to buy some food,” she told several hundred people who came to watch. “Let’s shop!”

Cowbells were rung. Somebody put a lei of marigolds around Obama’s neck. The first lady picked up a straw basket and headed for the “Farm at Sunnyside” tent, where she loaded up with organic Asian pears, cherry tomatoes, multicolored potatoes, free-range eggs and, yes, two bunches of Tuscan kale. She left the produce with an aide, who paid the cashier as Obama made her way back to the limousine.

There’s nothing like the simple pleasures of a farm stand to return us to our agrarian roots.

The first lady had encouraged Freshfarm Markets, the group that runs popular farmers markets in Dupont Circle and elsewhere, to set up near the White House, and she helped get the approvals to shut down Vermont Avenue during rush hour on Thursdays. But the result was quite the opposite of a quaint farmers market. Considering all the logistics, each tomato she purchased had a carbon footprint of several tons.

The promotion of organic and locally grown food, though an admirable cause, is a risky one for the Obamas, because there’s a fine line between promoting healthful eating and sounding like a snob. The president, when he was a candidate in 2007, got in trouble in Iowa when he asked a crowd, “Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” Iowans didn’t have a Whole Foods.

The following article comes from Taiwan’s NMA News.

America’s First Family has considerable wealth, but there are people who question whether Michelle Obama’s vacation in Spain is overly posh.

Michelle flies in Air Force Two: cost to taxpayers is $11,351 an hour, at a total cost of $147,563. They’re staying in the first class hotel Villa Padierna, where rooms go for as much as $6,500 a night. And although this is a mother-daughter vacation, they are accompanied by more than 40 friends. Local police also specially marked off a VIP area to prevent Spain’s delicate guests from being disturbed by other tourists.

American people who are suffering from the economic recession are mad as hell seeing the First Lady’s lavish consumption. They bitterly criticize her for wasting taxpayers’ money. There are those who say Michelle is a gold-worshipper who knows nothing of the people’s ills and woes. Some even describe her as a modern day Queen Marie Antoinette.