trump would be offended. Divorced dads everywhere are saying, "what?" I'm not like him.

...I do see your point thou.

She’s got a point about worse times. Slavery was definitely “worse times”.
She’s got a point about the general direction.

She has said smarter things.

to deal with kids, and visitation/custody issues, when you are the divorced mom or dad.

Surely there are better analogies - like nightmares? You think it's real and that you won't wake up.

Certainly preferable. Full disclosure, I raised my daughter as a divorced dad from the time she was two and she was always my first priority. Michelle is way out of her depth here. Divorced dads are not junk food, at least no more or less than disengaged married parents.

Tossing out casual opinions on complex matters of which you are mostly uninformed is how people hurt themselves and others.

they go low, we go high." ?? Kinda hard to back out of that one

Your last sentence is so true - and it makes me think I need to stop doing that.

People are getting offended, but it’s actually a very charitable remark. Trump’s supporters are clearly motivated by hate and fear, not by the promise of candy and fun.

I’d defy her to meet my husband, who was a divorced dad, and find any way of comparing him to Trump. She can do much better.

I also thought it was an odd remark when I first read it, but there was probably more context to it.

She’s saying America is like a kid from a broken family who is spending a weekend with their dad after a divorce. It seems like a lot of fun, but then you end up sick.

It is a stereotype, so she shouldn’t have used it, but it’s not exactly offensive.

gaining legal custody of their kids, even if they were the better parent.

She’s not saying the divorced father is a bad parent. She’s saying he tries to buy his children’s love with sweets and junk food. Michelle Obama is being ridiculously polite toward Trump and his supporters, and people here are projecting their own feelings about Trump onto her comments.

The only way her comments are a generalization is that in some cases the mother may be the bad parent and the father a good parent who cooks every day and takes good care of his children. But that’s kind of like saying we should never generalize that women are overburdened with housework ibecause some men do more housework than their wives. As the child of a neglecful divorced father who only showed up twice a year to buy me junk food and a new outfit and didn’t even pay much child support and finally disappeared from my life altogether only to try to get back into it almost 15 years later, I think that her generalization, unfortunately, is pretty accurate.

Rump is WAY worse than any “divorced dad” in my opinion, and I still do not quite get what is wrong with divorced dads.

If he floods the sanctuary cities in the blue states, the states will ultimately get more Electoral College numbers. (Be careful what you wish for, Dictator Donnie.)

to be Michelle's analogy/metaphor/figurative language coach.

I'm thinking something along the lines of a kidnapper, evil clown or Bobby Knight, but not a divorced dad.

Last edited Mon Apr 15, 2019, 03:03 PM - Edit history (1)

"Yes, we are in a low but we have been lower." I don't think so...I cannot stop comparing what is going on in the USA with what went on in Venezuela, the actors may be different but the methodology is the same.

Hugo Chavez, Maduro never hid their agenda, all their corrupt actions were done in plain site, they filled the supreme court with "yes" men, their judicial department (Attorney Generals) were hand-picked and the congress and senate that were stack with loyalists to the regime approved every one of them, they were all "yes men", they filled political positions with incompetent crooks who gladly accepted because they knew they would enrich themselves, Chavez and Maduro lied constantly, they supported and took orders from Fidel Castro and wanted to integrate Cuba to Venezuela. Nothing Castro ever did was bad. The Venezuelan military was packed with Cubans who were named to high positions and have taken control of all the military. They created the biggest division in Venezuelan society, used the USA as the grand enemy and all of Venezuela's problems were caused by that enemy. Chavez talked constantly, lied every day, and made sure to create anxiety in the population by the things he said and did. All the opposition did was to point out how the regime was breaking the laws, they came up with proofs on TV every day, but nothing came of it, the regime just continued with their agenda.

Anyone, do you find any similarities?

To me, this is the most dangerous time in USA history, anyone who thinks that what happened in Venezuela cannot happen here is just putting their heads in the sand. I strongly believe that the situation with the buffoon and the republicans is the most dangerous time USA has faced.

They asked for the Muller report, the deadline came and went...where is the report?
They asked for the buffoon's tax reports, the deadline came and went, where are the tax reports?

And on, and on...where are the subpoenas? So much threat, so little action. Again, in my opinion, this is the beginning of the worst that has happened in the USA. It infuriates me to see Rachel Maddow, and the other people on TV laughing about the corrupt actions the buffoon and his minions do on a daily basis, this is no laughing matter, that is how you normalize corruption.

of the fools who voted for him. They looked forward to staying with permissive, fun-providing and gift buying divirced dad, who hasn't aclue how to actually take care of them day to day.

She wasn't talking about the dads on DU. She was talking about the dads, like Trump, who were never involved in the kids' lives (because of careers or simpleminded machismo... other both) until after the separation. Being the fun parent is a lot easier than being the caregiver.

All big, shiny promises at first, which sound like it's going to be fun and exciting. But then he loses interest and wanders off to pursue his own self gratification, with no thought or care to how painful the impact is on the ones he made grandiose promises to. Yet he keeps telling himself and all his new friends how great of a father he is.

Too polite. That’s why people are misunderstanding and getting offended.

Trump is not like a divorced dad who’s trying to buy his kids’ love with candy and fun. He’s like Hitler trying to gain power by using fear and hate to brainwash the masses.

opposed to a father who just happens to be divorced.
there is no crime in being divorced, for either sex.

There is no deep criticism of the divorced father here. She’s being super-charitable toward Trump and his supporters. She’s saying he’s like a misguided dad trying to buy his children’s love with candy and sweets that will make them sick later.

Michelle Obama is pure class. She doesn’t want to say something bad about someone she will have to meet at public functions for years to come.

... in Michelle's metaphor the "divorced Dad" is the fun-guy who spoils his kids on the weekends and he gets to be fun & cool. Meanwhile "divorced Mom" or "single Mom" has to be both parents, take all the responsibility and enforce the rules. She's no fun!

So the GOP is the Dad and the Dems are the Mom.
If the shoe fits.

“This may feel like a dark chapter but any story has its highs and lows but it continues. Yes, we are in a low but we have been lower. We have had tougher times, we have had more to fear. We have lived through slavery, the Holocaust and segregation.

“We have always come out at the other end – better and stronger. We are moving in a direction of diversity and inclusion. No-one ever said it would be easy. We are just in the throes of the uneasy path of change.”

That is having gas poured on it daily by a dim-witted buffoon interested only in adulations and money.

really bad analogy... sure, there are some Dad's out there that aren't great but it just isn't a good idea to diss single/divorced dads in general... many of them try and are struggling to do the best by their kids

not her best moment, but I get what she was trying to say

In my case "divorced mom" after cheating on me for over a year ran off with a biker guy who was also addicted to opiates ending our 26 year marriage. Her subsequent marriage to that ass lasted a little over 3 years before she divorced him.

So Michelle,the door swings BOTH ways.

You seem to have misunderstood the comment.

Or is Michelle Obama a genius and all divorced dads with kids are horrid? It was a very STUPID statement from her.

She didn't show until 10 months later. I won custody and raised four
children who are all successful. She got to see them every other weekend.
So I am a divorced dad. I don't relate to her analogy.

He is a criminal who on any given day has no money or some money but not billions, not ever.

sounds more like weak tea and wide of the mark as well--lay off divorced dads, please