Michelle Obama Accused of Being Broad-Minded

I’ll bet you anything you want those books were there before she was. Anything. This has wingnut fail written all over it.

@Tommmcatt Say Relax: Well, the point they’re trying to make is that she “chose” these books from storage, therefore she’s responsible for the results. (They’re also trying to tie it to Santa Mao, which I didn’t include here.)

But these are all history books one way or another, not advocacy books — and American political history, at that, not to mention mid-century American political history for the most part. The White House library is large, it contains multitudes.

@nojo:

The White House library is large, it contains multitudes.

Which is why I would suspect she didn’t “pick” a single one of those books. I’d have to go on the tour to be sure, but I’ll bet that the bit about the tour guide saying the books were selected by the first lady is apocryphal.

And even so, as you say, so what?

@Tommmcatt Say Relax: Here’s the really amusing part: Based on Amazon rankings over the past year, what’s the one book you’re likely to find on a wingnut bookshelf?

Rules for Radicals. Saul Alinsky.

I know, I know: “wingnut bookshelf”. I’m being generous.

There is no point. I read Fukuyama in college. Doesn’t make me a neocon.

@mellbell:
I read Fukuyama by CHOICE. It doesn’t make me a neocon, but that simple fact makes me stupid (didn’t pay though through the miracle of the Public Libraries.)

@Tommmcatt Say Relax: WaPo confirms:

The only problem is the books Port photographed have been sitting in the library since 1963.

Socialist First Ladies, 1963-present: Jackie, Lady Bird, Pat, Betty, Rosalynn, Nancy, Barbara, Hillary, Laura, Michelle.

@nojo:
hilarious

@nojo: Nancy? I don’t think Ronnie read a fucking book in his life.

@Dodgerblue: Nancy, not Ronnie. Barbara removed the Astrology books.

the best would be if they were those fake decorator books.

@Capt Howdy: Besides, the Communist Manifesto is in the master bedroom. They’re not stupid.

@ManchuCandidate: I actually cited him in my thesis. Something about how trust (among citizens, and of the government) is an important element of strong democracies. And from what I understand he’s repented so far as his support of Bush and the Iraq War goes. But still, this “you are what you eat” theory of readership is a little absurd.

The titles alone have caused a miasma of boredom to lie heavy upon my eyes.

@nojo:

Salmon Bicycle. Such as.

@nojo:

Vindicated!!!!!

What, no Derrick Jensen Endgame? Why am I not surprised?

They call themselves socialist? Fuck me.

“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”

This is one of my favorite quotes (attributed all over the internet to one Jo Godwin, but they got that from an article by librarian Mary Jo Godwin who in turn attributed it to Anonymous I think) to try to get people to understand that if there’s a book in the library that offends them, I’m sure there’s another one that offends me and if we’re all allowed to have books removed because we’re offended, there would be nothing left. I guar-an-tee that Yale librarian also chose books on McCarthyism, and if the collection’s been kept up there’s probably stuff about the Reagan revolution and neo-cons as well.