Former first lady Michelle Obama calls the president who succeeded her husband "a misogynist" in her new book.
This will not be decried widely as a further cheapening of our political culture.
Kay Hymowitz has a fascinating review of Mrs. Obama's new book, Becoming, out today, in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Hymowitz describes the admirable striving of Michelle Robinson's family and their belief in education, as portrayed in the former first lady's book.
As Hymowitz notes, it is "jarring" when towards the end of the book Mrs. Obama, one of the most admired women in the world, writes about being "marginalized by race and gender." Mrs. Obama describes her "invisibility."
Invisibility–an odd claim from a beloved woman whose image (unlike the current first lady's) has graced countless magazine covers.
I haven't read the book but I am bothered by reports of the former first lady's blatant expression of bitterness over President Trump. She could not even muster a smile at his inauguration ceremonies, the minimum for civility:
"Someone from Barack's administration might have said that the optics there were bad, that what the public saw didn't reflect the President's reality or ideals, but in this case, maybe it did," Obama said in audio of the book. "Realizing it, I made my own optic adjustment. I stopped even trying to smile."
I am also troubled by Mrs. Obama's apparent dismissal of women who voted for Trump. It closely parallels Hillary Clinton's dismissal of women who disagree with her:
"I will always wonder about what led so many, women in particular, to reject an exceptionally qualified female candidate and instead choose a misogynist as their president," Obama wrote.
How about high unemployment, a stagnant economy and a feeling that many working Americans were being forgotten?
These were factors for many intelligent women who opted to displease Mrs. Obama and Hillary Clinton with their votes.
It would be foolish to try to defend President Trump's behavior as revealed in the disgraceful Access Hollywood tape, numerous and highly unfortunate appearances on the Howard Stern show, or in the Stormy Daniels episode.
But a misogynist is somebody who hates women and I can't see hiring people like Kellyanne Conway, Nikki Haley, and Betsy DeVos as indications of disdain for women.
It is distressing that Mrs. Obama, who has had such a wonderful life and is an inspiration for so many Americans (and people around the world), is disdainful of women who did not vote for her favored candidate.
And it's too bad that she didn't hold in the disdain for Trump for a few more years.
But that's not how it works nowadays.