Frustration and disappointment at Michelle Obama’s lack of pride

“What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something — for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment.”

 That is quite a statement for Mrs. Obama to make. She feels “frustration and disappointment”. Is that disappointment because she would have prefered Yale Law School to Harvard? Perhaps her frustration comes from having to settle for a job at the silk purse law firm of Sidley Austin (US 6th largest ) rather than the esteemed Kirkland & Ellis firm (US 4th largest)? Does her lack of pride stem from the fact that the daughter of working class blue-collar parents could only afford to attend Princeton rather than Wellesley College ? Her father was a city pump operator  and her mother worked for Spiegel’s Catalog as a secretary, yet they had two children who both attended Ivy league colleges…..sadly, this system is just not working for Michelle. I can see why she wants change. 

My parents were an immigrant family, arriving in the US during the 1950’s…….with a 4 year old child and six dollars. My father dealt with a language barrier, and strong anti-German sentiment. He struggled every day. He made his family a home…he actually constructed much of our house himself, finding time to build after returning home from working his regular job. My mother stayed at home and raised the kids. My brother went to a state college (the family actually paid the tuition….imagine that) and I joined the Army and work in public service. We both have enormous pride in our country. Neither of us feel frustration and disappointment, though we did not lead the charmed life of the beautiful, well-dressed, well educated, wealthy and well connected Michelle Obama.

There is a pride that we were taught at home in the accomplishments of our adopted Nation. It is a pride that came from watching my parents live the American Dream as they achieved success in life through hard work and determination. It is a pride I felt when I wore the uniform of an American soldier standing on the “one inch line” against the Soviets on the other side of the Iron Curtain. I felt that same pride when, in 1987, my President said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” and a short two years later, down it came. I feel that pride when America rushes to the aid of victims of foreign earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. That pride is in my heart every time I go to the polls to peacefully cast my ballot. The pride is there as I read America’s history (most of it written long before my family arrived here)….a history of good and bad deeds, but a history that shows a relentless march toward doing the right things.

I will teach that pride to my children, so that they do not grow up with the same hole in their hearts that Michelle Obama has lived with all these years. I will teach them to value the opportunity that America represents for them and to appreciate what they have.  I hope that my children will see the great things that America represents…..things like the success that Michelle Obama found for herself. Perhaps they will find the same treasures waiting for them, but if not, I hope they will have the wisdom not to covet the success of the Obamas or to jealously label them as privileged and use them as fodder for politically correct speeches about the gap between the rich and the poor. I hope that my children will see that America already has something for everyone who wants change….and is willing to work for it.

I was inspired to write down my thoughts after reading Michelle Malkin’s post on her website so it’s only fair to link to it. She comes to the same conclusions, she just says it better than I do.