Here are my initial impressions:

• Her first known relative, Melvinia, had a tough, complicated life.
  The article opens:

  In 1850, the elderly master of a South Carolina estate took pen in hand and painstakingly divided up his possessions. Among the spinning wheels, scythes, tablecloths and cattle that he bequeathed to his far-flung heirs was a 6-year-old slave girl valued soon afterward at $475.

  It is later revealed that Melvinia had a child around age of fifteen that was categorized as "mulatto," the official term then for someone who was biracial. The reporters note:

  It is difficult to say who might have impregnated Melvinia, who gave birth to Dolphus around 1859, when she was perhaps as young as 15. At the time, Henry Shields was in his late 40s and had four sons ages 19 to 24, but other men may have spent time on the farm as well.

  "No one should be surprised anymore to hear about the number of rapes and the amount of sexual exploitation that took place under slavery; it was an everyday experience, " said Jason A. Gillmer, a law professor at Texas Wesleyan University, who has researched liaisons between slave owners and slaves. "But we do find that some of these relationships can be very complex."

  What happened with Melvinia cannot be determined. The article indicates later that another child was born post-emancipation. That could mean that the relationship continued - or it could mean that, like sharecropping, certain practices continued for lack of better options. Later on, Melvinia left the area and reunited with other people she had worked with at her original plantation. On her death certificate, it is written that her parents are unknown.

• Passing and the promise of education figure prominently in Michelle's family history.
  
  When discussing the path of Melvinia's offspring, it was noted:

  Dolphus Shields was in his 30s and very light skinned - some say he looked like a white man - a church-going carpenter who could read, write and advance in an industrializing town. By 1900, he owned his own home, census records show. By 1911, he had opened his own carpentry and tool sharpening business. [...]

  At a time when blacks despaired at the intransigence and violence of whites who barred them from voting, from most city jobs, from whites-only restaurants and from owning property in white neighborhoods, Dolphus Shields served as a rare link between the deeply divided communities.

  His carpentry shop stood in the white section of town, and he mixed easily and often with whites. "They would come to his shop and sit and talk," Mrs. Holt said.

  Dolphus Shields believed race relations would improve. "It's going to come together one day," he often said, Mrs. Holt recalled.

• Don't ever read the comments on these kind of things.

  I should know better by now, but I occasionally take a peek. I stopped when one of the comments listed said "I have no sympathy for the Obama's who are rich and influential...Eastern Europeans and Asians really had to struggle when they got here." Twenty-six people recommended that comment.

• It is important to remember that the Obama family did not necessarily participate in the information gathering of the article.
  

  Mrs. Obama and her family declined to comment for this article, aides said, in part because of the personal nature of the subject.

  Probing one's past can lead to all kinds of revelations, all of which are not necessarily for public consumption. While the story is both fascinating and complex, the Obamas have not faded away into the history books. And having a deeply personal part of one's ancestry out for the world to comment upon is a little unnerving. I don't think what the reporters did was wrong - but as a person who also only has a hazy grasp of her ancestry, I just find it unsettling.

• This article illuminates the past but, sadly, will not eradicate bigotry.

  As I read the piece, reminders of the dismissive comment about Michelle Obama's "slave blood," was bandied about by the likes of Charles Steele and Rush Limbaugh during the election cycle, kept resurfacing.

  Some people have lauded this as an American story, one of triumph and uplift. But viewed through the lens of all the racist vitriol churned up since 2008, the story also seems to function as a reminder that some of us are more American than others.

In First Lady's Roots, A Complex Path From Slavery [NY Times]
Yeah They Said It!: "Slave Blood"- SCLC and Rush Limbaugh [Michelle Obama Watch]

Health Care

I was really disappointed with this conversation, for multiple reasons. Over on Meet the Press, Obama backed away yet again from a public option, but reinforced the idea of mandatory health care coverage.

DAVID GREGORY: Those narrow differences can also, in some cases, be very big differences. And as you were president elect, last year, you said to the nation, "In light of the huge challenges that the country faces," you said- "we're going to have to make hard choices. And not all of these choices are going to be popular." What are the hard choices that you are now asking the American people to make? And who are you gonna say no to - in order to get health care done?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well- I- I've already made some- pretty substantial changes in terms of how I was approaching health care. When I was -

DAVID GREGORY: Like the public option. You effectively said to the left, "It's not gonna happen."

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well what I - no, no, that's not true. What I - what I've said is the public option, I think, should be a part of this but we shouldn't think that, somehow, that's the silver bullet that solves health care. What I've said, for example, on - what's called an individual mandate. During the campaign I said, "Look, if - health care is affordable, then I think people will buy it." So we don't have to say to - to folks, "You know what? You have to buy health care."

And - what - when I talked to health care experts on both the left and the right what they tell me is that, even after you make health care affordable, there's still gonna be some folks out there who - whether out of inertia, or they just don't want to but - spend the money - would rather take their chances.

Unfortunately, what that means, is then you and I and every American out there who has health insurance, and are paying their premiums responsibly every month, they've gotta pick up the cost for- emergency room care when one of those people gets sick. So what we've said as long as we're making this genuinely affordable to families then you've got an obligation to get health care just like you have an obligation to get auto insurance in every state.

No one is discussing what genuinely affordable means. I am sure, some would argue that most COBRA coverage is genuinely affordable as they charge you triple the rate of your current premium while knowing you are unemployed. And, considering so many Americans are unemployed, how do we justify adding yet another mandatory expense on to already stretched budgets? Is unemployment going to start stepping in to cover the costs of your mandatory health coverage?

Obama says "we've gotta get past some of these ideological arguments to actually make something happen." But this is starting to feel like we're leaving ideology by the side of the road in favor of some milquetoast compromise, the watered-down gruel of health care reform. What is the point of "making something happen" if the majority of people who are uninsured still cannot afford health insurance?

Blame it on the Media!

Obama declares that much of this beast is the media's making. The Politico summarizes his circular style media takedown:

"Sometimes I think that, frankly, the media encourages some of the outliers in behavior, because, let's face it, the easiest way to get on television right now is to be really rude," Obama said on ABC's "This Week." "If you're just being sensible and giving people the benefit of the doubt and you're making your arguments, you don't get time on the nightly news. … But if you say something outrageous, you're there in a hot second."

Obama continued his media lecture on CNN's State of the Union, CBS's Face the Nation and NBC's Meet the Press. The only interviewer he spared his media critique was Univision's Jorge Ramos.

"You know, and the other thing I've got to say is, is that I think it's important for the media — you know, not to do any media-bashing here — to recognize that right now, in this 24-hour news cycle, the easiest way to get on CNN is or FOX or any of the other stations — MSNBC — is to just say something rude and outrageous," Obama told CNN's John King. "If you're civil, and polite, and you're sensible, and you don't exaggerate the — the bad things about your opponent, and, you know, you might maybe get on one of the Sunday morning shows, but you're not going to be on the loop."

And there he was on Meet the Press, suggesting to host David Gregory that the media generated the race dialogue. And he told Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer about how conflict is reporters' "catnip."

"And I have to, one last point I've got to make Bob," Obama said, winding up. "And that is I do think part of what's different today is that the 24-hour news cycle and cable television and blogs and all this, they focus on the most extreme elements on both sides. They can't get enough of conflict. It's catnip to the media right now. And so the easiest way to get 15 minutes of fame is to be rude to somebody. In that environment I think it makes it more difficult for us to solve the problems that he American people sent us here to solve."

Personally, speaking as a blogger, I am sick to death of conflict. My apathy is entirely caused by the fact that having a heated debate isn't much fun when your opponents are misinformed and/or unwilling to use fact based tactics. And I don't respond well to hysteria.

This is not discourse. It's an embrace of willful ignorance and idiocy. The media did not create Joe Wilson. He choose to shout out "You Lie!" and he chose to blatantly distort the truth while it sits quietly, waiting for someone to search the text of the health care bill. But people are choosing not to do so. They are choosing to believe talking heads and frightened politicians over actual facts, and this is where our current crisis lies. The media is a reflection of what we, as a people, are willing to accept and support. And the foundations of our democracy are in serious peril if our populace is choosing to remain uninformed.

President Obama, we have far greater problems than ratings battles.

Race? Nah, it's not about race...

I am also getting tired of the constant bobbing and weaving (notice I did NOT say "shuck and jive" because the two terms are NOT synonymous) when it comes to an actual conversation about race. I will agree with Obama that race is "catnip" for the media - but that is only because they like to bat around the same tired conversations and ignore the actual issues. Rarely do we hear a discussion of systemic racism, of the racialized aspects of poverty and unemployment. Instead, it's the same old game of "Is this racist? - He said/She said" which tries to max out the controversy while minimizing historical context and solutions.

Unfortunately, instead of elevating the conversation, Obama is sticking to the we-are-one-nation narrative - even where there are some clear divisions emerging:

In a number of interviews, Obama also addressed the tone of a heated summer debate over healthcare, and President Carter's contention that racism underlies critics' Hitler comparisons and other harsh attacks on Obama.

Obama disagreed with Carter, saying that the invective instead reflected the kind of turmoil that is common "when presidents are trying to bring about big changes."

"Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are," Obama told CNN's John King. "That's not the overriding issue here."

Obama told NBC News' David Gregory, "Look, I said during the campaign, 'Are there some people who still think through the prism of race when it comes to evaluating me or my candidacy?' Absolutely. Sometimes they vote against me for that reason, sometimes they vote for me for that reason."

He took a longer view of his critics' motivations: "It's an argument that's gone on for the history of this republic, and that is, What's the right role of government? . . . This is not a new argument, and it always invokes passions."

Ummhmm...tell that to Little Miss I Want My Country Back.

The GOP Says

(Aside to the Politico: Reax? Really? To put the -cts on the end was too much?)

The Republicans provided their usual non-option in response to the increasingly grim health care plan:

"We can fix our current system. We can make it work better. We don't have to throw it away and have the big government plan that we see moving through the House. And if you look at what the president has been supporting, it's this big government plan," said House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Boehner said Republican reform ideas include allowing small businesses to form national associations to buy health care, allowing people to buy insurance across state lines and reforming medical malpractice liability laws.

"I don't know that the tone of the debate has gotten out of control," said Boehner, adding that people are intensely engaged because the debate affects them personally.

Clearly, John Boehner has access to meds. And they must be working well, for him to spout that bullshit without blinking. The tone alone is cause for concern - I know I am not the only one waiting to see a protester frothing at the mouth on national television. And again, making incremental reforms isn't helping the 44 million Americans without care, or the tens of millions of Americans with inadequate care who are routinely denied services they need. Making it easier for people to access this fucked up system is not the same as fixing this fucked up system.

However, the stance of one Olympia Snowe is a good sign:

Ms. Snowe has not endorsed either Democratic health care bill in the Senate. No Republican has.

But in an interview, she offered a surprisingly robust endorsement of Mr. Obama's skepticism about expanding government too much, his willingness to accommodate different views and his assertion that Washington must act now after decades of failure.

Those views directly contradict the assertions of Republican leaders, who accuse Mr. Obama of pursuing a radical expansion of government, spurning dialogue and unduly rushing to enact his agenda. Ms. Snowe's analysis of the discrepancy: she has maintained traditional Republican principles over 30 years in Washington, while her party has moved past them to the right.

"I haven't changed as a Republican," she said. "I think more that my party has changed."

That it has.

Overall, I didn't feel at all different about any of the issues after watching the Sunday rounds. I'm still not a fan of David Gregory on Meet the Press and I am still grieving for Tim Russert. I am saddened at the dilution of the news as an entity and the rise of news as sport. I am aware of why politicians choose to dodge key questions and stick with talking points, but I am annoyed anyway. And I find myself agreeing with Howard Kurtz, when he notes,

And the more [Obama] waltzes onto every show this side of "Dancing With the Stars," the more he risks being seen as just another programming element, his words quickly fading into the electronic ether.

Meet the Press [MSNBC]
Obama chides media [Politico]
Andrew Cuomo on Obama: 'You Can't Shuck And Jive' at a press conf [Pam's House Blend]
In media blitz, Obama says vitriol isn't racism-based [LA Times]
GOP reax to Obama interviews [Politico]
The President's Best Hope in the G.O.P. [NY Times]
Obama's TV Blitz: On The Air, but Off His Game? [Washington Post]

Earlier:

They Think They're Mad About Healthcare?

The thing is, I felt like the whole thing was humanizing of the presidency, from start to finish, including his self-deprecating remark about bowling, because politicians are usually so careful and calculating about everything they say, that they can come off as Cylons. Also, George W. Bush would never have said anything remotely like the "Special Olympics" remark — because we all know he has problems correctly pronouncing three-syllable words.

• 3 are dead and 12 wounded after a man in Belgium went on a rampage in a daycare center. The suspect is a local man with a history of mental illness. • Ugh: America apparently has its own Joseph Fritzl. A rural Missouri man is facing charges for the murder of at least one of the four children he has fathered with his now-19 year old daughter. • Even Girl Scout cookies are feeling the harsh bite of the recession: due to costs, several kinds of cookies were recently re-sized (which sadly includes thin mints). • A controversial art exhibit in London has been charged with violating decency laws. The project is a "make your own Maddy McCann porn," and encourages visitors to paste images of the missing toddler onto pornographic images. • A pair of lions from the Gaza Zoo were some of the only animals to survive the recent attacks, and are now expecting cubs. • An Iowa woman has been arrested for failure to return a library book. The book in question is valued at $13.95. • Following Pepsi, Starbucks has decided to cash in on the Obama image, with this ad, which copies an Obama video down to the music. • George Anthony, grandfather to murdered toddler Caylee Anthony, is being held on suicide watch, and faces psychiatric evaluation after leaving a five page suicide note in the family car. • A new study has found that out of women who IM their partner, the ones who used the pronoun "I" a lot are happier than those who used "we." • On a recent survey, more than half of the respondents looking after a relative with dementia admitted to mistreating their ward. Most of the reported abuse was verbal, but 3 of the 220 people questioned copped to physical abuse as well. • Pakistani newlyweds Pervez Chachar and Humera Kambo are currently living in the local police headquarters out of fear of their families. Chachar and Kambo were from rival tribes, and Chachar's family believes that they are honor bound to kill his wife. • Mattel Inc is set to introduce several new toys for 2009, including the creepy-sounding "Elmo Tickle Hands." The "hands" are furry red gloves that vibrate and laugh when they touch flesh. • Black students may be preforming better in school this week because of the "Obama effect," a study says. • More change! The Obama administration is expected to reopen the Statue of Liberty's crown to visitors. • Click here to learn 10 random facts about Dr. Seuss stories. • New research has found that drinking three cups of tea a day could slash the risk of breast cancer by 37%. • Feeling overwhelmed? Read this story about Adwai Madual, a single mother of quintuplets, and suddenly your end of the week workload won't seem so bad. • And if that doesn't work, here's a slide show that documents the medical history of circumcision. Did you know only 50% of U.S. males were circumcised in 2008? • And finally, a slide show of the top ten gay movies. Unsurprisingly, "Brokeback Mountain" is number one. • 

The Globe attributes the female shift towards Obama to three things: the tanking economy, Obama's inclusive health care plan, and McCain's move to anti-choice land. "Obama has maintained a quieter but aggressive campaign through mail and radio ads to claim that his opponent 'will make abortion illegal,'" the Globe says. "McCain's strategists have conceded that the candidate's opposition to abortion has hurt his standing among suburban women."

At this point, Palin's support is far greater than men than among women, despite the reproductive equipment she shares with the latter group. As Megan noted in yesterday's News Roundup, McCain has adopted Hillary Clinton's mortgage buyout plan as an attempt to woo female voters, but we have our fingers crossed and salt thrown over our right shoulders and we're hoarding rabbit feet in the hopes that things continue trending in this utterly awesome way.

[Image via Yes We Can (Hold Babies)]

Losing Female Support, McCain Alters Approach [Boston Globe via Newser]
The Female Vote [Time]

We applaud Michelle for taking on this challenge, especially given her own wild past and penchant for baring her cleavage at every given opportunity, but we're of mixed emotions at the goal: should a woman rob her high-profile daughters of the chance to fuck up relentlessly before the eyes of America? Because if a girl isn't allowed to get wasted and act like a retard in the public eye, how big an advance can she really expect to net on the redemption novel she writes after taking her redemption trip to an AIDS-stricken Third World country?

Barack Obama's wife says she doesn't want daughters to be partiers [WANDtv.com]
Earlier: Barack Obama Lures The Elusive Slutty Anxious Female Demographic