Michelle Obama says $600 won’t buy much other than “a pair of earrings.”

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Republican Party is seeking public input to help Michelle Obama better understand the value of $600, after she complained during a recent campaign appearance in economically struggling Michigan that those $600 “economic stimulus” checks aren’t good for much more than a new pair of earrings.

Answering an audience member’s question after a speech in Pontiac, Michigan, last week, Mrs. Obama criticized the recent economic stimulus plan’s $600 checks to taxpayers as not being worth very much:

“You’re getting $600 - what can you do with that? Not to be ungrateful or anything, but maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn’t pay down every bill every month. The short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings.”^[i]

Now, we don’t begrudge Mrs. Obama - a multimillionaire who lives in a 3-story, 6,400-square-foot $1.95 million mansion in Chicago’s wealthy Hyde Park enclave, complete with 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 4 fireplaces, glass-door bookcases fashioned from Honduran mahogany, and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar - $600 earrings if that’s what she wants to spend her money on.

We just know most Tennesseans - and most Americans - don’t live that way, and certainly can’t relate to a multimillionaire complaining about the cost of expensive earrings.

Here are some things we think many Tennessee families would be more likely to spend $600 on than earrings:

1. 150 gallons of gas - though they could buy more if Democrats would only stop blocking increased domestic oil production.
2. One to three months of daycare or pre-school for a young child^[ii]
3. A month’s worth of groceries for a family of four
4. More than five months’ worth of the average electric bill.^[iii]
5. Save it in a child’s college fund.
6. Replace an old washer or dryer.
7. Pay for children’s clothes and school supplies for the new school year.

If you can think of better ways to spend $600 than on a new pair of earrings, we’d like to hear about it. Just email us at 600DollarEarrings@gmail.com.

“Just as her husband Barack Obama did with his comments criticizing rural Americans for ‘clinging to guns and religion, Michelle Obama continues to reveal just how elitist and out-of-touch are this couple who want to move into the White House next year,” said Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “As a working woman, I can tell you the typical Tennessee mom - whether she works at home or outside the home - isn’t spending $600 on earrings, and certainly wouldn’t complain that a $600 gift wasn’t enough.”

The Tennessee Republican Party yesterday announced the launch of the Tennessee Women for McCain Coalition. http://www.tngop.org/wordpress/2008/07/14/tennessee-women-for-mccain-coalition-launched/

“I am shocked that Michelle Obama would have the gall to think that women are not savvy enough to find $30 earrings and then pay for some necessary bills with the rest of their $600,” said Kathryn Mahoney, chairman of Tennessee Women for McCain. “I am appalled that the Democratic view is that women don’t know how to manage their money, as this comment clearly tell us. This tells us that as women we need to step up and show the Democrats that we are not only smart enough but savvy enough to know that we will take a piece of our $600 and give it to the Republican Party as they respect and listen to where women stand on the issues.”

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^[i]http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/15/inside-politics/

^[ii]http://www.naccrra.org/randd/data/docs/TN.pdf

^[iii]http://www.nespower.com/resrates.aspx