“Besides, as long as she’s trying to make school food healthier, she’s not causing trouble elsewhere.”
Actually, this is a golden opportunity for her to create trouble elsewhere. She should be pressed hard on the question whether obese people—who demonstrably have higher health costs, as hundreds of scientific studies attest—should be expected to pay higher premiums under Obamacare. If she says yes, Dems will howl that she is victim-blaming. If she says no, it undercuts her claims about personal responsibility. After all, her entire campaign is premised on the idea that changes in behavior will make a difference. If obesity is beyond a person’s control, that might be a legitimate reason not to unfairly penalize them for “bad genes” etc. But it also means any campaign to change behavior is fruitless since “my genes made me eat” will be the default excuse. If she truly believes people should take responsibility, then it will be entertaining to see her try to explain why charging obese people for their excess health costs is illegitimate.
I remember the press ridicule Nancy Reagan took for “Just say no”. I’m sure that Michelle Obama will face the same.
As it is, there have already been schemes afloat to tax most sugary items such as soda. Now, I have diabetes, but from time to time my blood glucose gets too low, and the best way to raise that level is to drink something sugary such as soda. So....every time my blood glucose gets too low, I'm going to be penalized with a tax on the beverages that bring me back to normal. All because some kid with irresponsible parents or guardians don't keep their children from consuming this stuff in excess. That is asinine.
We are facing losses of various freedoms. Sorry but I don't want to lose another. That is what this obesity campaign is going to do eventually.
People would recognize that as a no win question and she would get sympathy just because someone asked it of her.