Limbaugh Turns To Rumor Mill To Continue Attacks On Michelle Obama

Rush Limbaugh rarely needs a reason to launch attacks on first lady Michelle Obama. This week, he was given the perfect opportunity to further his attacks when he parroted unsubstantiated claims from the Drudge Report that claimed “Michelle Obama [was] furious with cooking queen Paula Dean [sic].”

The Drudge headline linked to a National Enquirer article alleging that Michelle Obama “is now furious with Southern cooking queen PAULA DEEN for crowing that the first lady, a healthy-eating advocate who's waging a war against childhood obesity, pigs out on fatten­ing foods.” The Enquirer quoted an unnamed source saying, “Michelle's spitting mad. ... She thinks Paula is trying to smear her and her family just as the 2012 presidential election race swings into gear.”

The Enquirer further reported:

The trouble first began before Barack Obama was even elected president in 2008, when Michelle made a guest appearance on Deen's popular “Paula's Party” show and revealed that fried shrimp was her family's favorite meal.

Then in an interview after filming the program, Paula quipped that Michelle would be serving high-fat, greasy and sugary foods in the White House if Obama won the election!

Now Paula is rehashing those attacks on Michelle in an attempt to plug her latest cookbook and offset Michelle's new book about eating healthy, noted the source.

“She's no different than the rest of us,” Paula said about Michelle in a new interview.

Paula added: “She probably ate more than any other guest I ever had on the show! She kept eating even dur­ing commercials. Know what (the Obamas') favorite foods are? Hot wings. Y'know -- those kinds of foods that aren't necessarily top-of-the-list healthy foods.”

Not known for his fact-checking skills, Limbaugh stated:

LIMBAUGH: I read all of this, and nowhere do I see Moochelle getting around to denying what Paula Deen is saying. All Moochelle's upset about is that Paula Deen is saying it. But Moochelle's not denying liking all that food. Just mad that Paula Deen's saying so.

[...]

LIMBAUGH: By what measure or standard is Michelle Obama qualified on these subjects? So, she's first lady. That means she's qualified to tell everybody else how to eat, what to eat, when to eat, and where to eat? And not just food advice. Moochelle is now giving parenting advice. What makes her think most parents in this country need lectures from her about parenting? I mean, the arrogance of these people, folks, it's just astounding.

It's not clear whether the Enquirer, which markets rumors as news, tried to reach Deen before running with the “Obama vs. Dean [sic]!” “food fight” report. However, just hours after Limbaugh hyped the rumor, it was quashed by Deen herself. The New York Post's Page Six reported:

Paula Deen says there's no beef between her and Michelle Obama. After reports that Deen was in trouble for crowing that the healthy-eating first lady enjoys fried foods, Deen told us, “There's no truth ... that Mrs. Obama called me to stop talking about her [2008] appearance on my program. We had the best time. I taught her how to make fried shrimp and fries. It was easy to see by her buff arms she follows a healthy lifestyle, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the food. Everything in moderation!”

Limbaugh previously berated Michelle Obama for, of all things, shopping at Target. So it's a given that we haven't heard the last of his “Moochelle” attacks.