It's Malia Obama's birthday! Where's the party?
| Washington
Today, July fourth, is Malia Obama鈥檚 birthday. Yes, we know 鈥� it鈥檚 hard to believe that she鈥檚 turning 14. It seems like only yesterday that she wasn鈥檛 much taller than Bo the First Dog when they went on Rose Garden walks.
Well, maybe she was always a bit taller than that given that now she鈥檚 almost the same height as her Dad. But the big question is party, as in, will she get a birthday celebration or not?
Probably. The White House isn鈥檛 saying, since they don鈥檛 comment on First Daughter activities. 聽But Malia, sister Sasha, and mom and Dad spent a long weekend at Camp David, returning to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue only this morning. It鈥檚 quite possible the weekend featured personal festivities, including presents (iPad? Jewelry? Clothing as stylish as her mom鈥檚?).
The Obamas do believe in birthday parties, after all. Earlier this year Sasha, whose birthday is in June, got an 11th birthday fete at a Red Robin restaurant in suburban Virginia. Ten friends 鈥� plus Malia and Michelle Obama 鈥� participated.
Last June, Sasha, friends, and a passel of pink balloons had , a well-known DC sugar emporium. You could tell something was up due to the presence of casually dressed Secret Service agents loitering in front of the store.
Of course, older sister Malia鈥檚 problem is that her birthday falls on the birthday of the country. People born on other big holidays 鈥� December 25th comes to mind 鈥� know the feeling. On the one hand, people forget it鈥檚 your day, too. On the other, you can pretend that all the hoopla is personal.
So in that sense Malia is participating in a big party, bigger than any Sasha has yet received. Plus, it will be televised.
That鈥檚 because President Obama is hosting and salute to the US military tonight on the White House grounds. The headliner is country star Brad Paisley. There will also be a barbecue, games, a set from the Marine Band, and a great view of the Washington fireworks.
The whole thing is being streamed live from .
So now that she鈥檚 14, will Malia go on the stump and campaign for her father鈥檚 reelection? We doubt it, but she and her sister are beginning to appear in Obama reelection ads.
That鈥檚 because both they and their mother rate high in public esteem. Michelle Obama鈥檚 favorable scores surpass her husband鈥檚. There aren鈥檛 many polls that touch on Sasha and Malia, but one 2009 survey from Public Policy Polling found that 54 percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of the girls. Only five percent had an unfavorable opinion.
For the Obama camp the point is not to highlight the girls per se, but to highlight the president鈥檚 role as a family man. Michelle Obama has begun to use social media, including her Facebook and Pinterest accounts, to post pictures and reminiscences of the family, which are then widely reposted by fans.
