Michelle Obama viral turnip video: Will it sell healthy food?
| Washington
Michelle Obama has danced with a turnip in the name of promoting healthy eating.
Yes, that鈥檚 a lede we never imagined writing when we entered political journalism. But life is full of surprises. One of them is the co-opting a popular tune, 鈥淭urn Down for What鈥� by DJ Snake and Lil Jon.
Or maybe it鈥檚 the popularity of the Vine more than the video itself that鈥檚 surprising.
Mrs. Obama starts the brief video by saying, 鈥淭urn up, for what." Or maybe it鈥檚 "turnip for what,鈥� that鈥檚 not really clear. Then she boogies to the strains of the DJ Snake song. This has been looped 7 million times as of Wednesday morning.
That鈥檚 right, 7 million. Did your Vine of a cat in a paper bag do that well? Bet it didn鈥檛.
The turnip turnup was a response to another Vine user. Alphacat, doing a pretty good President Obama imitation, had asked Mrs. Obama, 鈥淗ow many calories do you burn every time you 鈥榯urn up?鈥� 鈥�
The viral video is her response. Though it doesn鈥檛 really answer the question, unless the number of calories you burn when you "turn up" is the same as the number in a turnip.
If there is a serious point here, and we鈥檙e not sure there is, it is that the White House once again has shown that it鈥檚 pretty adept at using social media and a wide variety of unusual media outlets to try to get its messages across.
Let鈥檚 face it, the Vine is pretty cute.
鈥淯nless you are Sasha or Malia, you will fully enjoy Michelle Obama dancing with a turnip,鈥� .
It鈥檚 unclear whether the turnip used as a dance partner here came from the White House garden. Mrs. Obama hosted her annual harvest from the garden on Tuesday, so we鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a possibility. According to the Associated Press, she was joined by schoolchildren who helped her gather lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes, among other veggies.
There鈥檚 no word on whether Mr. Obama has decided that today would be a good day to campaign in another state, preferably one with a Five Guys franchise, as opposed to coming home for dinner.
Though there aren鈥檛 many Democratic candidates at this point who would give him safe refuge from a big salad. While the White House may be good at social media, that hasn鈥檛 stopped his job approval rating among likely voters from dipping to 39 percent in .
