In 2013, John Avarosis wrote a piece: Why do Republicans so hate Michelle Obama?
In it he discusses the obsession that American conservatives have with the First Lady, or what has been referred to as 'Michelle Derangement Syndrome'; believing that they would prefer a Betty Boop, to an accomplished and articulate woman.
However, as Avarosis points out, they are simply playing to the "fringe masses" that now control the Republicans.
We witness the same thing with Canada's Conservative Party. They may not believe all of the nonsense they spew, but it riles up their fringe mass, who take to social media with some of the most vile attacks on anything Liberal.
In Parliament, the CPC do not act like the Opposition, but more like obstructionists, attacking everything Prime Minister Trudeau says or does, just for the sake of attacking it. Red meat for their base.
So it was no surprise when this week they extended their assaults to his mother and then his wife. Whoop, whoop!
What was a surprise, was that the NDP joined the fray. MP Niki Ashton boasted of dissing Mrs. Trudeau on her Facebook page, prompting this response:
Her childish behaviour was in response to our Prime Minister wanting his wife to have a small staff to help her perform her duties. Nothing new. Mila Mulroney had a suite of four staffed offices and Laureen Harper, an entourage of tax payer funded employees.
They should have a staff and frankly I'm surprised that this was never mandated.
Ashton quipped that nobody asked Sophie Trudeau to get involved, but Canadians certainly expect her to. When she travels with her husband, she plays an important role, just as others before her.
Laureen Harper helped to soften our image, in contrast to her robotic and often bullying, husband. Mila Mulroney was a perfect hostess, and while she never really championed* important causes, she was beautiful and gracious, and made us proud.
Canadians could not have asked for a better symbol of Canada and Canadian values than Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. She is not only beautiful, stylish and gracious, but she is a true humanitarian.
Her work on mental health issues and empowering women, has won her awards, so her potential contributions are enormous. Let's give her an office and a staff and the respect she deserves.
Like Michelle Obama, she is no Betty Boop, but I do see Ashton as Wile E Coyote, riding an Acme rocket trying to catch her. This will not end well for the NDP.
*Advocate for Cystic Fibrosis