Presidential Bake Off - a Follow Up 4 Years in the Making

The Presidential Candidates' Wives Cookie Contest - Sexist, or Delicious?

Every four years, the public demands to know - which presidential candidate's spouse has the best cookie recipe? This is, as I like to call it, the Fourth Debate, one that has proven more effective at predicting future Presidents than any other scientific method to date. (fact check?)

Let's recap.

http://weknowyoudont.blogspot.com/2008/06/presidential-bake-off-of-monumental.html

Four years ago, I reviewed the history of the contest. Pretend my pictures are still there.

Here are just a couple of highlights -

*Hillary managed to defeat Barbara Bush and Elizabeth Dole with the same, classic chocolate chip cookies, despite previous statements that she was not someone who "stays at home and makes cookies". Now that's some good politician-ing!

*Al Gore's wife's name is Tipper Gore! John Kerry's wife is Teresa! Did anyone remember that?

*Last year, Michelle Obama's family recipe for lemon-y shortbread cookies lost to Cindy McCain's butterscotch cookies that were copied from the back of the butterscotch candy packaging, marking the first time in the history of the contest where the winner did not also win the White House, but NOT the first time someone cheated at this "Fourth Debate" (see Barbara Bush, and let's assume Laura Bush circa 2004).

How did this year's contest go? Who won? Who cheated? Whose cookies reigned supreme?

Michelle Obama, after her painful, humiliating defeat four years ago, entered a new recipe. Lemon shortbread, as you might recall, was a poor choice, not because it wasn't delicious, but because it was too "elitist" and "unAmerican".

This year, Michelle upped her game with an impressive variation on the classic un-defeatable American chocolate chip cookie - a WHITE and DARK chocolate chip cookie.

What could be better? The harmony of white and dark, bringing together both sides of the chocolate debate into one delicious concoction that everyone will like. I'm reminded of Jerry Seinfeld - the black and white cookie is the universal symbol of everyone getting along.

If you've been following the "real" debates (does anyone do that?), then this next part might not be too much of a surprise. Ann Romney's M+M cookies were neck and neck, and lost by the smallest margin ever in the (20 year) history of the contest.
America says "close call"!

What does the M+M cookie have to offer? An M+M is a cheap, affordable candy, MADE IN THE USA. It adds a delightful splash of color to your cookie, but, it's not as effective as chocolate in melting.

Here's a picture from the Romney's official Tumblr page of Ann, Mitt, and someone else (anyone know?) making Ann's M+M cookies. Did anyone tell them, rolling pins and pie pans are for MAKING PIES?! What are they DOING? And for goodness sakes' Mitt, TAKE OFF YOUR WATCH! Another epic fail - the Romney campaign's "link" to Ann's cookies doesn't work.

Michelle Obama didn't feel the need to stage a picture of her baking cookies but not actually baking cookies. I wish she did though. Could you imagine how cute it would be if Barack licked the batter off her finger, and Sasha and Malia bit into those cookies and then maybe their dog scampered around the kitchen in excitement? Cuteness to the extreme.

Michelle doesn't need to do that. She's above all that, but not above dishing out the evil eye.

Here's Michelle, looking skeptical at the Romney cookie.

"I don't think so," she thinks. "By the way, don't I look AMAZING?"

So for now, the Obama's have a tiny, delicious victory, one which may potentially sweep the tide (wait a minute, how can a tide be swept?) of this election of fickle voters who choose candidates for unimportant reasons.

Jezebel (naturally) doesn't like it.

http://jezebel.com/5948563/why-the-hell-are-we-still-holding-first-lady-bake+offs-stop-it-stop-it-right-now

Blah, blah blah..It's sexist, they say.

If it was really sexist though, wouldn't Ann Romney, a lifetime stay-at-home mom, win over Michelle, a Princeton educated lawyer? And, Family Circle has acknowledged that if a woman was a Presidential candidate, they'd force the husband to enter a cookie recipe. Bill Clinton had his lined up in 2008, just in case Hillary won the Democratic nom.

The real point of the cookie contest, is not "old fashioned family values", but that everyone likes cookies, and if you don't know how to make one as an adult, you probably should be ashamed of yourself. Instead of satisfying an instant craving by buying a single cookie, you get to mix things together and wait 10 minutes, then receive a plethora of cookies, which can be shared with people you like!