The XX Factor: What women really think.

Michelle Obama and Me

We are both Brady Bunch addicts, I learn from Jodi Kantor's story in the New York Times today. What does this mean? Well, for me it means lots of childhood afternoons spent reveling in the scrapes of a family that was even bigger than mine. Since I'm the oldest, it's no surprise that I fixated on Marcia and Greg. Remember his groovy pad? Ridiculous, yes, but also familiar, in the sense of wanting to grow up and away from a household filled with younger kids. I think it was this preview of adolescence that stuck with me, rather than the show's retro-gender roles for the parents. Of course, for Michelle O. the show's significance could be entirely different—there's its utter whiteness, for example, and those loopy trips to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon. But never mind—this is exactly the sort of tidbit about a candidate's family that gives me a sense of closeness. False, no doubt. But I get to imagine sitting down and talking favorite episodes with her.