By Mentioning the Obama Girls, Did a Charity Ad Campaign Go Too Far?

A charity’s campaign to fight obesity among youngsters is drawing controversy, according to Politico, a news site that covers Washington.

The advocacy effort by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
features these words from 8-year-old Jasmine Messiah: “President Obama’s daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don’t I?”

Eye-grabbing, yes, but is the campaign in poor taste?

Politico suggests the campaign may anger the White House. “This is not the way to win the heart of the president,” Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, told the news organization.

The advocacy effort also includes a letter from Ms. Messiah to Sasha and Malia Obama, in which she urges them to sign the group’s petition to Congress calling for more vegan, vegetarian, and non-dairy food options in public schools.

The nonprofit group says it’s not worried about angering the White House. “I’m more concerned that Congress gets the message,” says Susan Levin, director of the group’s nutrition education program. “And if they get it because it raises Obama’s eyebrow, so be it.”

What do you think of the campaign?