
As some conservatives complain about Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” anti-obesity program being a characteristic of “big government,” The First Lady replied back to critics Tuesday morning by reiterating the importance she feels with having more healthy Americans.
In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Obama expressed to co-host Robin Roberts the confidence she feels in her program while promoting her new book American Grown.
“This isn’t about government telling people what to do,” she said. “What we know we need to do is give parents, community, families the tools and information they need to make choices that are right for them and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
“‘Let’s Move!’ is a way of giving people the tools and information and it really requires everybody to step up. We need our mayors stepping up, restructuring cities so that kids have safer places to play. We need our food manufacturers stepping up and really thinking about how to reformulate food products so that they are a little more healthy and affordable. We need big supermeasures to locate grocery stores in underserved communities.”
Conservatives, from Rush Limbaugh to Rep. Michelle Bachmmann, along with right-wing bloggers, have slammed Obama’s program.
Their attacks prompted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee , who once struggled to control his own weight, to criticize his base and defend The First Lady.
More than one-third of Americans are currently obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
WATCH: Video from ABC, which was broadcast on May 29, 2012.