I guess I need to clarify my post.  I actually liked the patchwork/quilt metaphor, and it made me think anew about the use of such a comparison.  Ambinder says it’s an insult to quilts, and I agree, because they are arguable works of art.  I thought it was a stunning and clever sentence because I had never thought about it in that way.  And, it certainly brings home the point that there is no good federal policy toward obesity.

Because of that sentence it occurred to me that the way a patchwork metaphor works is, in part, due to its origins in women’s circles, and many things labeled as “female” are used as put downs — from a saying such as “you throw like a girl” to calling a rather ingenious cabinet turnstile a “Lazy Susan.”