The Democratic convention highlighted how First Lady Michelle Obama has grown during her White House years.
Democratic National Convention speech attested, she, too,
is a study in the evolution of a public persona and self-assurance. You
wouldn't really know it now, but she was nervous about public speaking
in high school and, during her years at an elite Chicago law firm,
apparently was cautious about even speaking at in-house meetings.
"It's Hillary Clinton's convention, and it was Mr. Sanders's big night," The New York Times wrote. "But the unquestioned star of the program on Monday was Mrs. Obama, who used her prime-time speech to describe an optimistic, confident view of American social progress, and to embrace Mrs. Clinton as the natural heir to the Obama presidency.
It was the same for Politico, where the astute reporter Glenn Thrush noted the hyperbole surrounding alleged Michelle Obama animus toward the Clintons ("mostly fiction, with a soupçon of truth). Yes, there was Obama-Clinton family bitterness during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. "But on Monday night, Michelle Obama delivered a more passionate and concise case for Clinton than the candidate has ever made for herself – and perhaps the single most effective political address delivered in 2016."
She's had a few rocky moments, for sure. They include the kerfuffle during the 2008 campaign when she appeared to suggest she was only then, belatedly, proud to be an American. She quickly amended that declaration.
Then there was a New Yorker cover cartoon later in the campaign, which was meant to be a joke and totally misinterpreted, of Barack Obama as a Muslim and Michelle as a gun-toting militant. It played into racially tinged fears of some Americans, who feared a radical duo from Chicago was on the verge of a government takeover.
Mundy: I guess I would say that [Obama's] political rise was so swift when he was running in the primaries and the general election, a lot of people didn't know who he was – and surely few who knew who [Michelle] was. She was described as a reluctant political spouse, and there have been stories and books done since then suggesting she wasn't as reluctant as portrayed. When I was doing reporting for my book, people who knew her in high school said she was somebody who was very uncomfortable with public speaking. She didn't like to talk at meetings at the law firm. I thought about that Monday night.
She was a very quick study even in 2008, when he was terrific. And she became comfortable with giving speeches then. She'd say everybody thinks he's so great, but he misses the hamper when he throws his socks. I think that over went OK – and she doesn't do that anymore. Even in 2008, she did a good job making the case for him. At the 2008 convention she served as a proxy for voters. 'When I met him, I wasn't sure and he had a funny name. Then I realized he had the same values as my dad and I fell in love with him.' She was very careful to say he's as American as apple pie. She had that one misstep of being proud of her country for first time but she self-corrected quickly.
First ladies define themselves quickly, and she defines herself first and foremost as a mother. You heard little about her professional career and background. I remember reading a poll by Pew that said Democratic men and women had liked her all along, and the cohort she won over was Republican and more conservative women. The accent on family and family values did a lot to assuage concerns conservative women had. Polling showed conservative men were still holdouts. She cast herself quickly as somebody who was a very attentive parent and enjoyed her family life and her daughters. So I think the image of family life they convey is a very nice and positive one. That's been the case throughout her tenure. You could argue that was at the expense of talking about being a lawyer. But she's also very adept at popular culture. The "Carpool Karaoke" she did last week was amazing. Though she portrayed herself as a reluctant political spouse, she has portrayed an image of having fun as a mom and a public figure.
"It's Hillary Clinton's convention, and it was Mr. Sanders's big night," The New York Times wrote. "But the unquestioned star of the program on Monday was Mrs. Obama, who used her prime-time speech to describe an optimistic, confident view of American social progress, and to embrace Mrs. Clinton as the natural heir to the Obama presidency.
It was the same for Politico, where the astute reporter Glenn Thrush noted the hyperbole surrounding alleged Michelle Obama animus toward the Clintons ("mostly fiction, with a soupçon of truth). Yes, there was Obama-Clinton family bitterness during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. "But on Monday night, Michelle Obama delivered a more passionate and concise case for Clinton than the candidate has ever made for herself – and perhaps the single most effective political address delivered in 2016."
She's had a few rocky moments, for sure. They include the kerfuffle during the 2008 campaign when she appeared to suggest she was only then, belatedly, proud to be an American. She quickly amended that declaration.
Then there was a New Yorker cover cartoon later in the campaign, which was meant to be a joke and totally misinterpreted, of Barack Obama as a Muslim and Michelle as a gun-toting militant. It played into racially tinged fears of some Americans, who feared a radical duo from Chicago was on the verge of a government takeover.
Mundy: I guess I would say that [Obama's] political rise was so swift when he was running in the primaries and the general election, a lot of people didn't know who he was – and surely few who knew who [Michelle] was. She was described as a reluctant political spouse, and there have been stories and books done since then suggesting she wasn't as reluctant as portrayed. When I was doing reporting for my book, people who knew her in high school said she was somebody who was very uncomfortable with public speaking. She didn't like to talk at meetings at the law firm. I thought about that Monday night.
She was a very quick study even in 2008, when he was terrific. And she became comfortable with giving speeches then. She'd say everybody thinks he's so great, but he misses the hamper when he throws his socks. I think that over went OK – and she doesn't do that anymore. Even in 2008, she did a good job making the case for him. At the 2008 convention she served as a proxy for voters. 'When I met him, I wasn't sure and he had a funny name. Then I realized he had the same values as my dad and I fell in love with him.' She was very careful to say he's as American as apple pie. She had that one misstep of being proud of her country for first time but she self-corrected quickly.
First ladies define themselves quickly, and she defines herself first and foremost as a mother. You heard little about her professional career and background. I remember reading a poll by Pew that said Democratic men and women had liked her all along, and the cohort she won over was Republican and more conservative women. The accent on family and family values did a lot to assuage concerns conservative women had. Polling showed conservative men were still holdouts. She cast herself quickly as somebody who was a very attentive parent and enjoyed her family life and her daughters. So I think the image of family life they convey is a very nice and positive one. That's been the case throughout her tenure. You could argue that was at the expense of talking about being a lawyer. But she's also very adept at popular culture. The "Carpool Karaoke" she did last week was amazing. Though she portrayed herself as a reluctant political spouse, she has portrayed an image of having fun as a mom and a public figure.
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