Michelle Obama Shines in DNC Speech
Silenced by a solid two minutes of roars and claps, Michelle grinned, assuredly beginning her most political speech to date on Tuesday, Sept. 4. She was introduced by Elaine Brye, a military mother who wrote a letter to the White House last December and was invited to have dinner with the Obamas. The First Lady paid tribute to Brye’s family, thanking them for their four deployed sons’ dedication to the United States military.
Michelle’s decision to be introduced by a neighborhood mother who inspired her is extremely significant – it portrays her as a caring woman who hasn’t been negatively influenced by her privileged life in the White House. In fact, one of Michelle’s major feats as First Lady is the creation of Joining Forces with Jill Biden, an initiative for over 2,000 corporations to create jobs specifically for servicemen and women, military spouses, and veterans.
But for this speech, Michelle focused on her early life with Barack as a tribute to the successes of his past four years of presidency. She told personal stories of both her and Barack’s early home lives, bringing tears to the eyes of many audience members. Michelle’s father suffered from multiple sclerosis during the majority of her childhood, and Barack was raised by a single mother struggling to make ends meet.
Michelle stated, “Barack and I were both raised by families who didn’t have much in the way of money or material possessions, but had given us something far more valuable – their unconditional love.”
She reassured the audience that Barack’s vision has been heavily influenced by his adolescence, when he learned responsibility from his hard-working mother. She used the term “we” to discuss the couple’s conjoined understanding of both financial and familial hardships, explaining, “We learned about dignity and decency, that how hard you work matters more than how much you make. We learned about honesty and integrity, that the truth matters, that you don’t take short cuts or play by your own set of rules – and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square.”
This political speech marks an inspiring voice in the First Lady’s views, which have previously regarded health advocacy in public schools. Her recognizable smile, friendly demeanor, and genuine intelligence encompassed the audience of the DNC that evening.
Elizabeth Hogan, an English teacher at Urbana High School, explains, “I think it’s interesting how Michelle Obama parlays feminine tropes like “mom in chief,” healthy food and exercise advocate, supporter of military families, lover of the flip hair do and the pretty J Crew dress, into a very palatable and modern identity as First Lady. This is her public persona, but I suspect that just under the surface, Michelle Obama, like Hillary Clinton, Janet Napolitano, Condoleezza Rice, and other fierce female leaders, are thinking: just let us run this government for a term or two and forgive us if we wear sensible shoes while doing it.”
Michelle summed up her speech by paying homage to Obama’s many recent accomplishments, such as bailing out the auto industry, creating jobs in a dismal economy, endorsing gay marriage, and recognizing that women are more than capable of making their own decisions about their bodies in relation to health care and abortion rights.
Finally, she ended the tribute to her husband by delving into a more personal place – their life in the White House. She seemed to burst with pride, revealing that Barack pours over mountains of letters at his desk, eats family dinner with their daughters, Malia and Sasha, almost every night, and asks her for advice on some of the toughest decisions a man can make. Michelle’s passion for her husband truly captivated the attendees of the DNC, portraying the power couple as two mesmerizing go-getters aspiring to make America a better place.
Her final statement summed up her devotion to Barack: “I have seen first hand that being president doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are.”
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