I will be voting for Barrack Obama in November. But every time I hear Michelle Obama speak, I find myself cringing and worrying that she will cost him the election. For some reason, she strikes me as very polarizing…kind of like the Hillary Clinton of yesteryear. I really wish the Obama camp would keep her quiet until after the election.
Am I alone in this position or does she have this effect on others?
And before someone accuses me of being racist or sexist, I’ll point out that I am a minority female. And don’t misunderstand: I* like *Michelle Obama and think she is an intelligent impressive woman. However, I think she is a liability for this campaign and needs to be silenced.
Besides the twisted-out-of-shape “proud of my country” comment, do you have any examples of how you think she’s being detrimental to the campaign?
I used to be indifferent to Michelle – afterall, she’s just the candidate’s wife, big deal. Then I went to hear her speak in person at UCLA. I was literally moved to tears. In my opinion, if more people could see and hear her speak in person, this race wouldn’t even be close. She’s a very powerful and passionate advocate and has an incredible story of her own to tell.
Other than the “proud of my country” thing, which was months ago, I haven’t heard anybody accuse her of saying anything bad. Her DNC speech, I thought, was generally considered to have gone pretty well. Silencing her, on the other hand, would draw a lot of attention and controversy, which would more than cancel out any perceived benefit in my opinion. And I don’t see any potential benefit anyway.
I think some people are trying to fit her into the Hillary mold, and there are some comparable traits between them, but I don’t think they’re much alike. First ladies may be even more like Rorschach tests than the candidates themselves because they don’t take many political positions.
I don’t know how it’s possible to twist that statement out of shape. “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country,” has a pretty clear meaning. I don’t remember how the Obama damage-control team spun it, but I don’t think anybody bought it who wasn’t already inclined to WANT to believe it.
I’m having a hard time being really specific because it’s an **impression **more than anything specific she says. Sort of like…can you give specific examples as to how Barrack Obama is electrifying and charismatic? It’s hard to be specific with intangibles.
But let me give it a shot:
I saw her speech in North Carolina (on tv) and the words on paper don’t quite convey her tone (I’ll try to find a youtube). But she comes across as negative and bitter. When I watch Barrack I find myself full of hope for the future, but when she speaks I get a feeling of hopeless. Maybe it’s just me…and I hope it is. But she just strikes me as extremely polarizing and I am worried about her impact on the campaign.
They are alike in the sense that they are both strong, outspoken, independent women. I am not sure what changed about Hillary, but a few years ago I found her to be like nails on a chalk board, even though I agree with her policies. I have this same feeling about Michelle Obama. Actually I am relieved to hear that others don’t have this same impression of her. Maybe I’m worrying over nothing.
And of anyone who takes her statement differently than you is unaware of that grand concept and you must point it out to them with condescension. Okay…
The fact is she is polarizing. I know I can’t stand her, and like the OP, it’s not just that one statement. But I was a little surprised to hear two women in my building talking about how much they despise her.
So, from where I sit, please do not silence her. Make her more and more a part of the campaign. Just try not to cry too much. Okay, dearie? Either when she is speaking or after she helps her husband lose the election.
Well, this week, if you haven’t liked John McCain’s positions, all you had to do was to wait an hour. I don’t think there was a single position he hasn’t embraced at one time or another this week.
As for the original topic of Michelle Obama, I have not found her at all irritating or polarizing, and I have trouble imagining why anyone would. She doesn’t strike me as strident the way Hillary was capable of being. The daughters, on the rare occasions we’ve seen them, are very well behaved, yet clearly outgoing, quite bright, and spontaneous - a sign of parents who are doing everything right.
As for bitterness, I haven’t seen any, but if she has some, it would hardly be surprising. Barack Obama grew up mostly overseas, and then in Hawai’i, the place in the country where race is least significant. Michelle Obama had a far more typical experience as an African American. She and her older brother both busted ass and overcame their poverty in order to achieve, but I’m quite sure they had a lot of obstacles that they viewed as being at least part due to their heritage - and I’m sure they were at least in part right. Old habits die hard, on all sides.
If Michelle Obama harbors a small secret bitterness, she comes by it honestly. And Barack Obama does not share in it; he did not share the African American experience until college, by which time he was being recruited rather than shunned. If white people are put off by Michelle Obama, I suggest it may be our own consciousness of the good reason people like her have to be bitter that is driving it. We really don’t want to have to stare that in the face, because most of us ourselves have not consciously acted in that way (unconsciously is a different matter).
If I remember correctly, those were the first words she spoke to the audience that night. There was no context, other than that Obama had won a vote that she apparently did not expect him to do so well in.
I don’t think anyone will argue that. His campaign is trying SO HARD to get him to shut up, and for the most part it’s working, but Jesus…every now and then he gets to open his mouth when his handlers haven’t specifically prepared what he is about to say. The result is usually retarded, and always hilarious.
Why does anyone care what Michelle says?. She is not running. In the white house she would not have any power. She is not making big gaffes. Most blacks are somewhat energized by having a black run for prez. It is the first time in history. The American promise has not been delivered to blacks. A powerful black pol is rare. Equality of the races has not been realized. Now we have a chance for a black in office. If you were black you might have a sense of history . You might think it is possible fo achieve the American dream.
I don’t find her strident, but she depresses me. She’s a downer. Here is a very biased series of clips (as evidenced by the Fox News logo spinning in the bottom left corner). Unfortunately the clips are old and do not contain the recent speeches, but they illustrate her tone that turns me off:
ITA. The little girls are a HUGE benefit for his campaign imo. It’s the wife I have a problem with.
I agree that she is entitled to be bitter and I thoroughly understand why she would be…but I just don’t think it has a positive effect on the campaign. When Barrack speaks, I am filled with optimism and hope. When Michelle speaks, I feel despair and hopelessness. I will still vote for Obama, but I fear that many will be so turned off by Michelle that they will vote McCain. I think the Obama campaign would be better served if they kept her public speeches to a minimum.
