Michelle Obama- A Speech For the Ages
September 5, 2012
By Bettine Bowsky
Our stunning FLOTUS gave a speech that could possibly help re-elect her husband, President Barack Obama
In a tasteful Tracy Reese dress and matching nails, First Lady, Michelle Obama, gave the keynote address last night at the inaugural night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC. The First Lady, who was introduced by a military mom, was greeted by the Stevie Wonder classic “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, a standing ovation and chants of “4 more years!” as she took to the stage before convention delegates and a national audience. A record 28,000 tweets a minute were tweets about Obama’s stunning dress but the First Lady was on assignment to get her husband re-elected and win the hearts of millions in the process.
The First Lady in an impassioned address, pointed to the President’s record while in office coupled with his values, vision and courage, not just as President but as an average American, makes him more than qualified to continue his work as President of the United States. As the night’s most celebrated speaker, The First Lady took issue with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s argument that success in the business world translates into skills for guiding the country through a difficult economic time. She did so without uttering his name even once. “I’ve seen how the issues that come across a president’s desk are always the hard ones — the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you to the right answer,” Mrs. Obama said. “At the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as president, all you have to guide you are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are.” she declared.
The First Lady talked about her concerns that becoming president would make her husband out of touch with the everyday struggles he overcame on the path that eventually led to the White House. She said that even though they enjoyed the “simple joys” of life together before their latest chapter, today they are as cohesive as ever, and she attributes it to the President’s character and values. “You see, even though back then Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate … to me, he was still the guy who’d picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door. He was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he’d found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small,” Mrs. Obama said. “But when Barack started telling me about his family – that’s when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine”, she continued.
She went on to discuss her own personal story about how her father was a pump operator for the city of Chicago and the financial struggles her family faced at times. She said the most important thing in the mind of her father, a man who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she and her brother were young, was ensuring they got an education. Mrs. Obama related her story to that of her husband, who was raised by a single mother and grandparents who stepped in to help when they could. “Like so many American families, our families weren’t asking for much. They didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success or care that others had much more than they did … in fact, they admired it,” Mrs. Obama said. “They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don’t start out with much, if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. That’s how they raised us … that’s what we learned from their example”, she said, her voice cracking with tears welling in her eyes. While describing the tests her husband has faced since taking office, Mrs. Obama said she learned that becoming the president doesn’t change you, but rather “reveals who you are.”
“Barack knows the American dream because he’s lived it … and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love,” she said. “And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity … you do not slam it shut behind you … you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. “So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.” the First Lady stated. “He’s the same man who started his career by turning down high-paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work … because for Barack, success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives”, she concluded.
President Obama and daughters, Malia (left) and Sasha (right) watch on television as Mom-In-Chief gives a speech of a life time.
Throughout her address, delegates cheered and some were observed wiping tears from their eyes as the First Lady spoke about her husband’s record and her role as Mom- In- Chief and her dreams and aspirations not only for her own daughters, Malia and Sasha, but also for all children and future generations. The First Lady concluded her address in the same manner that it began with a standing ovation and the desire with the help of fellow Americans of four more years in the White House with hope and more importantly change we can continue to believe in.
What do you think of FLOTUS speech?
