Michelle Obama’s Hello to the World
I wouldn’t classify it as the most eloquent speech I’ve ever heard, mostly because she’s most eloquent without prepared commentary. But Michelle Obama’s address at the Democratic National Convention’s opening night set the tone for the world to meet the woman behind the fist pound. A mother, a sister, and potentially, the most influential first lady in the history of American politics.
She hit on all of the critical points that the media has scrambled together in the face of Hurricane Clinton hitting Denver this week; resonance with “blue-collar” voters, dismantling the notion that she is an “angry black woman,” and eliciting excitement about her husband’s platform of self-generated hope.
“All of us” are “driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be,” she said. “That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack’s journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope.
“And, you see, that is why I love this country.”
The ease and confidence with which she delivered her address will go a long way in convincing undecided and perhaps unwilling voters that she and her husband are a certain conduit for change in the face of uncertain times. Not because they have all of the answers, but because they are willing to talk to folks.
She showed herself to be a patriot, but not of the cookie cutter, “God Bless America” variety. She showed working class roots without insulting the intelligence of those who know that she is no longer on their block. But most importantly, she showed her blackness without a hint of arrogance or purposeful intimidation.
Now that’s quite a hello.
