Jarrett-Carter.com

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.

As somewhat of a journalist, I can fully understand why the New Yorker ran with this satirical image of Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. It is immediately incendiary and universally provocative.

And everybody should be relieved about that.

While it may be viewed as tasteless by both of the candidates, it also is one more confirmation that Sen. Obama has arrived as a legitimate candidate for the presidency of this country. Lampooning is the media’s sincerest form of flattery, and the fact that several hot and meritless topics can grace the cover of one of the country’s most influential magazines indicates that he and his business have a rightful place in readers’ minds.

It gets a little tricky because of his race, and black people can lay claim to the most unique history of stereotypical portrayal in American mass media. But Sen. Obama’s campaign has dutifully and gracefully sidestepped racism and racial tension, evading and confronting these tension whether they are dressed in religion, terrorism or any other cloak of diversion.

There’s no reason to be upset about this portrayal. If anything, we should be glad that he’s someone worth portraying.