I perfectly understand the objection to the “spouse speech” at the convention. Neither Michelle nor Cindy will be President and neither will set Presidential policy, no matter how passionate their support may be for a particular issue. The most active First Ladies in history – Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton – all advanced policy positions their husbands agreed with. The President is the Head of Government and everybody takes their cue from him or her.
But the role of First Lady is important because of the second component of the Presidency: Head of State. This role is much more symbolic and requires a sort of visceral connection that can’t be planned on paper. It isn’t just that First Ladies have the ear of the President, or that they reflect on the values of her husband – though that’s important. It’s that they, themselves, are representatives of the nation to the world at large. Indeed, one of the few saving-graces of the Bush Presidency is Laura, not because of any policy position she advances but because of her attractive persona.
And this is why Michelle Obama’s speech last night matters so much. American voters really do think about the future First Lady when voting for President. Theresa Heinz Kerry, for example, was a genuine drag on John Kerry’s ticket. Her speech in 2004 wasn’t just bad. She was downright weird. It projected a woman whom nobody could relate to, and it confirmed the worst stereotypes of the Kerrys as a family unrepresentative of the best of America.
Michelle Obama’s speech, on the other hand, showed a woman confident in the multiple roles that modern women must fulfill. Though a lawyer and activist, she is also a mother, sister, wife and daughter. And the way she described the balance between all those elements clearly resonated with those watching her.
She also radiated a stunning beauty, though not of the sort Americans are used to seeing in a First Lady. Watching the video narrated by her mother it finally hit me that we could really be electing an African-American family to the White House. It was so different in some ways, but also so reassuring. She shows a “real America” so often ignored in our politics where white men dominate. It was, in a word, America’s best face on display. It made a mockery of the idiotic “angry black woman” chants from some corners, and it demonstrated why Michelle Obama has been such an asset to Barack all along.
There’s another, more immediate reason why the speech mattered: Hillary voters. There’s a reason you saw few dry eyes in that convention hall – or in my home – during this speech. We connected with her as a woman in a way many of us never connected with Barack. One of the strongest criticisms of Barack Obama from female Hillary supporters was that Barack Obama seemed so aloof and disconnected. Many voters simply could not connect with him and his rhetoric. His words seemed to come not from the stirrings of his heart, but from the musings of his brain. They’re inspiring, but they seem a bit empty. That’s the sense I’ve gotten in conversations with Hillary supporters I know. It’s been a major point of hesitation for them.
Michelle’s speech directly connected with women in ways that no speech from Barack has ever done. It drew from the same philosophical core as Barack – a pragmatic idealism – but it wove the message in a compelling narrative that women could connect with. Her invocation of the 88th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 45th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech, and her story of her devotion to her father and her mother’s dedication to the family pulled the whole picture together in ways we haven’t really heard yet from the Obamas. She showed that Barack was not just an iconic “celebrity” who stood apart from the people, but a genuine husband and father with quirks and flaws like any other. Unlike so many other political families today, it was a refreshing window into a non-dysfunctional family. No star-studded tales of adultery or drugs. Just a real live family.
I’m well aware that many Democrats thought this was a missed opportunity to go out on the attack. But somehow I imagine today and tomorrow will be filled with anti-Bush/McCain red meat. Even better, I bet it comes from Hillary Clinton. But before we could get to that, Michelle Obama had to sell herself to the American public as a First Lady. Oh, and Ted Kennedy’s inspiring appearance helped unify Democrats of all stripes too.
For those wanting red meat, it will come today. But last night was absolutely essential in the marketing of a Head of State that Americans could feel comfortable with.