First lady’s apolitical image big part of her political draw
PHILADELPHIA — Sorry, Democrats. #ElectMichelle will never be more than a wishful hashtag.
The same thing that made Michelle Obama such a powerful voice for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention makes it unlikely she’ll spend a huge amount of time on the campaign trail or run for president: She’s just not a political animal.
That’s sorry news to delegates who were moved to tears by the first lady’s speech at the convention Monday night, where she delivered what many Democrats viewed as the night’s most compelling argument for Clinton’s election and also managed to skewer Donald Trump without uttering his name.
Democrats were still enthusing over Obama’s speech Tuesday — and hoping the first lady’s message would help win over those who have yet to commit to Clinton.
“Imagine yourself being a Bernie-or-Bust person listening to that,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., a prominent Bernie Sanders supporter during the primaries. “You’ve gotta kind of say, ‘Well, I guess Michelle has an important point to make here.’ This is how we get to unity.”
B e f o r e t h e f i r s t l a dy ’s speech, New York’s Daily News tweeted out its planned f r o n t p a g e , f o c u s e d o n Clinton-Sanders di scord. Three hours later, the paper tweeted: “Stop the Presses! New front ... THE LADY IS HER CHAMP. @Flotus speech brings down the house.”
Creative twittering comm e n c e d , i n v o l v i n g t h e hashtags #Elec tMichelle, # F L O T U S f o r P O T U S a n d #Obama2020.
Even Trump, who has an insult ready for any Democrat who crosses his path, had only nice things to say.
“I thought her delivery was excellent,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought she did a very good job. I liked her speech.”
Martha McKenna, a former political director for Senate Democrats, said it looked like Obama was having fun on the stage, “so I’m hopeful that that’s a sign that means that she’s going to keep doing it.” Yes, and no. A l t h o u g h O b a m a i s expected to campaign for Clinton, the White House has not set expectations high for a rigorous pace.
The first lady said early on in her husband’s tenure, “Politics is important ... but it’s not who I am and it’s never been a goal of mine.”
She has strict rules about how much time she spends on the road, sets her schedule well in advance and sticks to it.
This is how she explained her agreement with the Democratic political team during the 2012 midterm elections:
“My approach to c ampaigning is: ‘This is the time that I have to give to the campaign and whatever you do with that time is up to you, but when it’s over, don’t even look at me. ... No calls. No anything.’”
Aside from her convention appearance, Obama has barely engaged in the 2016 campaign and has resisted positioning herself as a distinct political figure. She was notably silent when Clinton clinched the nomination, letting the historic moment pass without comment. When her husband endorsed Clinton, the first lady’s office said the president’s words stood for her, too.
The t wo women share bonds forged in the elite membership o f t he f i r s t l adi e s ’ c l ub, a nd Obama made a number of appearances with Clinton during her time as secretary of state.