The Badger Herald

NEWS

Michelle Obama defends Barack

JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo

Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.

Also by Beth Mueller:

Political groups canvass campus (February 19, 2008)
Michelle Obama defends Barack (February 19, 2008)
McCain appeals to Wisconsin conservatives (February 18, 2008)
Bill talks issues for wife at UW (February 15, 2008)
Huckabee not ready to call it quits (February 15, 2008)

by Beth Mueller

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

In the final hours Monday before today’s presidential primary, Michelle Obama told a crowd of 700 that “hope is making a comeback,” making her case for why her husband is uniquely qualified for the job of president.

She defended Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., against claims that he lacks experience and specific plans, saying he “leaped over” the bars that were set for him.

Obama said through Republican and Democratic administrations, life hasn’t gotten much better for the average citizen.
“It’s not that we’re suffering from a deficit of policies and plans,” she said. “Plans are important, I agree. If Barack didn’t have a plan, I wouldn’t be up here.”

She said, as an example, education doesn’t require a new, complicated plan because “we know what good schools look like.” Instead, the challenge is that the country lacks the political will to make good schools available to all children instead of a lucky few, according to Obama.

“There’s something missing in our leadership, and that’s the understanding that we have to change,” she said. “We have to have leadership that will inspire us to be different.”

Obama also praised her husband for choosing to work as a community organizer after law school, rather than earning more money doing something else.

“Imagine a president of the United States who brings that kind of experience to the White House, because we haven’t seen that in my lifetime.”

Obama highlighted her husband’s accomplishments in the Illinois state Legislature, like implementing an earned income tax credit for working families, ethics reform, working on racial profiling and addressing a “broken” death penalty.

She added her husband actually has more legislative experience than Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., despite his fewer years in the U.S. Senate.

“We always applaud experience that’s measured by wealth and power. … We give that way more credit than folks who have made sacrifices to work on the ground with real people,” Obama said.

State Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, who attended the event, said legislative experience in the presidential race is “only a small part” and its importance is overstated.

“Really what’s important is life experience, and I think what this actually demonstrates is his ability to organize a grassroots campaign in a way that has not been done before,” Miller said. “To me, that’s what demonstrates his ability to lead and to execute and to get a job done. … Look at all the very experienced people who were running who went nowhere.”

Obama pointed to a lack of college affordability as a problem in the nation.

“For every child in college today, there are tens of thousands of them that didn’t get it, not because they weren’t ready, but because they couldn’t afford it,” she said.

She added she and her husband were only three years out of paying student loans because they took relatively low-paying jobs in the community.

“We did what we thought we were supposed to do,” Obama said. “But we found ourselves at a time when we had to be saving for our kids’ college, but we hadn’t paid off our own debt, and there are millions of young couples out there like us, … doing exactly what we’ve asked them to do, but they’re not able to pay for their kids’ college because they still owe.”

University of Wisconsin senior Meghan Roh has been a longtime supporter of Barack Obama, but hearing his wife speak solidified that support, she said.

“I think she does a very good job delivering his message, but putting her own spin on it as a mother,” Roh said.

According to Michelle Obama, the youth vote has already played a part in her husband’s success, stressing the importance of new voters taking a seat at the table of their democracy.

“Barack has always said a huge part of the victory will be getting more people engaged, and I’d say he’s already helped to do that,” she said.

David Keesey-Berg, a Madison resident, said he appreciated Obama’s sincerity and warmth.

“She really made herself and Barack come to life,” Keesey-Berg said. “She’s a person who represents, incarnates, the values of not the middle class, but the people.”

Feedback

Show all comments

Hide anonymous comments

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 5:23am):

I find it pretty telling of the authors agenda by not talking about the quote "first time in my life I've been proud of my country" I find that comment disgusting and certainly unbecoming of a potential first lady. Thanks for the honest reporting.

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 10:35am):

I agree with the first post. Why doesn't the article mention that odd quote by Michelle? How can you be really proud of your country for the first time in your life right now, and never before now? I think we have accomplished some pretty great things. We have made mistakes, but there are victories there, too.

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 11:16am):

I like how the headling of this story is Michelle Obama defends Barack" but when it was about Bill is was something like "Bill Clinton stumps for wife" instead of Hillary.
Discreet bias.
The student newspapers are absurdly bias, intentional or not.

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 3:32pm):

Great stuff, especially this - I would have thought that there would be room for Grandma at the Obama mansion.

"...why is his grandmother still living in a hut in a desolate village on the Dark Continent when her son is this successful in America?)."

Michelle Obama thinks you're worthless and stupid, thinks voting for her husband will be the only worthwhile thing you ever do.

But hey -- like, vote for Change and the Future and Stuff!

http://www.redstate.com/stories/elections/2008/michelle_obama_thinks_youre_worthless_and_stupid_thinks_voting_for_her_husband_will_be_the_only_worthwhil

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 4:07pm):

I wasnâ��t shocked by the statement; itâ��s pretty standard â��progressiveâ�� thinking. But itâ��s interesting to note that the person who said it is a graduate of Harvard Law School who has held many prestigious and highly paid professional positions, and has benefited enormously from living in a country of which she has never been proud.

littlegreenfootballs.com

Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 6:06pm):

Michelle Obama was born Jan. 17, 1964 and turned 18 in 1982. So, what she is saying is that for the last 26 years, he hasn't been proud of her country. What a dumb statement. I have heard that she is outspoken, but Obama's first change should be to get her a speech writer.

Add a comment

We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.