Michelle Obama Gives Inspiring Speech

By SACHA BRENAC

In present day American politics, it is rare to find a figure that captures the hearts of so many of the disengaged youth as First Lady Michelle Obama does. Her husband, President Barack Obama, is facing a tough election this coming November, and he will need all the help he can get.

Already he has received help from former President Bill Clinton, a very charismatic and extremely popular politician, in explaining the previous three-and-a-half years in a context that the public would understand. However he needs his wife, the Mom-in-Chief, as she herself had put it, to help capture the hearts of Americans everywhere.

Michelle Obama, one of the most popular political figures in America, came to University of Mary Washington on Thursday, Sept. 13 to help her husband’s campaign. Prior to her speech, she was introduced by local religious, governmental and academic leaders, who all gave very strong pro-Obama administration speeches. Obama, however, gave a different speech.

When the First Lady came on stage, the crowd treated her like a rock star. The air was filled with hands reaching up for the sky, or fingers shaped in hearts, with cries of “oh my God” and “I love you.”

The room had been filled with UMW students and friendly Fredericksburg locals, all brought together by their mutual love of the First Lady and a desire to see her husband reelected.

Obama’s speech was very personal and, according to many students, very inspiring. She emphasized her husband’s victories in the realms of woman’s rights, student aid and military benefits, citing Obama’s signing of a bill that gave women a better chance at fair pay, his expansion of student loan programs and his increase of soldier medical benefits.

Michelle Obama proved herself to be a role model for women all over this nation, whether young, military or of an ethnic background that is often deemed inferior. Obama is the type of First Lady that inspires, drives and loves her people. She is part of a near-perfect American family, with a true and honest husband who, by her own words, strives first and foremost for the weaker and less fortunate.

Her-20-odd minutes on stage brought tears to the eyes of some and enthusiasm to the hearts of many.

In essence, she succeeded in her mission here. Needless to say, Obama is showing a large increase in popularity against his opponent Mitt Romney in vital swing states following the Democratic National Convention.