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Subscribe to RSSCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For months, Michelle Obama has stood behind podiums at fundraisers and rallies, delivering many of the same lines she offered last night.
On the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., first lady Michelle Obama delivers an impassioned plea to women and disillusioned Democrats that her husband is still the same man he was four years ago. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
Famously disciplined and often relating her stump speech nearly line-for-line several times in a day, many of the first lady's biographical stories are well-worn to those who have followed her on the road: her father's pride in paying his bills on time, her husband's frustration at the glass ceiling that loomed above his grandmother, the president's late nights agonizing over the letters from Americans in trouble.
But in front of a national audience and an adoring crowd, new imagery used by the first lady last night - and an implicit plea to voters to remain "in love" with the man they chose four years ago -- offered a personal and deeply emotive pitch that veiled some of her stories' unmistakable contrasts between her husband's personal history and that of the man who wants to replace him.
PhotoBlog: See a 360-degree view of Michelle Obama speaking at the DNC
"We learned about dignity and decency - that how hard you work matters more than how much you make," she told the convention crowd, nudging against the narrative of Mitt Romney's wealth as a measure of his fitness to run the American economy. "Success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square."
Adding to typical references like the student loans that mired the Obamas as a young couple, Mrs. Obama added that her young beau's "proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster," hinting perhaps at an oblique response to Ann Romney's description of the ironing board that served as a dining room table for the newly married Romneys.
David Goldman / AP
First lady Michelle Obama waves after delivering remarks to the Democratic National Convention.
"Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it," she said, repeating an old staple of her stump speech that - if delivered with a hint of indignance - could draw a direct line to the implication that Mitt Romney has not.
But Mrs. Obama's almost prayerful tone at times eliminated the possible sting that her pitch could hold for independent voters. And previously unrecited details, like her husband's obsessive monitoring of her infant daughters' cribs, personalized a man frequently tagged as "aloof."
While much of the first lady's material was familiar, some language - particularly on the issues of abortion rights and gay marriage - was notably more direct than words she typically offers to audiences in Pueblo and Raleigh and Richmond.
VIDEO: Tuesday night's DNC speeches
For example, Mrs. Obama extolled the bravery of "proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love." (She usually praises the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy but steers clear of words like "altar.")
And she won roars of approval in the debate hall for saying bluntly that "women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care."
Like her Republican counterpart Ann Romney, Mrs. Obama uttered the word "love" often -- a total of 15 times in her remarks.
Ultimately, the challenge for the popular first lady will be to convince disenchanted voters that they would consider agreeing with one central sentence in her speech: "I didn't think it was possible" she said of her husband, "but today I love [him] even more than I did four years ago."
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Our First Lady wowed everyone who must have watched her last night! Her sincerity, and praise for her husband, our President, was naturally expressed, and so spot on.
wow.....were you stoned?
wow, mcpaddy, are you a troll?
Do you lack respect for opinions that differ from yours?
yes especially opinions from libs who believe in fairy dust and magic carpet rides.......
Way to go MSN,,,,your bias in reporting has no shame. You are right,,she is a Goddess, she is everything to everyone, she is wonderful, marvelous, she is a freakin joke who uses this pulpit to help who????? Herself! Black Women,,,,please,,,tell me what she has doen for you in 4 years?
I see what she has done for the nation's children with her Let's Move initiative. I've also seen first hand her support for military wives and families.
the better question is, what have YOU done in the last 4 years?
bullshiat..........mochelle and her marxist husband have done nothing for black america.........see chicago the great city where obozo was a community organizer.....looks like chicago needs a community organizer right now!!!....start packing obozo!!!
For the life of me I can't figure out why you even bother to read NBC news if you have preformed ideas already....get a life. As for her speech, Michelle is much more in touch with real working Americans than the rich Ann. I had a hard time trying to watch Ann Romney deliver her speech, there was no sincerity in it whatsoever....she can't relate to the average American, only the upper crust of society could be moved by her cold delivery....she loves her husband? She loves his billions in overseas banks.
Umm, Debbie, you mention the "Rich Ann." Are you such a tool that you don't realize how rich your beloved First Lady is? You are brainwashed by the Democrats to believe that only the Republicans have money. Michelle has no clue about real working Americans. She is a rich lawyer like her husband and all the other rich politicians in Washington.
I am so proud to have been alive and in my 20s to witness this President and his First Lady. I've never felt more patriotic in my life. I'll be able to tell my children that President Obama stood for equal rights and creating opportunities and not for hate or discrimination.
The Republican party has veered into extremism and gone downhill, it's so sad. Years from now, the Republicans will be the bad guys of our story, at least in this period. I hope they come a lot more towards center for the sake of this country.
yeah and moochelle and has been proud to be an american TWICE in her life.......are you stoned?
Patricia
You should save your post. When you're in your 50's you may laugh.
so moochelle...when is your husband gonna start doing his job?........next term?....what the feck is he waiting for?...when will he wave his feckin' magic wand?....on feckin' christmas day?.....moochelle you forgot to convince us that your hubby deserves another term....i think you need to move your ass and get out and buy him some new golf clubs...
MC-----Go back over to fox, I'm tired of reading your drivel.
Gee, if we give this guy another 4 years, I wonder what our debt will be then? We can raise taxes on the wealthy to 100% but that won't touch this debt. The problem lies in the 50% of Americans that don't pay taxes because they are on welfare or unemployed. If we got some of these people back to work we wouldn't have to rely on 1% of the population to float the needs of an entire nation. Sorry Obama, the rhetoric of "fair share" only seems to apply to 1% of the population. The other 50% can sit on their @sses and watch Judge Judy all day long.
The FAIR SHARE will be felt by the middle class as well when the ACA kicks in entirely.
Do you think it was an accident that a Democratic majority phased in talking points, no life limits & no pre-existing conditions (cost drivers), before the "how do we pay for it" kicks in.
Also note that the election comes after the goodies and before the BILL.
The middle calss has been destroyed by both parties mainly through the printing of productivity (counterfeiting of money). Even Bernanke has said that the middle class has been dramatically shrinking for over 35 years. We came off the gold standard about 40 years ago. This is more than a correlation. It is the main cause. We are still on a barter system and we need our money to be universally accepted fungible collateral. It needs to be produced in the market, not printed and devalued on a whim by the major power brokers. When money is devalued we all suffer. Contrary to popoular belief, deflation because of increased productivity would do more to help the poor than anything else. Deflation is good for everyone except those with massive debt.
That's a LIE and you are an idiot! What have the Dems specifically done to harm America? They have tried to reach across the aisle but the ass-hole ReSuckicans keep giving them a stone! You need to be educated or you need to shut up and stop saying ignorant things! The ReSucks had to be forced into giving a small tax break to the middle class. The ReSucks hold the current record on worthless filibusters. The ReSucks screamed, "drill baby drill" and when the POTUS allowed it; the gulf was drenched with spilled oil; millions of gallons of oil! It was the ReSucks who proclaimed that THEY would not compromise with the Dems but the Dems have never refused to try to meet them half way. Half way for the ReSucks is exactly what John Boehner copped to, "I got nearly ALL of what I wanted!" That does not sound to me at all like it is BOTH Parties. The ReSucks refused to pass a bill that would have created millions of new jobs, some permanent. It is the ReSucks who have been attacking women's rights; the rights of gays and EVEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE! They are the communist who are trying their best to steal this election by instituting laws that will not allow many minorities to take advantage of early voting! It was the ReSucks who harmed America's credit rating just so they could try to stick it to Pres Obama and it has been the ReSucks who have voted more than 30 times to repeal the ACA when they do NOT have the power to repeal the ACA and each time they vote again and again; that is taxpayers money being wasted! I am NOT a Democrat nor a member of the GOP BUT; I am also NOT stupid!
Right on...
Neither the democrats or republicans believe in liberty and justice for all. Republicans say they believe in liberty only for business and economics, but not for people's personal choices. Democrats say they believe in liberty in your personal life, but not in business or economic freedom. Both sides are far worse than any business person, and both sides crave power for themselves more than they desire to help the people of this nation.
Learn about what true liberty means because liberty both personal and economic are what made this country great. Liberals these days are not really liberal because they do not advaocte liberty across the board, learn the definition of the word liberal and become a classical liberal that supports freedom from force and oppression. I am a libertarian. I support voluntary cooperation and am against the use of force in all cases except to defend yourself, your property, and your liberty. Government monopolizes the use of force and everything it does is through force. How sad that so many fall for the false choice of left or right when both are oppressive and both hurt the entire population.
Ah, someone else who sees it for what it is.
Both Parties are NOT corrupt and ONLY some idiot who is completely out of touch with the political atmosphere here in America, would be naive enough to think so!
Right on...
I love how Michelle Obama's speech was written at 7 grade levels above Ann Romney's.......it indicates who the audience is.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2012/09/michelle_obamas_dnc_speech_wri.php
have u folks noticed that all the news about the convention does not have a comments section. msn is cencoring what is printed here because they dont want to hear from anyone with a differant view from their liberal view. no comments on clinton or any other news article
White people dare to possess the audacity to comment on the expensive clothes worn by blacks; as though, they themselves DO NOT wear expensive, custom made, suits or dresses! Whites might do better to look past the outer garment and hear the words that are so eloquently delivered by the Obama's. I have seen this racist cow-sh!t all my life and I am SICK of it!!! If a white man drives a Cadillac its simply a nice, expensive car but let a black person drive the same identical vehicle and it becomes a "pimp mobile!" White people are so full of sh!t they should all have brown eyeballs by now! I have been stopped and harassed by the cops more times than I can count while driving my Caddy and while being black. The car I drive does not have antennae sticking out all over the place! Doesn't have $4000 chrome wheels or backbeats blasting to high heaven, but still; the LYING adders stop me and my wife; search the car and scare the dog! And for what? Paper's please? Let them ask me that just one time and I will own this stinking city!
Right on...
BTW ass-holes! The Obama's are wealthy in their own right. Did everyone conveniently forget that the POTUS has authored several books? Ever heard of a little thing called "royalties?" His writings sell around the world so I am certain they don't wait with bated breath for the President's lousy $400, 000 annual salary. They have every right to purchase whatever they like just like Sh!tty Mitty and Granny Annie! Perhaps the Obama's should buy matching Cadillac cars since Annie seems to need two!!!!
Right on...
Just as the Christian god has no idea of what he does to humans or how much they suffer because HE has never been human; so it is with people who have never been poor. They simply cannot appreciate being disenfranchised and/or in the throes of poverty! As a kid, I had an ant farm, okay? Periodically, I would flood the farm with boiling hot water; just for the fun of it. As I matured; so did my thinking and I began to realize something...in my mind, the ants didn't matter and it NEVER occurred to me that I might be causing the ants hurt, harm, or suffering. I said all that to state the following; Splitt Mitt Robme and Lyin Ryan, have NEVER been poor; or not even middle class. Both were born in the lap of luxury and the bosom of great wealth so they simply CANNOT relate to food stamps being a precious commodity to those who depend on food stamps in order to feed their households. Now granted; some people abuse the system true enough; but likewise, some people chose to rob banks rather than work. Some sell drugs; at their own risk BUT my point is; unless you have once lived in poverty, one cannot know the suffering that is so often attached to watching your baby cry for milk or sustenance while you stand helplessly, idly by!
The very wealthy do not make for good leaders because they cannot empathize nor sympathize with those they rule over. That is why they can cut every program that helps or provides aid to the impoverished; which is why I will NEVER understand how any black person could be a ReSuckican; they do not care about the poor just as I didn't care about life as an ant! The wealthy see the poor as ants inside an ant farm and would think nothing of sacrificing any or all of them. The super-rich CANNOT feel your pain, your agony, your lack, nor your disappointment as you get another threat in your mailbox; "Pay or we will shut it off!"
I can remember a day when George Bushed stepped out onto the White House lawn and proclaimed, "It is a wonderful day to be in America!" At that time and on that day; I had 13⊄ in my pocket; 13 lousy cent and no food in my fridge! HE, had everything he could possibly want BUT I had nothing and that seemed fair to him because HE didn't know that I existed. Barack Obama rose from ashes, he rose from poverty; his mother had to use food stamps. His mother could not afford good health care so he watched as she suffered and I'm sure he felt totally helpless! We need a man in the White House who has been to the Poor House and who has been both abased and abound because it takes just such a man to comprehend both worlds. I am not at all comfortable about putting my fate or faith in someone who doesn't know that I exist and who would not care! They don't CARE! Big wigs hang with other big wigs and they will attend $1000 per plate dinners while $1000 might feed your household for two months. Barack understands this but rich-ass Splitt Mitt and Lyin Paul Ryan; will NEVER understand the "little people!"
Right on...