Watching Michelle Obama and listening to her speech, I found myself imagining the different "checkpoints" she and her speech advisers went through:- The Jackie O hairdo (check)
- The suggestion that my South Side Chicago family is just like the Youngers from Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun - and definitely not like the family in Richard Wright's Native Son - (check)
- Family values galore (check)
- The patriotic values galore - Oh, how I love my country, lest media spinners misconstrue anything else I say (check)
- Recreation of Nancy Reagan speaking to hubby via satellite (check)
- Recreation of Jackie O and her two little children standing behind their man/daddy - Ah, Camelot 2.0! (check)
- Bring on the cuteness of Malia and Sasha - Aw (check)
- Emphasize over and over my role as a good wife and mom - and definitely not how I was an intelligent student, lawyer, or career woman (check)
Aside from these strategic maneuvers, her speech had some high points (in particular the closing section):
And one day, they -- and your sons and daughters -- will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. They'll them how this time, we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears. How this time, we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming. How this time, in this great country -- where a girl from the South Side of Chicago can go to college and law school, and the son of a single mother from Hawaii can go all the way to the White House -- we committed ourselves to building the world as it should be.
Read Full Transcript.
5 comments:
The speech was obviously targeted at Low Information Voters, to dispel the Newsweek cover myth, and to do away with the fustbumpin' angry Black Panther image that the oh-so-liberal media never exactly attacked. So, okay, it doesn't go over too well with the more intellectual set, but then, that set wasn't the planned audience.
Plus, she does have the following sentence in the speech: "That’s why I left a job at a law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities."
So there. Professional woman. Just toned down because this really wasn't about her. This was about the man she endorsed.
I cried all the way through it like a big baby.
I hear you though about the playing down of the accomplished Ivy League professional.
Dr. Fantastic
...and although I understand the strategy I am SO tired of the repeated definition of "America" as the place where you can be poor and become President. The place of individual betterment. The place where you as an individual can scramble your way to the top. I would SO like to have some other official ideals. (They have been repeating to me that I can be President since kindergarten, but they will not allow me to be the citizen of a country that doesn't have torture. For example.)
Hey there!
I love your check list!!
Yes...Michelle did it!
She has convinced the white voter that she is not to be feared because aw shucks now...she promises to be a good little black... and she promises to be non-threatening from now on.... and she will certainly NOT turn into an outspoken black women who will address the issues when the clock strikes 12....
Oh heavens nooooo!
Say it "ain't" so!
Lisa
Oh my goodness! I missed this post. Awesome checklist - the speech was SO calibrated to make her look like "proper first lady material." Really frustrating, especially this part -
"Emphasize over and over my role as a good wife and mom - and definitely not how I was an intelligent student, lawyer, or career woman (check)"
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