Let Michelle Be Michelle

The New Republic: The Stepfordization Of Tonight’s Keynote Speaker Is A Shame-And It’s Bad Politics

(The New Republic)  This column was written by Katherine Marsh.

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In June, US Weekly magazine delivered a bombshell--excuse me, an "EXCLUSIVE" bombshell, as the magazine trumpeted it--about Michelle Obama: "Michelle Is an 'An Extraordinary Mother.'" The source of this shocking claim was none other than Senator Barack Obama. Also revealed was Michelle's "struggle to get pregnant," and how she took her best friend to see the Sex and the City movie. The story that directly follows hers on US's website was "Woman Sues Victoria's Secret for Alleged Thong Injury."

As Michelle Obama takes the stage tonight as the headline speaker on the Democrats' "Unity"-themed kick-off in Denver, I'm hoping they finally let the poor woman get back her dignity. By now we all know the story: In February, Michelle declared that "for the first time in her adult life" she was proud of America. Conservatives got all Toby Keith on her (though it's worth noting that the hyper-patriotic country star has emerged as an Obama fan) and ugly, racist rumors began to fly. Michelle's Princeton thesis advocated black separatism; she had brandished the unspeakable racial slur "whitey"; she had grown an Afro, carried a Kalashnikov, and gave her husband a terrorist fist jab (oh, wait--that was The New Yorker cover). Once considered an impressive surrogate for her husband, Michelle was essentially booted from center stage and forced to make amends for her grievous error by subjecting herself to various forms of cruel and unusual rebranding--among them, a guest co-host stint on "The View."

I miss the old Michelle, and I think a lot of other women do, too. Not the scripted Stepford wife fist-bumping Elisabeth Hasselbeck, but the sassy better half who reminded us that while Barack was the answer, he was also stinky in the morning and forgot to put the butter away. She both affirmed his promise and humanized him. You could actually imagine their relationship was a real thing--not a symbiotic power alliance, but a union of two different people with different goals who just happen, when they're not bickering about the butter, to find each other pretty cool. This Michelle was an asset to the campaign, a highly accomplished woman outside the sphere of motherhood as well as in it, a necessary bit of fire to Obama's dispassionate ice, and valuable proof that Obama isn't the type of guy inclined to surround himself--like our current president--with yes-men or -women. If Joe Biden can be forgiven his sins and welcomed onto the stage beside the African American nominee he once called clean and articulate, then surely Michelle Obama can finally be freed from the clutches of US Weekly and Joy Behar and allowed to give a speech that truly reflects who she is.

Still, I'm skeptical that this will happen. Even before the "proud" flap, the real Michelle stirred up critics, most famously Maureen Dowd, who noted that some found her ribbing of Obama "emasculating" and worried that it "rests on the presumption that we see him as a god." As my colleague (and fellow working mom) Michelle Cottle explained in a smart New Republic piece about Michelle Obama back in March, Michelle's cracks about her husband are a familiar genre: Spend time among married women, especially those balancing work and kids, and you inevitably hear a lot of "my guy's great but he always leaves the toilet seat up, puts the baby's clothes on backwards" kind of remarks. "Emasculating" may be one word for these types of exchanges, but "sisterly" is another--an acknowledgement of the greater burdens that women carry when it comes to the domestic front. With the Democrats now running a two-man ticket (not to mention Biden's inaugural wince-worthy joke that his wife's doctorate degree "is a problem") and with angry Hillary voters to placate, letting Michelle show solidarity with other women and their real-life frustrations would be a wise idea.

It's true that Michelle, in tonight's speech and as a first lady, will undoubtedly disappoint some feminists. She has made it clear from the beginning that she is not, à la the Clintons, selling herself as a co-president with Barack. She does not appear to have political aspirations and her staff is unlikely to engage in formulating policy. She seems to place a high value on the role of mother. But there is also no way she could ever fit the more traditional first lady mold. She is not a deferential sidekick like Cindy McCain (who fueled the "proud" controversy by saying that she has always been proud of her country) or Laura Bush (though Laura did show a rare public independence of spirit in her defense of Michelle). She has a first-rate education and a professional career of her own. Like her husband, she seems obsessed with trying to articulate the complexity of things as they are--revealing strains in her relationship with Barack, for example--as a way to unify her own experience with others. No wonder her attempts to play a more traditional and guarded first lady have fallen flat.

The real problem for Michelle is that there is no existing First Lady paradigm that fits her. But the good news is that these days more women are like Michelle Obama--a label-defying mix of mother and worker, partner and wife--than they are like Hillary Clinton or Laura Bush. Michelle's challenge--and the moral and political responsibility of her handlers in the Obama campaign--is to allow her to convey this with wit and frustration, candor and strength.

Tonight's speech-her biggest moment in the spotlight thus far--will likely reveal which Michelle we'll end up with as First Lady. Will she be the more complicated and outspoken woman who shares an honest portrait of her life? Or will we end up with the Michelle featured in a first lady photo shoot in the September issue of Harper's Bazaar? Okay, so it's really Tyra Banks, the "America's Top Model" diva who famously chastises aspiring models to show a broad range of emotions, portraying Michelle's possible life in the White House. In frame after frame, Tyra gives Michelle--wearing a black cocktail dress in the Oval office, reading in bed with a male-model Barack in matching Harvard sweatshirts--the same blank grin.

Katherine Marsh is managing editor of The New Republic.

[xlib]

I want to hear about her time at the University of Chicago Medical Center where she was responsible for coming up with ways to keep the non-insured from coming to the ER for treatment. I understand she hired a company headed up by axelrod who is now in charge of the messiah''s campaign. Seems to me she was looking out for the institutions bottom line. How very corporate of her.
If this were a REpublcian spouse doing the same thing I think we would have heard about it. But hey, it''s the blessed couple so everything is off limits.

[scotch41-2009]

Michelle Obama''s big mouth is exceeded only by her big b.u.t.t!

[xlib]

Oh yea, why in God''s name is she always PO''d???
Angry, angry lady.

[waynester9]

Tonight''s speech-her biggest moment in the spotlight thus far--will likely reveal which Michelle we''ll end up with as First Lady.

Apparently it''s a foregone conclusion to the author of this article that Obama will win the election.

[fralene-2009]

I like and admire Michelle Obama just like she is. She is smart, honest, fierce, and proud. She made her own way in a tough world and her back story is inspirational, just as Barack Obama''s is. This 53 year old, white, independent voter thinks Michelle Rocks! Obama/Biden ''08

[talkingham]

I surprised you haven''t all heard and believed how much she hates America. Faux News reports it every day.

[element51]

Finally a well written, well thought out article about a woman who would be a wonderful first lady. I admire her for her honesty and for her obvious devotion to her family. Thank you.

[wogerwabbit]

Neoconazi tears... I started gathering them in a little vial and now I have many hundreds 55 gallon drums full of anguish. Who knew? Does anybody have some free storage space available for shattered dreams of world domination that they''d like to donate to a worthy cause?

[soetorolies]

Exactly, let MEchelle be MEchelle, enough with the "softening", "makeover''s",etc. Let that skanki American Hating Beatch be herself!!

Here she is saying she would have to think about supporting Hillary:

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/08/25/michelle-replay-i-would-have-to-think-about-voting-for-hillary/

I guess 30-50% of Hillary supporters are doing the same thing!!

[soetorolies]

I wonder if she will have to change her name to MEchelle Soetoro? Does this mean that MEchelle and little Barry are not really married?

We will let the Federal Courts decide!!

http://www.americasright.com/2008/08/obama-sued-in-philadelphia-federal.html

[soetorolies]

People, if you want to "Save the children" you can start with Obama''s brother!! He lives on $1.00 per month!! Little Barry cares so much about his brother that he does noting for him. Little Barry is PATHETIC!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html

George Obama says:
"If anyone says something about my surname, I say we are not related. I am ashamed,"

[wogerwabbit]

Geeze, another 55 gal. drum filled within the last hour or so! Help! They''re so pathetic, have you no mercy? ... Nah, neither do I. Let ''em drown! LOL!

[forevertru-2009]

Dam, I knew Michelle was a ***!! Now if I can just find that picture of Obama with a wig and lipstick on. We may be on to something here.

[forevertru-2009]

God help us all.

[patriot12436]

element51
That was sarcasm, wasn''t it ?

[patriot12436]

fralene
If we all had everything given to us like Barry and Michelle had, we would rock too.

[ljb6599]

patriot12436....Barak and Michelle never had anything in their life given to them.They worked hard for evrything they have today and they also gave back to their community after they were educated.If you want to talk about someone whom was given everything on a silver platter that would be GEORGE W.BUSH!The man never had to work hard a day in his life!

[cattlekate]

Michelle is a very impressive, hard-working, smart, down-to-earth, self-made gal and I look forward to her being First Lady.

Obama/Biden 08!

[rktsci3127]

Please interview Michelle''s brother-in-law so we can better understand the values of rich lawyers. Just like her husband...hypocrite.

[kman821]

I can hardly wait until Cindy McCain has a chance to tell her compelling life story ... like how she had to to pull herself up by her boot straps to overcome her prescription drug addiction ... and how she built her life today on a foundation of adultery ... now that''s inspiring!

[vastr-wcon]

.
Watching that I lost my lunch - and most of my breakfast.

The FCC must stop obscenities and indecencies on TV.

/

[wanbleeman]

I see that there are some real haters posting here, that no matter what Michelle did she would be wrong because she is loving, forgiven honorable woman, who does love her family and America. If you can''t see the truth, then the problem is not her, but yourself. Times are changing and those who attempt to keep doing and thinking the old are soon be replace by the new forward progress that is America. I have faith in America that we will do the right choice for our fulture.

[babooph]

Machelle,from the middle class to Princeton & Harvard,dedicated wife & mother;but I lean towards John -his heiress, country club,plastic surgury cut prima donna may run things if he gorks like Reagan-COULD THE CANDIDATES SWITCH WIVES????

[patriot12436]

ljb
Take off the blinders, obama had a silver spoon in his mouth growing up, michelle got accepted to princeton thru the minority program.

[patriot12436]

forevertru
I get a mental picture of obama showing up at a negotiatins meeting with the arabs, with him dressed in a dress, wig and makeup, and the look on the Arab''s faces when he expects them to take him seriously.

[patriot12436]

wambleeman
If they hadn''t come off as racists at the start of the campaign, then i would feel different. I hope McCain chooses powell as VP and that powell accepts. I think he would make an awesome VP.