Michelle: the Flaw in Obama’s Armor?

The electoral machine is like a steamroller. But in its running this year, the proverbial street-flattener seems to have come to some resistant bumps in the road–Michelle Obama doesn’t really have the demeanor of a future first lady. She bangs fists with her husbands to wish him luck, just like young rappers. She reveals certain aspects of her private life–Barack leaves his socks lying around the bedroom and sometimes has bad breath.

But above all, this imposingly tall woman (measuring 5’11) inspires respect. She does so with her academic and professional experience–she was Obama’s boss when he was a summer associate in a Chicago law firm. She does so by expressing her own self image, that of a “strong woman.” She does so with the words that she happens to voice. Especially these words–“For the first time in my adult life, I am truly proud of my country.”

These words were said last February during a political meeting in Wisconsin, when the “change” lauded by her husband seemed to hit closer to the bullseye for the democratic voters. But, her words echoed loudly. Do they mean that Michelle Obama is ashamed of the United States? That she doesn’t really love her country? Since then, the steamroller set itself in motion. Recently, a conservative magazine named her “Mrs. Complaints.” Michelle Obama would be bitter. Despite assuming the air of a beaming, radiant woman, she would be instead the benchmark for a “Angry Black Woman.” Even the other candidate for First Lady jumped in the game.

“I don’t know what she meant by that,” said wealthy heiress Cindy McCain, in reference to her “rival’s” words. “All I know is that I have and always will be proud of my country.”

Truthfully, First Ladies (and future First Ladies) rarely play the retiring role that is traditionally expected of them. Especially the Democrats–Hillary Clinton being the prime example, of course. Also, Teresa Heinz, the wife of John Kerry, ended up stealing the thunder of her unluckily candidate husband. Even Republican Laura Bush just recently starting ad-libbing on her own, publicly defending Michelle Obama.

However, the case of the Illinois senator’s wife is particular. Because of the unusual background of her husband (who is not entirely a part of the African American community), it is Michelle that ensures the vital connection to black voters. After the long battle between Hillary and Barack, Michelle’s stature must also ensure a hold on the female electorate disappointed by Clinton’s defeat. Michelle Obama’s role is not simply to check herself from handicapping her husband. She is an integral part of a political animal with its eyes set on the White House.

All the same, she could be representative of a weak link. Although polls show that Michelle Obama is well ahead of Cindy McCain in popularity (48% versus McCain’s 39%), she also makes for a more divisive opinion–three out of ten Americans have a negative image of her.

It is not surprising, hearing this information, that Republican wrath is attempting to strike this purported weakness. Until now, attacks on Barack’s “elitist” character, or on his closeness to the Trinity Church of Chicago, or on his “hidden agenda” slid off of his back without any visible damage. And while the subjects of these attacks aren’t evolving, they are moving over to target his wife. As an African American commentator recently noted, these attacks aim to prove that “Barack Obama has more in common with Malcolm X than the Martin Luther King Jr. he appears to be.”

Barack’s campaign team understood the risk of seeing Michelle Obama become a weak link in the campaign’s armor. She has recently obtained a personal secretary whose main task is managing her image. No longer will she grace the front pages of Ebony, one of African-American intellectuals’ favorite reads. After appearing on a televised talk show where she talked more about clothing than politics, Michelle was featured on the cover of national weekly US Magazine, not far off from Angelina Jolie and Eva Longoria. The magazine asked the question, “Why does Barack love her?” His response–Because she is an extraordinary mother.