Michelle Obama

What an awesome speech!
I watched it intently.
SO much to say, and so graciously.
It was so refreshing after all of the negativity from the RNC.
So proud she represents my country.

This was what I posted on Facebook right after she finished her speech.

"So much of what Michelle Obama talked about tonight were things that I can agree on: hard work, sacrifice, the definition of success, helping others achieve what you have, etc. The disagreement I have is in the best way to give help to others. Is it through the government, or through private citizens or organizations? I believe it is latter."

For a first lady, I believe the top qualities are poise, articulation, forebearance and patience. I don't have enough of those qualities to perform the role well.

ETA: In reference to below...I don't agree that attending private schools and struggling are mutually exclusive. My parents struggled to pay for all 5 of us to attend Catholic schools from K-12. We lived very frugally, and they continue to do so. While their W2s may put them into the middle class, you'd never know it by looking at their home and cars. They scream poverty. My parents just had different priorities, and Catholic schooling was their top financial priority.

I think she gave a great speech. She was there to speak in support of her husband, and that's exactly what she did. Michelle could not really get into political specifics, so as far as that goes she kept it light and to the point.

Now the important stuff, her fashion sense is great! She is always appropriately and fashionably dressed! She is in great shape too! I just love her!

ETA: You asked about Michelle Obama's speech - not about the Republican Convention and it's infomercial status.. I told you my thoughts on Michelle Obama's infomercial....and to top it off? I'm not a Republican.
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Saw it...didn't fall for it...nor her lies..

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/05/Fact-C...

To be first lady? You have to have class, dignity - not telling other First Ladies that being first lady is HELL...(her words) http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/michelle_obama_can_...

She wouldn't know struggle if it slapped her in the face...she attended private schools growing up...she sent and is sending her kids to private school (yes, I get the security issues) and can't even raise the kids on her own because she's spending our tax dollars traveling the world...she needs her mama to come do it for her...

sorry...it was an impassioned speech about how good of a husband and father he is...nothing about his (abysmal) record and how much he SUCKS at being President...

I didn't see it, but to respond to detractors below: I doubt it was any less of an infomercial than the Republican convention, where we heard about critical issues like Romney's father giving his mother a rose every night of her life.

Come on, people, I don't mind calling a spade a spade (infomercial) but can you at least admit that your party does EXACTLY the same thing?

I didn't read all the responses.... so I'm sorry if I'm repeating something.

I just wanted to correct a statement in the *factchecker* link.

It says "Michelle went to Whitney Young, the public magnet school for Chicago’s upper class..."

As the sentence says..... Whitney Young is PUBLIC magnet school.

It is a selective enrollment school and you have to TEST above a certain level to be considered. Typically that is in the 99th %ile on the ISAT along with a GPA > 4.0 due to honors classes taken in 7th grade. (7th grade scores are used for selective enrollment into High Schools in Chicago).

Then..... admission is divided into areas so that the school reflects the socioeconomic diversity of Chicago. Each socioeconomic *class* (called a tier) is represented by sending students who score the highest but fall within that respective tier.

"Currently, thirty percent of seats are allocated to students with the highest academic performance citywide -- regardless of their "socio-economic status". The remaining seventy percent are allocated to each of four socioeconomic Tiers, with each Tier receiving 17.5%. Students compete for this portion based on their academic performance in comparison with other students in their Tier."

I feel it is important to note that based on this model 17.5% of the students attending would be the POOREST students in Chicago.

Whitney Young is CERTAINLY one of the best High Schools in the United States.

It is CERTAINLY NOT a school for Chicago's Upper Class.

Additionally, here is the demographic breakdown for Whitney Young:
Ethnic Diversity
African American 29%
Caucasian 30.4%
Hispanic 20%
Asian 18%
Native American 0.7%
Other 1.0%

http://www.wyoung.org/about_wymhs.jsp

I ABHORE when people slant facts and then print them so that others will be incorrectly informed.

Regardless of what you think of her (and, to be honest... I'm not a huge fan, for a myriad of reasons) she was, in fact, raised on the south side of Chicago. Which is no picnic. She got into Whitney Young by earning good grades. Not because of her socioeconomic status.

IT WAS PHENOMENAL!!!!!!! The democratic party spoke to all of us mid-class and they spoke from the heart!!! Amazing speeches from the First Lady and Texas' Mayor, Julian Castro. Being a fellow Mexican, his words were beautiful, inspiring and filled my heart with such memories of my own mother and grandmother. As for Michelle's speech, inspiring beyond words and true love, respect and hope for her husband as well as the American people. You will need a box of tissue. I do not have what it takes to be First Lady, the grace, the smarts, the calm resolve....no way, I'd insult somebody I think. Of all our First Ladies, I think the successful ones have been graceful, elegant, incredibly smart, confident and have done wonderful work in the world.

Notice that the responses are either she was fantastic or she was lieing like a rug, straight and flatout.

The trouble with this election is that the voters are either strongly DNC or RNC. Its all how you feel about the money in your pocket. If the government putting money in your pocket is worth the collapse of the American financial system (not talking about the banks) then you are strongly Democrat. If you are pro-America and don't want America to collapse like Greece is going to, then you are Republican. Its all greed.

Me, I don't like spending money I don't have. Obama said he would half the deficit by the end of his first term and the deficit just turned $16 TRILLION. If Obama had done what he promised, the deficit would be less than $5 TRILLION. If spending keeps going like it has been, Obama will more than double the deficit during his watch. In simpler words, the deficit will increase by more during Obama's administration than it did in all of the previous 200 years.

I have seen Mrs. Obama's speech. I saw Mrs. Romney's speech. I watched the RNC Convention. I've seen the first day of the DNC convention. Having seen both convensions and knowing something of the financial markets, I find the DNC standing on the Titanic and telling the passengers, "Don't worry about getting into the life boats. We'll make it float."

Yes, I'd make a great first husband.

ETA: I find it interesting that since Mrs Romney struggled with MS, Mrs Obama had a father that struggled with MS. Coincidence or ? Interesting isn't it.

Good luck to you and yours.

I loved her speech. I found her to be so articulate and genuine. I was disappointed that she didn't really mention having been a working mom, or her past work experience (although I do understand the speech was more about the President, obviously). I loved how she related her own experiences to the struggles I feel my family faces now (how will we afford college for our kids, how will we afford healthcare). I do feel that she understands how my life has been, because she has been there. To the extent that any First Lady can influence her husband as to the issues that matter to average women, I feel she's the right person to be pulling for me and voicing my concerns.

Being the First Lady is a huge job, no question. No matter what she says, doesn't say, does, doesn't do, she gets flack for it. Just look at some of the comments below - ranging from how the dress made her hips look (?! - I thought she looked beautiful!), to having her mom come stay with them and help with the kids (well shoot, I guess I'm a crappy mom too, then, because my mom has come to help me from time to time!). I mean, seriously, the venom directed toward this woman is just incredible. It's the same for any first lady, though. I remember people being in a snit about Hillary Clinton's haircut, and her pants suits, of all the stupid things. I remember people being on Laura Bush's case for, well, her choice of husband. People thought Nancy Reagan was too thin. The list goes on and on. It takes a special kind of woman to stand up to that kind of criticism day after day, year after year. And when you think about it, although it's not an elected position, most First Ladies have had a huge impact on some aspect of the culture. From Jackie Kennedy and her impeccable sense of style to Nancy Reagan's Just Say No campaign, to Hillary Clinton starting the discussion on health care, to Laura Bush's literacy campaign, to Michelle Obama's fitness campaign. They've all contributed something to our national dialogue while also representing our country alongside their husbands.

Do I have what it takes to do the job? No, I'm sure I don't! I have a tendency just to say whatever is on my mind, and our First Ladies have all been more circumspect than that! :)

I saw it and thought she did an exceptional job. I was particularly happy that my 5yo daughter also watched and saw a very intelligent, strong, beautiful woman give a wonderful speech. I hope there are many more opportunities for her to see Mrs. Obama and other women like her speak in the future.

And for goodness sakes folks. If you believe Breitbart, you get what you deserve. Michelle Obama most assuredly grew up in a family with very, very little money. Michelle had to work very (very!) hard to get into a good public school (thank you WindyCityMom for the info), and worked hard yet again to get scholarships and loans to go to a very good university. And her parents sacrificed a lot to be able to send their kiddos to good schools. Hard work. Sacrifice. Little money. Education. Success. No matter what end of the political spectrum you are on, that's a pretty decent story.

I watched some and just got sick to my stomach and turned the tv off. I did watch Ann Romney's speech as well as Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney's.

I do not care for Michelle Obama nor her husband. She has made some comments that I find undesirable of a First Lady and I do not like the policies of her husband and his administration.

Yes. It was passionate but didn't talk about her husband's record, only about being a father and a husband and how he reads letters from families. Like I said, it was impassioned. Unfortunately, I can't buy it. Not this time.

She is an attractive woman and can give a good speech.

I am not married to a President, so I can't be First Lady. It takes a lot to be First Lady, thick skin to start with, class, knowing how to speak publicly, so much more.

I voted for Obama in '08. I will NOT be voting for him this year. I can't. Our country has suffered too much at his hands.

I didn't watch it, and I probably won't (because I'm not supporting re-election for Obama, so I don't see the point in listening to anything she has to say). This is completely irrelevant and tacky, but good golly that dress she wore makes her hips look HUGE.

ETA: I always thought that watching your respective party's convention speeches was like watching advertisements for brands you already buy. I don't get the point, really. I wish we could find better things to spend our money on.

What does it take, well for starters being married to a president. :p Since my husband is not the president I guess I don't have what it takes.

I have not watched and won't. I don't like speeches that lack substance. Didn't watch any speeches last week either.

I did read an interesting article about it where they said she claimed they lived a hard life when they first started out. If how they lived when they started out is their idea of a hard life that may explain how out of touch they are with the middle class.

After reading your what happened I am confused, both women blew sunshine up their husbands butts, Romney went on about how strong his wife is and if I were a betting person Obama is going to do the same! So how do you pat RoseBud on the back while doing exactly what RoseBud pointed out the detractors were doing, ignoring the similarities? You think Michelle is so brilliant well then give Romney's wife props too! And yes, I can't for the life of me think of what Romney's wife's first name is at the moment!

Interesting responses to this. I saw a lot of the speeches last night and was generally quite impressed. I headed to bed before Michelle Obama spoke, but now I am sorry I missed it. I really don't understand people whose response is "her dress made her hips look big". Seriously, what a stupid comment.

I am sad to hear a lot of people calling the conventions an infomercial. I see the point, but really people, it is our duty as citizen to listen carefully to what each party platform really is about. Sure the speeches are designed to make the candidate look good, but they also have a lot of information in them about the core beliefs.

I know I do not have what it would take to be a first lady. I may have the smarts, but I am too much of a fashion slob to pull off the kind of look that a first lady needs in order to be respected. I also don't have that much ability to be in the spotlight almost continuously.

I thought she was great, as always. Poised, passionate, graceful, intelligent.

I don't have what it takes...I would need a husband qualified to be President LOL. But even if I did...I would have to lose weight, whiten my teeth and get better hair before being trotted out in the public spotlight. But appearance aside (which, let's face it, counts A LOT) I would have no problem speaking in public, doing appearances, and would consider myself to be an intelligent, informed, passionate advocate for what I think is right. It's a challenging position, but a tremendous privilege and opportunity as well and it's only for 8 years at most.

Didn't watch it, don't care. I REALLY don't care what any of the wives say. Truly, it's just to make the candidates more likeable. (This goes for BOTH parties.) I care about what the candidates will do, not the sweet things the wives say.

I could not be a politicians wife. I don't know what it takes, but I don't desire for my life to be about my husband's career/goals.

She was awesome! Moving. Real. Honest. I think she is amazing.

Could I do it? I don't know. I think Michelle Obama wasn't sure she could or that she would want to, but she has become a spectacular first lady.

~She hates America.
~She grew up in a nice neighborhood in Chicago, not the 'ghetto' that I grew up in; there is a HUGE difference from living where she lived in Chicago to the 'South Side'. I know exactly where her childhood home is, and it's in a great are in Chicago. And their current home is absolutely beautiful and in a great area
~Her father had a very cushy job in Chicago, they were NOT poor by any means. In fact his wages were much higher than private sector jobs.
~She, her kids, her mom, her cronies, all travel on OUR money while 23 million people are out of work
~She went to an elite school in Chicago; just like Obama recently said "there are a lot of people that work hard", she did work hard too, but there are plenty of kids that should get in good schools.
~She & Barack got a very beautiful home in an elite area in Chicago from a convicted crook, Tony Rezko, that is known to give political kickbacks to politicians that *help* him. Like the old saying "birds of a feather, flock together".

They are crooks, just like all Chicago politicians. They live a very posh life and I don't believe a word she says that she or Barack were ever poor. They both went to elite schools and had financially conservative parents/grandparents that encouraged and pushed them to make something of themselves. Both their parents worked for the Democratic party. The seed has been embedded in them forever.

I just listened to her speech on YouTube. I thought it was inspirational and as for her hips. Many black women with 2 children have hips and our husbands love them. Everyone can't be a toothpick.

I do have what it takes to be a first lady but you also learn as you go along. Your character is your character as you support your children in their growth and development and your husband in his efforts and balancing out the dreams you have for your own personal life. It seems to be about balance.

I'm not into convention speeches, by either party. It's all just a big infomercial.

This pretty much sums up what I thought:
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/05/Fact-C...

Yes, I watched most of the speeches. She did an excellent job. Both she and President Obama are very good at giving speeches (at least when they have the teleprompter.) There are many things I like about her as a person such as her push for healthier children. But more I don't like. She spends way too much money on clothes --and vacations on the tax payers' money.
It was interesting that so many women were there on the stage last night. But even more interesting to see who wasn't there--Hillary. She is by far the most competent person in the cabinet. I think he only appointed her because he absolutely had to. The rest are buffoons.
I am certainly not a huge fan of Mitt Romney, but I will be voting for him. The president has has 4 years and he has made things worse. The only thing I admire about the president is that he is a good husband and father. We really don't know much about him. But there are some interesting things brought out in the movie, 2016.
It's too bad more don't watch the conventions. There is so much more to learn than just what is said in the speeches.
And no, I would never want to be First Lady. I have to speak the truth and act on what I feel is right, even if it ends up hurting me. It would be very easy though to give a great speech about my husband. I wish politicians had even a small percentage of his ethics and integrity!

I can't believe some of the "haters" on this site. M. Obama speach was excellent and she looked beautiful. You don't have to be blond, blue-eyed and boney to be beautiful. Ann Romey looked a little "hippie" in her dress, but no one said anything about her. Both her and Barack came from humble beginnings, studied hard, graduated from the top schools in this great country and became sucessful. Wouldn't you be so proud if your child did the same. They wern't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. She did a good job speaking about her husband, just like Ann Romey did, that's what they are supposed to do, right. Some people say she's spending too much of the country money on clothes and travel, she is the First Lady dummies, is she suppose to shop at the Thrift Store and fly Spirit Airlines, did Nancy Reagan or any other first lady. Being First Lady would change you life forever!!! and you need a very thick skin because there would be so many lies printed about not only you, but your children and family.

Its obvious she loves, cherishes and supports her husband president and her family...just like Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Roslyn Carter etc etc before her.

Lol I love how some people always call the truth "negativity". If you want roses and refreshing statements aka non negatives from the DNC tonight, get ready to be disappointed.