<p>Now there is a really amazing woman. Her speeches are even more inspiring than Barack’s. Those of you who don’t know much about her, check out some of her speeches on youtube. Or watch her on C-SPAN if you can. Michelle would make a much better first lady than Bill (or Hillary).</p>
<p>am listening to her Delaware speech now (49 minutes)… she is very articulate and obviously very intelligent. Thanks for the link.</p>
<p>Did she speak in California and Delaware on the same day?? I watched her on c-span in California and Barack on Cnn in Delaware.</p>
<p>My daughters and I attended her speech last night. She is fantastic–spoke for almost an hour and had the entire crowd–overflowing–rapt the whole time.</p>
<p>She was in California (UCLA) on Sunday, with Oprah, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver as the surprise guest. Michelle’s speech at UCLA was dynamite, profound and in some ways more impressive to me than any of Barack’s I have heard. Michelle is more down to earth than her husband. </p>
<p>Barack left California shortly after the debate and campaigned in Idaho, Missouri, and I think Delaware over the weekend. The husband and wife are campaigning separately. After seeing Michelle, I realize that she will prove to be a bigger asset for her husband than Bill can be for Hillary.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t think most people think of Bill as an asset anymore :).</p>
<p>She spoke last night in San Jose after the rally in LA. She looked as fresh as could be at 8 at night–and I noticed she was wearing what she was wearing in LA! She is a graduate of Princeton, and Harvard Law School. Also gorgeous. One thing she mentioned is that they were still paying their college loans at age 40–and it was only because of his two best-selling books that they were able to finally pay them then.</p>
<p>Our family (republicans) watched the UCLA rally on cspan yesterday…It was so incredible…and we were at the Twin Cities (20,000 +) rally with obama on Saturday. We are fired up in Wisconsin…WE BELIEVE !!!
By the way, Obama would have had even more people at the rally at the Twin Cities but tickets were gone within hours. People lined up of all different races, religions, young and old…His message has changed our family. The news (CNN & MSNBC) does not even cover this stuff…It is pro-machine. We get all our news from the blogs now.!!! Please if you live in the super Tuesday states, get out and vote. About 1 million voters just in california have voted in early mail-ins. On the blogs, people are writing in weeping that they can’t change thier votes to Barack. Help those who want to see a change in the direction of our country. Please vote!</p>
<p>I saw the video of the Delaware speech last night, and promptly made a donation to the campaign. I was a very early Barack Obama supporter. I’m a political junkie and follow campaigns all around the country. I discovered him when he was one of 7 candidates in the IL Democratic primary for the Senate seat that he holds now. I contributed then, was part of the “Barack brigade.” Then he gave his keynote address at the 2004 convention, and became well known. But I followed his Senate career and was disappointed. I was not enthusiastic about him as a presidential candidate, although I was planning to vote for him in the primary tomorrow, since John Edwards dropped out. But I am much more enthusiastic about him after listening to his wife.</p>
<p>She is actually a much better and more inspiring speaker than he is.</p>
<p>I think they are an awesome duo. He has the capacity to lift up people’s minds and hearts, and as she said about him, he is the kind of politician who comes along once in a generation–brilliant, but also decent, honest, and the kind of person who listens to everyone even those he disagrees with, and looks for ways to bring people together in a common cause. She spoke about what we are lacking in this country–not a resources deficit, not a policy deficit, but an empathy deficit–and said that if he is elected President, he will expect us all to do our part for our neighbors. </p>
<p>NYMomof2 and almosthomefree, thanks to both of you! This is his effect on people. I had never worked in a political campaign (and now I am on the phones and walking the streets for him!), and have never donated at the level I am now. Our whole family is supporting him too, even the Republican in our midst. </p>
<p>The stop in San Jose last night I think was kind of last-minute, but the crowd was as you described–incredibly diverse in every way, and even with the last-minute email invitation, the line stretched down the block and around the building, and there was an overflow crowd. People are so hungry for this message of hope, and change. But it isn’t just words. It comes from two (I’ll count her in too now) brilliant, dedicated, incredibly hard-working people who want this country to resurrect itself and will work themselves to the bone to see that it happens.</p>
<p>I should add (to my statement that Michelle Obama is more inspiring than Barack) that I consider Barack a wonderful speaker - I was just completely blown away by his wife.</p>
<p>I attended Obama’s rally in Wilmington, DE, yesterday. WOW. I’ve never seen anything like it. After his speech, I looked around at the faces around me - young, old, black, white, Asian, rich, poor, etc. - and was stunned to see tears streaming down the faces of many in the audience. </p>
<p>Another believer here!</p>
<p>NYMomof2: Ditto about being blown away by Michelle. Barack is inspirational but a bit superficial for my taste. I agree with everything he says but he doesn’t really put in a lot of meat into his speeches. With Michelle, she is substantive and her authenticity is out there for you to see. Using the meat analogy- he is like a delicious sushi plate while she is like a great fresh-grilled hamburger. I like them both. </p>
<p>I am registered as an independent and fortunate enough to live in a State that will allow me to vote for Obama tomorrow.</p>
<p>I really feel sorry those who will not be able to vote for him because of party affiliation restrictions or those poor California voters who mailed in absentee ballots for Hillary earlier and now want to vote for Obama.</p>
<p>I also know about those tears- very hard to hold back when listening even on TV, I can only imagine how hard it would be in person. I am an atheist but I am praying every day for God to watch over Obama. I am terrified about something happening to him a la JFK, MLK, Gandhi, Lincoln.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see the breakdown of votes in California. I suspect the votes cast on Tuesday will be far different from the votes sent in absentee. I hope the Democratic party and its superdelegates are smart enough to see momentum and the degree of hope that Obama inspires, and not to alienate and deflate the voters by sticking to the old guard. </p>
<p>His stump speech may be more inspirational than specific, but when you listen to him in interviews etc., he has a complete grasp of policy and facts. I actually think that he has been told not to sound too much like a policy wonk on the campaign trail because, as David Brooks says, when he is talking policy, he speaks in complete paragraphs with 6-clause sentences!</p>
<p>I never vote early because you never know what will happen in the days leading up to the election. Also, I just like going to my polling place on the day, talking to the poll workers, getting my little “I voted” sticker.</p>
<p>I feel sorry for those who’ve had a change of heart.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay–that is very smart! I did vote weeks ago, but fortunately for the candidate I still like–but in the future I will take your words to heart. There has been a big push to Californians to register for permanent absentee status and I think in the newness of it all, people vote the minute they get their ballot, which was many weeks ago.</p>
<p>I took my mom and sister to Michelle’s rally yesterday at UCLA. There were many incredible women on the stage, including Oprah, Maria Shriver, Caroline Kennedy, a 93-year-old Korean woman who spoke eloquently of visiting the South prior to civil rights reforms, and about three or four of our state legislators (Senate majority and Assembly majority leaders) who are women. They were all incredible, and Michelle Obama outclassed and out spoke every single one of them. Her speech was riveting, her story compelling, her command of the audience stunning. No notes. No reliance on jokes, no attacks on others, very little rhetoric, just an authentic, sincere, serious message, delivered with fierce intelligence. She is smart, straightforward and seems to be every bit the equal to her husband. And she had us in tears, as well. </p>
<p>We went to the rally because the trifecta of Oprah, Michelle Obama and Caroline Kennedy was too great to pass up, and we wanted to escape the insufferable Superbowl pre-game build-up. The unexpected appearances of Shriver and Stevie Wonder were icing on the cake. But we left with our breath taken away by Michelle Obama.</p>
<p>Michelle’s impressive. I had to laugh at the interview of her mother I saw quite some time ago - she more or less said that Barack ‘would do’ as a husband… Gotta love parents!</p>
<p>That’s the impression I got of Michelle’s parents in Obama’s first book. I have to laugh, too. Wonder if he gets the presidency if they will still have that attitude. If so, I give them credit… they raised a great girl and she didn’t have to settle for anyone! </p>
<p>One thing that impressed me (superficial, I know) about seeing Michelle in person yesterday is how fit she looks. She is very tall. 5’11" and she was wearing heals, so she just towered over the other women on stage. She had on tan pants and a white sleeveless shirt. Her arms are so long and very toned, muscular. She really looks like she could be playing basketball for UCLA right now. She just turned 44 last month, and so is exactly one year younger than I am. I’m often mistaken for someone in their mid-thirties but she looks like she could be 25. Just a fit, healthy attractive woman. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she could beat her husband in arm wrestling. :)</p>
<p>Here’s a pic to what she looked like yesterday. See how she towers over the other three women?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/mamas-for-obama-but-daddys-cool/2008/02/04/1202090322213.html[/url]”>http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/mamas-for-obama-but-daddys-cool/2008/02/04/1202090322213.html</a></p>
<p>Both Obamas spoke at a luncheon I attended this summer. I thought then, and still think, that it’s very hard for Barack to follow Michelle. She’s that good.</p>
<p>
Michelle’s older brother also went to Princeton and was one of their top basketball players ever. He is now the basketball coach at Brown.</p>
<p>I’m so excited and nervous about the elections tomorrow! Those of you who went to the UCLA speeches - you are so LUCKY!!</p>
<p>Wouldn’t Michelle make the most amazing First Lady!</p>