Mrs Obama rouses Democrats at Denver convention
Possible future First Lady Michelle Obama wowed the crowd at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night when she delivered a heartfelt speech in support of her husband, presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
On the eve of the 88th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, Michelle Obama stood before a crowd of thousands of her husband’s supporters, but this time, the crowd waved “Michelle” signs and chanted her name.
Her daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, joined her on stage following the rousing speech.
“I stand here today at the cross-currents of that history knowing that my piece of the American Dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me,” Obama told a crowd of up to 18,000 that packed the Denver convention center.
“All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do, that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.
“That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack’s journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. That is why I love this country.”
Describing herself as a daughter, a wife and a mother, Michelle Obama recalled her father’s dreams and drew parallels to her husband’s historic run for the Presidency.
A tearful Obama regaled the crowd with the story or her father, Fraser, who worked at the Chicago waterworks for decades despite his battling multiple sclerosis.
“My dad was our rock… our provider, our champion, our hero,” she said. “If he was in pain, he never let on.”
In a moment that drew wild applause from the crowd, Obama gave a shout-out to her husband’s rival in the primaries, Hillary Clinton, stating that the New York Senator’s run for the Presidency put “18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters—and sons—can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.”
During the primary season, Michelle Obama drew criticism from those who questioned her patriotism over various remarks she’d made.
Speaking to National Public Radio on Monday, she shook off the naysayers and those who question her devotion to the country.
“I have not paid much attention about what people say about me who don’t know me,” she said.
“It would be very hard for me to function in this world and to go through Princeton and Harvard and to work in all the careers that I’ve worked if I worried about labels.”
Despite Michelle Obama’s pitch-perfect oratory, she couldn’t help her daughters from stealing a little bit of her thunder when they joined her onstage following the speech.
Barack Obama addressed the crowd at the convention via satellite from Kansas City, Missouri praising his wife’s speech.
“Michelle, you were unbelievable, and you also look very cute,” he said.
“Malia, Sasha, how do you think Mom did?”
“I think she did good,” Sasha replied.
But Sasha stole the show when her father appeared on screen.
“I love you daddy,” she shouted at the larger than life image of her father.
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