Michelle for President

There are many, many problems with both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, most of which have already been lambasted on these pages.
There are many problems with politics in America in general.

We’ve lost faith in our politicians, regardless of party or message. So caught up in petty partisan battles, we feel as though they can accomplish nothing.

Many of my peers have expressed that they’ve stopped following or caring about politics for this very reason.

And we can’t blame them. Moderation and compromise are out the window. American politics have become about extremes — who can say the most extreme thing or who can pander to the highest number of groups.

And yet, as I watched the Democratic National Convention coverage Tuesday evening, I saw a glimmer of hope.

Not in any of the politicians, but in Michelle Obama.

She is undoubtedly a great speaker. The word “dazzling” has been thrown around not a few times when describing her performance.

However, what dazzles me about Michelle is deeper than the fact that she’s an excellent orator.

Michelle was the realest person at the DNC.

She didn’t spend her time complaining about what the other party had done to ruin her life or twisting facts to make her respective candidate seem like God incarnate, both popular strategies at either convention.

Instead, she was real. She told stories from a personal standpoint and let us know why we fell in love with Barack Obama in the first place. 

When she described a man who gave up high-paying jobs to help those in need, even when trying to pay off gargantuan student loans, and when she described a man who thinks of the welfare of his daughters above all else and wants to create a better life for his and everyone’s children, she described why the American people wanted Barack four years ago and why they should still want him.

She described a good man with a good heart, a characteristic we sometimes forget is important in a political leader.

In her speech, Michelle voiced what most of us, regardless of party, really want: to create a better world both for ourselves and for our children, both present and future.
It’s such an obvious, universal, bipartisan goal, but it’s one that often gets lost among smaller and sillier debates.

If anything, these past four years have shown how terrible these silly debates are for our country.

More politicians need to think like Michelle Obama. If we truly want positive change, we must move beyond the things that divide us and instead move forward with the things that unite us, the things we all want.

If our next president, whoever he might be, can’t stomach that mentality, there’s always Michelle.

Having a mom for president isn’t such a bad idea.

­— kelfritz@indiana.edu