Magical Michelle Obama Hijacks the Straight Talk Express

[illinoisprogressive]

The Obama campaign went into mild damage-control mode this week because Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, said her husband must win Iowa — if not, then the campaign is “just a dream.” Obama's people say she was ginning up the ground troops (the remark was made in Iowa). But guess what: She's right. Obama needs to be a massive hit in Iowa. Aided by the Republicans who use her as a fundraising scarecrow, Hillary Clinton has been incredibly successful acting like she's already been nominated — her lead is continuing to widen. If she aces Iowa, the self-fulfilling prophesy of her candidacy will just domino from there. (This is how we ended up with Kerry in 2004.) There's no shame in framing Iowa as a do-or-die state for Obama — in fact, saying it out loud right now could be a shrewd move that will get more non-Iowans to come down and work the state. More importantly, though, the incident highlights why Michelle Obama is our single favorite thing about this entire campaign season.

She doesn't do the hushed, wifey tones that are the default setting for her peers; neither is she a soap-opera powder keg. Michelle's trademark, by now, is common sense
— not folksiness or realpolitik, but Actual Common Sense. She famously told USA Today that Barack is not the “next messiah who's going to fix it all. In the end, he's just a man.” (Wait, isn't that a Mary Magdalene lyric from Jesus Christ Superstar? And if so, doesn't that make Barack … the messiah? Ask the Agenda folks — they may have an opinion.) Just about the worst thing the Obama campaign can do right now, in their palpable fear of Dean-esque flameout, is gag Michelle. We say, give us more: She obviously knows what she's doing. This is a woman who mentored her future husband, for chrissakes, at Sidley & Austin when she was an associate and he a summer intern. If you want a quiet, demure political spouse, there's always Bill Clinton.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/09/michelle_obama_hijacks_the_str.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Excuse me for asking but... "more non-Iowans to come down and work the state"!!??

Uh, hello? Isn't that how everyone says Dean lost Iowa?

[Connie_Corleone]

2. I specifically remember reading an article where the Obama campaign

said that they were NOT going to use that tactic like Dean. They were going to have Iowans canvass the state.

I think the person who wrote that was just assuming that the Obama campaign would bring in non-Iowans.

[Kagemusha]

3. Foolish assumption then.

IMHO of course.

[Inspired]

7. But they do bring in non-Iowans.

First....Obama is not first on my list but he is my second choice. I admire him and I won't lose sleep if he wins Iowa and goes on to win the nomination. I just wanted to disclose that while Obama is not my first, he is a close second. I like him. If Edwards doesn't win, I'd like Obama to.

I live in Iowa. The Harkin Steak Fry was a perfect example of Obama bringing in non-Iowa support. I'm not saying Obama doesn't have support in Iowa. He does. But when you bring in 2,000 to 3,000 supporters, in buses - who received free tickets, you wonder how many of them actually live in Iowa and how many will actually attend a caucus. (A caucus that will last around 2 hours and is held on a cold night in January, most likely in a high school band room.) The folks who drove themselves and paid for their own ticket are much more likely to caucus than those who received a free ride.

Obama was the keynote speaker at the '06 steak fry. He brought in bus loads of supporters from Illinois. I know because I was there.

I know enough about politics to understand why this is done. Visibility and the media. It creates an illusion of solid support with the goal of having others jump on the bandwagon. While those that attended the steak fry due to Obama's generosity enjoyed themselves, not many will actually cast a vote in the Iowa caucus.

I was here when the Dean supporters swarmed our state. I heard about the letters his supporters were writing to Iowans from different areas of the country. This irritated many Iowans. We don't like to be told who we should support via letters written at a meetup in LA, New York or Boston.

We also don't like to be crushed at events by swarms of college aged kids who won't even attend the caucus and probably don't even live in our state.

[hisownpetard]

4. Great OP, especially the last sentence! And thanks for the photo - I wouldn't mind

looking at that for the next four years, that's for sure.

[illinoisprogressive]

5. Better than looking at the pinched mouth of her highness.

[2rth2pwr]

6. The Messiah!

[flpoljunkie]

8. Iowa has become more important than ever--for all of them. Iowans felt Kerry would be our best

nominee, and I am hoping they will feel the same about Obama. It is way past time to end the poison in Washington, and it is Obama who gives us hope of ending it.

And, I still believe Kerry won in Ohio--only the Republithugs made sure we could not prove it!