Salon.com > Michelle Obama

Must-see morning clip

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:14:00 +0000

ABC has released an exclusive interview with Michelle and Barack Obama's first joint interview since the election. The first lady takes Barbara Walters on a tour of the White House and the the couple discusses their marriage, below:

The Obamas talk iconic Election Day “hug” photo

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:37:00 +0000

In an interview with Barbara Walters set to air tonight, Barack and Michelle Obama discussed the iconic "hug" photo that went viral on Election Night, after the President won re-election.

The picture was taken while they were campaigning in Iowa, Barack Obama said. Michelle Obama added: "Also, I hadn’t seen him in a while. You know, when you're campaigning, they have, we're two ships passing in the night, and the first time I saw him was when I walked on stage to greet him. And that’s my honey giving me a hug."

Watch:

Michelle Obama begs ITV for DVDs of “Downton Abbey”

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:30:00 +0000

The Obamas are huge fans of British costume drama "Downton Abbey." The Sun reports that Michelle Obama "begged" ITV executives for DVDs of Season 3, which has already aired on the public access channel in Britain.

A source from ITV1 told the Sun, "We know it’s very popular in America as it’s so quintessentially British. We’d heard the Obamas liked to watch it but we were very surprised when someone from the First Lady’s office got in touch asking for the series." ITV was "more than happy to sort out some DVDs for them to send over," but emphasized that "we hope they keep the spoilers to themselves as our US fans may not know about ... well, you know what!” (The above Sun article contains said spoiler, so read at your own risk).

10 women who cost Romney the presidency

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:42:00 +0000

Well, thank god that’s finally over. Further thanks that the climax was quick and clean. Almost surgical. Not as long a night as many first thought it might be. Except for Karl Rove, that is, who for all we know is still scribbling numbers to prove the call on Clinton’s reelection win in 1996 was premature. And as usual, Florida did all it could to gum things up, but was eventually rendered irrelevant. And long may it remain so.

In the end, President Barack Obama trounced, er, battered, um, eked out a victory, or to be more precise, Mitt Romney lost. Or shall we say, found a thousand ways to lose. Except for one brief shining moment in the first debate, virtually carrying with him a defeat diviner.

And each and every one of his failures can be traced directly to females. The distaff of life. Single women. Married women. Old women. Young women. Ladies and divas and flappers and baby mamas; duchesses, priestesses, shorties and floozies. So here they are, the top 10 females who cost Mitt Romney the presidency, each of them representing one of the myriad factors that helped construct the unelectable mosaic that became Bain’s Captain of Industry

Jimmy Kimmel interviews first lady Michelle Obama

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 21:23:00 +0000

First lady Michelle Obama opened up to comedian Jimmy Kimmel about parenting, the importance of voting and her fantasy of one day being able to walk to CVS again:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Who gets a shout-out at a $25K Obama fundraiser?

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:54:00 +0000

President Barack Obama spoke to an exclusive bunch of donors at a $25,000 fundraiser at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles. Attendees included George Clooney, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and film producer Harvey Weinstein. In a crowd like that, here are a few of the folks who got a presidential shout out.

The guy who introduces him

"Thank you so much. Everybody, please have a seat. First of all, you just heard from the future of the Democratic Party -- the great Mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro. (Applause.) We're so proud of him."

The first lady

"Some of you are aware that -- well, all of you are aware that Michelle and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary. (Applause.) And the actual anniversary date was not that romantic. (Laughter.) There was some speculation as to whether this had an impact on my performance. (Laughter.) But I did make it up to her on Saturday. We went out to dinner, a date night. And it was a wonderful evening. It was a private room, because people kind of lean over and start listening if we're in the booth next to them. (Laughter.) And Secret Service gets nervous. (Laughter.)"

Must-see morning clip

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:47:00 +0000

On last night's "Conan," Conan O'Brien mocked "The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck for asking Barack Obama a serious, intense question during his appearance on the talk show earlier this week. Conan went off on the co-host, though, saying, “Who the hell’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck?!”

Watch Conan's full tirade here:

Black women rally against voter ID laws

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:30:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — A cadre of black women is using new state voting ID laws as a rallying cry to motivate voters in 2012.

Black female activists say it is a proper role for them because black women had the highest turnout of any group of voters in the 2008 elections. About 69 percent of black women who were eligible to vote in 2008 went to the polls. The Pew Hispanic Center says that was an increase of 5.1 percentage points over the 2004 election.

The power of black women voters is a theme in this week's Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's conference. It culminates Saturday with a keynote speech by first lady Michelle Obama.

Foundation President Elise Scott says black women must lead because, in her words, "there is too much at stake."

The problem with first ladies

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:08:00 +0000

“We use Ann sparingly now, so that people don’t get tired of her–or start attacking,” said business-savvy Mitt Romney to his big money backers on the now infamous videotape. You have to “use” your wife on the campaign trail–she’s auditioning for first lady. But you don’t want to saturate the market with too much Ann, or people will stop liking her. How revealing.

On a daily basis, she has to prove that she loves children, pets, and warm and fuzzy, kid-centered holidays such as Christmas and Easter. But she’s smart, she knows the ways of the political world, and she can’t help every once in a while getting bored reading stories to second graders. She wants to tackle a social problem. She is unelected yet supremely influential. People everywhere are conflicted over how the first lady is meant to fulfill her duties.

In part, the national missus is supposed to help us forget that every administration is knee-deep in who-knows-what. Her job is to accomplish two things at once: project buoyant enthusiasm and an air of dignity; know how to be girlish and how to look serene in a gown. If the presidency inspires awe full-time, she must aim to symbolize grace full-time.

The Michelle Obama morale boost

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:11:00 +0000

When Michelle Obama talks, Americans feel better.

On Tuesday Gallup reported that the "U.S. Gallup Economic Confidence Index" jumped 11 points during the week of the Democratic National Convention.

The jump was the sharpest since the inception of the index and marks the high point for 2012. And it's a puzzler. One might expect that after Bill Clinton's speech, Americans would be more inclined to blame Republicans for the mess we're still in. But to be more confident about their own prospects? That's peculiar. And it's all the more befuddling because the week finished with a disappointing labor report. There's no objective, quantifiable reason why Americans should have ended last week considerably more optimistic about the economy than they began it.

Except, perhaps, that speech by the first lady?

It appears that the spark for the dramatic rise in Americans' economic confidence last week was the Democratic National Convention. A review of Gallup's nightly tracking results shows that the index was consistently near or below -25 each night in late August and early September, but then sharply improved on Sept. 4, the first night of the convention, to -18.

Confidence then held at or near -18 through Sunday, despite the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' mixed August unemployment report Friday morning showing continued weak jobs growth.

Relive the DNC through animated gifs

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:48:00 +0000

Day 1

The DNC kicked off the first night with a tribute to the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, Romney's former opponent.

Gifs from last night via current.com

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was not impressed:

[embedtweet id="243135234298753024"]

Around 9 p.m., the actor Kal Penn took the stage. He ended his speech like this:

"Before I close, and as I wonder which Twitter hashtags you’ll start using when I’m done talking–#sexyface–I ask all of you young people to join me. You don’t even have to put pants on. Go to commit.barackobama.com and register right there."

And lo, #sexyface trended on Twitter:

Kal Penn's work here is done.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered Tuesday’s keynote address.

Gabrielle Giffords’ inspiring comeback

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Of all the memorable, lump-in-the-throat moments of the Democratic National Convention -- Bill Clinton's "We're all in this together," Michelle Obama's "When you walk through that door of opportunity, you don't slam it shut behind you," even Barack Obama's "You did that" -- the one that shone the most brightly was the simple repetition of a few lines most of us more generally associate with childhood homeroom class. It was the Pledge of Allegiance, delivered by a 42-year-old Arizona woman. And when Gabrielle Giffords took the stage on the final night of the convention, she redefined that worn-out, overused word "inspirational" and made it hers.

Giffords has made few public appearances since the January 2011 mass shooting in Tucson in which she was shot in the head at point-blank range -- and six other people were killed. It was a devastating injury. Giffords had part of her skull and brain removed, underwent intensive reconstructive surgery, and lost the full use of the right side of her body and half of her vision. Yet her recovery has been nothing short of astonishing – a woman whom early media reports had presumed dead was walking, reading and speaking again, after just months of rigorous therapy.

DNC makes for good TV

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Even before Barack Obama took to the stage for the final speech of the Democratic National Convention, the Democrats had won the convention-off of the last two weeks by doing what conventions are meant to do, give or take some face-to-face politicking and the nitty-gritty procedural elements of nominating a candidate: being good television.

The writing was on the wall -- or really in the set design -- before any of the speakers even opened their mouths. The hokey wood paneling and endless screenage of the Republican National Convention made it look as though two wicked Wal-Mart salesmen, one from the tech department and the other from home goods, had been left to assemble something “impressive.” The Democrats went with a relatively clean, precise, non-vertigo-inducing backdrop.

Must-see morning clip

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:43:00 +0000

The night after she gave a rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama appeared on "Late Night" to tell viewers why they should keep watching.

Among her reasons? "As a healthy alternative, we're using low-fat confetti" and “It’s probably better than what you’re watching now.”

The number one reason was: "At long last, I'll reveal who I'm voting for."

Watch the clip, via Mediaite:

Now the nuts are playing pretend “fact checker”

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:58:00 +0000

The media fact-checkers have finally accomplished something: Now the nuts are just adding "fact check" to their nonsense.

Once the objective press' official arbiters of truth all decided that the Republicans, and specifically Paul Ryan, were guilty of 10 million more Pinocchios than the Democrats, it was really only a matter of time before the parallel right-wing press adopted the "fact-check" language for their own purposes, as a means of trolling the left and of ensuring that no objective reality ever threaten to pierce their little bubble of increasingly convoluted mythology.

So here we go: If the Democrats are going to call Paul Ryan a liar for lying about running marathons (among other things!), Breitbart's "Big Government" will FACT CHECK Michelle Obama's speech about how she loves her husband and so forth. Turns out: "Both Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama began their adult lives with a leg up on the rest of America." Pants on fire, Obamas! (The proof that they had a "leg up" is that they both attended very good schools, "despite undistinguished credentials," so you can guess precisely what sort of "leg up" Joel B. Pollack is referring to.) (More hilarious proof: Michelle Robinson attended a "public magnet school for Chicago’s upper class." A public school, sure, but a fancy one. You just got fact-checked, Michelle Obama!) (And in case you're curious, there is not any actual "check" of any specific "fact" from Obama's speech, just a constant reiteration of their eliteness and special privilege.)

Stop pretending Michelle wants to be a pol

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:25:00 +0000

Michelle Obama gave a really, really good speech last night, and whenever anyone gives a really good speech at a political convention all the reporters and pundits in America immediately have the same thought: THIS PERSON SHOULD DEFINITELY RUN FOR PRESIDENT. I'm pretty sure Chris Matthews drew a little stick person in a dress with the words "PRESIDENT MICHELLE" on a cocktail napkin as she concluded her remarks. Hundreds of Twitter people thought it was a good idea, and from what I understand hundreds of people on Twitter saying something is how as a nation we have decided to make important decisions from now on.

There is a minor problem that she has never evinced any interest in running for public office, but, on the other hand, really good speech.

Andrew Sullivan didn't quite come out and say it but:

Stunning, brilliant, moving, passionate and right. Flawless. That was a speech a presidential nominee would be proud to have given. The best speech of the conventions so far. There was an emotional arc and steel to this that was as suffused with patriotism as it was with love. Yes, I'm gushing. But gushing is what I feel. And this is live-blogging. So sue me. I've never heard a speech from a First Lady anywhere close to this.

Republicans’ empathy gap

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Michelle Obama didn't have to tell us "I love you, women!" Unlike Ann Romney, she could show us, with a speech that mixed policy and poetry and illustrated the difference between people who've heard about economic struggle – and people who've lived it.

She never mentioned Mitt Romney, but as she described her husband, a man with a rusted-out car, who wore shoes a half-size too small, whose single mother struggled to raise him and whose tenacious grandmother nonetheless hit a glass ceiling at her bank; who managed massive student loan debt until he got to the U.S. Senate and who comes home most nights to have dinner with his daughters; well, the contrast with Romney was stark. "Barack knows what it means when a family struggles," she said. Unlike someone else we won't mention.

Michelle Obama’s speech tweeted nearly twice as often as Romney’s

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Twitter reports that the first lady's speech "peaked at 28,003 Tweets per minute (TPM) at its conclusion," which is almost twice as many as Mitt Romney's peak of 14,289 during his convention speech last week.

The news comes as yet another blow to Romney's social media campaigning efforts; last week he invested at least $120,000 in a Twitter campaign that backfired.

Twitter reacts to the Democratic Convention

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:20:00 +0000

The response to the speeches at the Democratic Convention was overwhelmingly positive - particularly to Michelle Obama. Here are some telling reactions from across the political spectrum:

This is the best part of the convention and the best part of Obama -- he's a decent and good dad, and that's a good thing.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) September 5, 2012

Ann Romney's speech was solid but overrated, and Michelle Obama's significantly more impressive speech proves it.

— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) September 5, 2012

Michele Obama gave a very good speech. period. It was a big speech, very well done.

— Michael Steele (@Steele_Michael) September 5, 2012

Michelle Obama: Beyond mom-in-chief

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:13:00 +0000

"For Barack," said Michelle Obama in her wildly acclaimed speech tonight, "these issues aren’t political – they’re personal."

That reprise of the shopworn feminist slogan -- "the personal is political" -- was the essential premise of her entire speech. In a cloyingly theatrical modern tradition, first ladies attend the national conventions to testify about biography, not policy; they talk about the man as only they know him. But Michelle Obama managed to effortlessly marshal both to tell a story about change in America -- with the promise of more to come -- and to deliver her speech transcendantly.

She and Ann Romney both talked about first dates, about hard times and bad cars and tuna fish, about abiding love for their husbands. But putting aside the inconvenient question of whether mortgage payments or stock portfolios say anything about how someone will govern, the first lady holds the biographical trump card. The Obamas' narrative of upward mobility, of meritocracy working, is much more plausible. And without getting in the muck of any sort, Michelle suggested that there is both a policy argument for her husband and, without naming him, a strong contrast with Mitt Romney.