In the final few days of the Obama Administration, it seemed apropos to re-post this blog written before he got a second term. Despite some outdated references, I think the idea is relevant. Enjoy.
Michelle and Barack Obama are unlike any presidential couple this country has ever seen. And I'm not just referencing their color.
They seem like ordinary people who happen to be the President and First Lady. I would feel right at home in their company, talking and laughing with them about any number of topics.
They appear down-to-earth...and cool.
I can imagine the conversations that go on behind closed doors:
Michelle: Whew! Am I glad to be home.
Obama: Remind me again. Why did I take this job.?
Michelle: Because you wanted to make a difference. Be a different kind of politician.
Obama: Jeez, I'm trying my best to do things that matter--help community colleges, give health care to the uninsured, get gas-guzzling clunkers off the road, speak to kids as their President, offer incentives to companies that produce energy-efficient products and services.
Michelle: I know.
Obama: Instead, my ratings keep dropping...and worse, some folks seem thrilled by this.
Michelle: Sure do.
Obama: How about that Glenn Beck calling me racist? I'm biracial, with parents from two continents, have lived in Indonesia and Hawaii, and have done community organizing in economically-devastated sections of Chicago. Maybe, he meant that I don't like white people...my grandparents were white, dude.
Michelle: I don't understand why my outfits are the subject of such attention--my shorts (at Martha's Vineyard), my sweater (in Europe), my sleeveless dresses, my handbag. Don't Americans have more important things to worry about?
Obama::(Chuckles) Hey, I'm soft, haughty, inexperienced, and a closet-Muslim.
Michelle: Folks even criticized us for having dinner in NY. Think we should be chained to our desks.
Obama:I'd better push through as much of my agenda as I can. 'Cause, I don't think I'll get a second term.
Michele: You've had the country's top job; where do you go from here?
Obama: First, I'm going to have a burger and a smoke.
Michelle: I'll lose these pearls and slip into a sleeveless top and jeans.
Obama: Yeah.
