Behind Closed Doors: Michelle and Obama

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 Despite some outdated references, I think the idea is relevant.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.

Will President Obama Get a Second Term?

Why, I wonder, would President Obama campaign for a second term?

The sweet smell of success that surrounded his 2008 presidential campaign has turned to stink.

* His Gallup Poll approval rating hovers at 40 percent, the lowest of his term.

* Republicans have an almost pathological dislike of the man and his policies.

* The American public blames him for everything from increasing the deficit to pandering to corporate interests.

* Democrats have been slow to speak out in support of Presidential initiatives, and some consider him too conciliatory toward Republicans.

Who will comprise his voter base in 2010?

Independents? (Not a sure bet, according to some political analysts.)

African-Americans? (They have been eloquently silent throughout his term.)

Will I vote for him again? Probably so.

I do not support all of his policies, but on the other hand, Republicans seem eager to gut or veto any initiative that helps ordinary Americans.

Liar, Liar, House on Fire...

The uproar over Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's health care speech to Congress continues. And it should.

Wilson's behavior was disrespectful and unbecoming. Nonetheless, it is indicative of the ways that our Commander-in-Chief is maligned and put-down by some Republicans, right-wing organizations, and conservatives in media.

Wilson probably said publicly what many politicians and anti-Obama zealots have said or are saying behind closed doors. I can't shake the feeling that lots of powerful (white) men resent having to defer to the nation's (black) leader.

Despite public criticism of Wilson, I'm sure there was some fist-pumping around the country among those whose intention is make sure that Obama is a one-term president.