Michelle Obama visits Evansville, Indiana

I went in to work late this morning so I could see Michelle Obama speak at Harrison High School. I got there early enough to be towards the front of the line, so I waited (and froze) for about an hour before they let us in. While we were waiting outside, a young man was telling women to leave their large purses in their cars. I looked at the line of people snaking down the sidewalk behind me and women were holding up their bags for him to see. He was saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ depending on the size. At one point he injected a little humor when he said they had to leave large bags in their cars unless they had a chicken in them– preferably a rotisserie chicken. That got a chuckle out of the crowd. I was glad I left my purse in the car and brought a tiny bag for my camera.

Inside the school, nobody searched our bags and there weren’t any metal detectors like there were for Hillary’s visit. At first I was surprised by this, but I realized it was because Hillary was one of the Democratic presidential candidates, whereas Michelle was a candidate’s spouse. If Barack had been there, I’m sure security would have been the same as it was for Hillary’s event. Once inside, we were told we could sit anywhere, so I followed some people making a mad dash for the front of the room near the stage. The hustle paid off– I got an awesome seat really close to the front. It was great for taking pictures.

Michelle Obama

I was impressed that Michelle showed up on time to speak– some political figures tend to keep crowds waiting and I hate that. It’s bad enough to stand in line for an hour or more, then sit for another hour till they show up.

Michelle spoke for about an hour and was articulate and intelligent, polished and passionate. She first talked about the early stages of the Obama campaign, when people kept telling them they couldn’t run against a big political machine, they weren’t going to have enough money, and they couldn’t win enough delegates in each state. But she said each time they met the bar that was put before them, it was raised again. She referred to that bar several more times during her talk.

 

She talked about her family and her education, Barack’s background and upbringing, and their efforts to teach their daughters values and give back to their communities through their career choices. She made references to the recent criticisms that Barack is an elitist and assured us their family is like our families and they understand the struggles we’re all facing right now. She said Barack’s upbringing included living outside the U.S., so he has a better understanding of other cultures than either of the two other presidential candidates. She made references to how No Child Left Behind has kept teachers from teaching and relied heavily on test scores to evaluate children (Amen to that– I’ve heard the same thing from teachers in our community– 8 years ago when my daughter was in first grade). Michelle delivered the same message of hope, empathy and unity as has Barack. 

Michelle working the crowd after her speech (yes, I was that close– I almost got to shake hands with her but some jerk jumped between us as I was extending my hand and she was looking right at me. After he turned around and snapped a self-portrait of himself with Michelle, the Secret Service guys whisked her away.)

 
Secret Service keeping a watchful eye on Michelle Obama. They’re too efficient!

I was glad I went today, because I felt I got to know more about the Obama family and their values. It’s hard to form your own opinion about a political candidate if you just watch TV or read newspapers or magazines. They play the same clips over and over or repeat the same tired criticisms, right or wrong. I have to leave for a business trip the day of the Indiana primary, which means I’ll have to vote early sometime this month. Before I do so, I’m taking every opportunity I can to hear the candidates or their family members speak in person, without the media to tell me what they said or how I should react to it.