Michelle Obama keeps it clean
October 30, 2008
Ryan Stillion
Issue date: 1/14/10 Section: News
"As goes Ohio, so goes the country," Clifton Williams III said before Michelle Obama's speech in the Capital Center last Friday.
He's correct. No presidential candidate has won the presidency without winning Ohio since 1960, when Richard Nixon won Ohio, but lost the race to John F. Kennedy.
It's no wonder, then, that Mrs. Obama's speech was the fourth stop for a high-profile election player at Capital.
Republican candidate John McCain, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, and Constitution party candidate Chuck Baldwin have all spoken on campus this election season.
High-profile democratic political figures including Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio first lady Frances Strickland, and Congressional candidate Nancy Garland attended Friday's rally.
Mrs. Obama hit upon some of the same speaking points as many of her husband's conservative opponents, but focused on unity of the crowd over distance from her rivals when delivering her husband's message.
"[Michelle said Barack] is not only going to bring change, but also that we need to work to bring change, too," June Ann Andrews, who introduced Mrs. Obama, said.
"We can start in our own communities. We can volunteer. We can make our own lives better. I don't think he's telling us to sit back and wait for government to save us. I think he's telling us you can do this, and this will bring change to your life."
Democrat turned republican Ed Pollock was on hand at the event.
Pollock, a delegate during the 1996 Clinton convention, attended the event not to hear Mrs. Obama, but to talk with a New York reporter about his distaste for the state of American politics.
"What started out as trying to help people with no limit led us where we are in the housing crisis," Pollock said. "To get elected, even conservatives have to buy into that thinking of 'what are we going to do for you?"
Although Pollock disagreed with Mrs. Obama's message, many students enjoyed her presentation.
"Michelle is amazing," Jenna Winland, junior, said. "She's very knowledgeable. She explained what [Barack] wanted to do without him being there."
Students liked how Mrs. Obama's speech deviated from other political orations.
"She didn't bad mouth McCain," Anne Hinkson, senior, said. "She kept it under control."
Some people think her speech signifies the perceived values a first lady is supposed to encompass.
"[First ladies] show you family values," senior Chris Blubaugh said.
"The women have to be supportive of their man because it's frowned upon by the American public [if they don't]. You need a woman who can stand up for the man she's with."
One woman, a retired inner-city school teacher from Texas, believed Mrs. Obama's speech to be an example of the changing role of the first lady in American politics.
When she would see first ladies, she would wonder what's under their façade. She wanted to know more about them, but they never seemed to participate except for photo opportunities.
"Women shouldn't just be icons like the Jackie O's," Blubaugh said.
"They should take part in the process and help out. It's fundamental that some of these women participate in this, instead of sitting in the backseat."
The election ends next week, the season has proved an eventful opportunity for students like sophomore Bob Reynolds.
"Even though I might not agree with some of the things she said, she stated what Barack is for, and I appreciate the fact that she was here and took that time," Reynolds said.
By Ryan Stillion
chimes@capital.edu
He's correct. No presidential candidate has won the presidency without winning Ohio since 1960, when Richard Nixon won Ohio, but lost the race to John F. Kennedy.
It's no wonder, then, that Mrs. Obama's speech was the fourth stop for a high-profile election player at Capital.
Republican candidate John McCain, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, and Constitution party candidate Chuck Baldwin have all spoken on campus this election season.
High-profile democratic political figures including Sen. Sherrod Brown, Ohio first lady Frances Strickland, and Congressional candidate Nancy Garland attended Friday's rally.
Mrs. Obama hit upon some of the same speaking points as many of her husband's conservative opponents, but focused on unity of the crowd over distance from her rivals when delivering her husband's message.
"[Michelle said Barack] is not only going to bring change, but also that we need to work to bring change, too," June Ann Andrews, who introduced Mrs. Obama, said.
"We can start in our own communities. We can volunteer. We can make our own lives better. I don't think he's telling us to sit back and wait for government to save us. I think he's telling us you can do this, and this will bring change to your life."
Democrat turned republican Ed Pollock was on hand at the event.
Pollock, a delegate during the 1996 Clinton convention, attended the event not to hear Mrs. Obama, but to talk with a New York reporter about his distaste for the state of American politics.
"What started out as trying to help people with no limit led us where we are in the housing crisis," Pollock said. "To get elected, even conservatives have to buy into that thinking of 'what are we going to do for you?"
Although Pollock disagreed with Mrs. Obama's message, many students enjoyed her presentation.
"Michelle is amazing," Jenna Winland, junior, said. "She's very knowledgeable. She explained what [Barack] wanted to do without him being there."
Students liked how Mrs. Obama's speech deviated from other political orations.
"She didn't bad mouth McCain," Anne Hinkson, senior, said. "She kept it under control."
Some people think her speech signifies the perceived values a first lady is supposed to encompass.
"[First ladies] show you family values," senior Chris Blubaugh said.
"The women have to be supportive of their man because it's frowned upon by the American public [if they don't]. You need a woman who can stand up for the man she's with."
One woman, a retired inner-city school teacher from Texas, believed Mrs. Obama's speech to be an example of the changing role of the first lady in American politics.
When she would see first ladies, she would wonder what's under their façade. She wanted to know more about them, but they never seemed to participate except for photo opportunities.
"Women shouldn't just be icons like the Jackie O's," Blubaugh said.
"They should take part in the process and help out. It's fundamental that some of these women participate in this, instead of sitting in the backseat."
The election ends next week, the season has proved an eventful opportunity for students like sophomore Bob Reynolds.
"Even though I might not agree with some of the things she said, she stated what Barack is for, and I appreciate the fact that she was here and took that time," Reynolds said.
By Ryan Stillion
chimes@capital.edu
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