By JULIE PACE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michelle Obama's message: President Barack
Obama is just like you.
"Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived
it," the first lady told the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in
an address intended to reassure voters that her husband share their values –
hard work, perseverance and optimism – while also drawing a contrast between
him and Mitt Romney.
Mrs. Obama never mentioned the president's Republican
challenger, who grew up in a world of privilege and wealth.
But the point was clear as she weaved a tapestry of their
early years together, when money was tight and times were tough, when they were
"so in love, and so in debt." She reminisced about the man who now
occupies the Oval Office pulling his favorite coffee table out of the trash and
wearing dress shoes that were a size too small. And she told stories about a
president who still takes time to eat dinner with his daughters nearly every
night, answering their questions about the news and strategizing about
middle-school friendships.
With a mix of personal anecdotes and policy talk, Mrs.
Obama's speech was by far her most political yet.
"Today, after so many struggles and triumphs and
moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have
seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are – it reveals who
you are," she said.
To that end, the first lady painted a portrait of a leader
who knows first-hand the struggles of everyday Americans, who listens to them
as president, and who pushes an agenda with their interests in mind.
"That's the man I see in those quiet moments late at
night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent
him," she said. "I see the concern in his eyes ... and I hear the
determination in his voice as he tells me, `You won't believe what these folks
are going through, Michelle . it's not right. We've got to keep working to fix
this. We've got so much more to do.""
She added: "I see how that's what drives Barack Obama
every single day."
With such stories, the first lady sought to counter
Republicans trying to paint Obama as something other than a typical American,
and implied that it was Romney who couldn't relate to people trying to get by
in tough economic times.
To be sure, neither Romney nor Obama fits the bill of the
average, working-class American struggling with credit card debt and mortgage
payments. Both are millionaires who live a privileged life few Americans will
ever experience.
But each candidate is trying to convince Americans that
they're best-suited to run an economy hampered by sluggish growth and high unemployment.
Polls show Romney leading on who voters say would best to manage the economy,
but Obama with the advantage on who voters believe understands their economic
challenges better.
As she stood in the center of the convention's blue-carpeted
stage, Mrs. Obama's words went straight to the core of the contrast Democrats
are trying to draw between Obama and Romney. They say the president is pushing
policies to boost the middle class, while Romney wants to protect the wealthy
and hope their success trickles down.
Once a reluctant political spouse, Mrs. Obama delved more
deeply into the details of her husband's policies than she has in her previous
speeches. She promoted his health care overhaul, push for tax cuts for middle
income earners and the auto bailout. And she took on the economy, her husband's
biggest political liability, arguing that he "brought our economy back
from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again."
"In the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political.
They're personal," she said.
The president watched Mrs. Obama's speech from the White
House along with the couple's two young daughters.
"I'm going to try to not let them see their daddy cry
because when Michelle starts talking, I start getting all misty," Obama
said at rally earlier Tuesday in Norfolk, Va.
Mrs. Obama will likely have one more turn in the convention
spotlight later this week. She is expected to introduce her husband Thursday
night when he accepts the Democratic nomination before a crowd of up to 74,000
and a television audience of millions across the country.
The Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, are also expected to
join them on stage during the convention's closing night, leaving voters with fresh
images of the photogenic family.
While at the three-day convention, Mrs. Obama will also
focus on shoring up support for her husband among key constituencies. She plans
to speak to the party's African-American, Hispanic and women's caucuses and
address a gay and lesbian luncheon. Along with the vice president's wife, Jill
Biden, the first lady will also participate in an armed services event Thursday
and put together care packages for U.S. troops serving overseas.
The first lady took the stage Tuesday as the most popular
figure in this year's presidential campaign. She earns higher favorability
ratings than her husband, his Republican rival, the other contender for first
lady, or either candidate for the vice presidency, according to the latest Associated
Press-GfK poll.
In the poll, conducted before the Republican convention
began, 64 percent of Americans said they had a favorable view of Mrs. Obama.
President Obama came in at 53 percent favorable.
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