Michelle Obama is known for gardens and groceries, hugs and happy faces, bipartisan politics and best-dressed nominations. You could say she does it all, from acting as FLOTUS to being a mom; she even does a Gator chomp or two.
All of Gainesville was ablaze when news of the other famous Obama took hold a week before her arrival. The Facebook posts were superfluous, and the last-minute rush to get in line and wait for tickets was astounding. Some students were lucky enough to walk right in and get the precious blue tickets in as little as fifteen minutes; others spent an entire sweltering afternoon waiting in a twisting line around the O’Connell Center.
As we waited in line, I was struck not only by the sheer scope of the seemingly never-ending line but also the amicability. We complained about the weather, we laughed at the protesting Republicans (sorry guys, I did appreciate your slogans), we didn’t even mind too much when the “airplane-level” security check began.
We pushed our ways into the O’Connell Center, looking not as classy as it ever will, but just classy enough to say “This is a grassroots event held to fire up the one guaranteed area of Obama supporters in the biggest swing state in the country.”
We cheered for the little old ladies who brought us water; we cheered for t-shirts; we even cheered for the privilege of holding a bright blue sign, which incidentally turned anything it touched a slight hue of patriotic blue.
We covered all the cliché, waiting-at-a-political-event moments that I would usually write about. But what surprised me is that we were not there for the average “politician.”
In actuality, Michelle Obama is a 48-year-old mother of two, who often says that “[her] first priority will always be to make sure that [the] girls are healthy and grounded,” who has become a household name synonymous with healthy, active lifestyles. How did she manage to create such a stir on a college campus among thousands of students whose priorities are more along the lines of ramen and partying with a side of keeping their grades up?
The answer is, I have no idea. But she succeeded. Critics praised her for “speaking to her audience” that afternoon – first saying to students, “Pretend I’m not the first lady. I’m like your mother.”
It was Michelle who talked about our issues two weeks ago, from college debt and the loan crisis to the effervescent issue of getting out the vote.
Michelle who suggested we all sign up for absentee ballots, because “I know teenagers, and one day is difficult for you guys. You might be tired, or you might forget. I know how that works for you.”
I highly doubt Michelle Obama has ever slept past her alarm and rushed out the door wearing sweatpants. I just don’t get that picture. And yet, she somehow manages to relate to those of us who have, so basically every college student in the nation.
I don’t know why 10,700 fellow students and Gainesville residents flooded into the O’Dome with me two weeks ago. I don’t know if it was simple curiosity that drove them to hear the first lady speak – the urge to post something original on Facebook, perhaps? I don’t know if it was general political interest in the Democratic incumbent and his policies, or maybe it was just something to do on a Monday afternoon.
What I do know is that Michelle Obama responded to all of those reasons. She gave us a reason to push and shove through the crowd in the quest for a Michelle Obama photo op (if you managed to get your picture with her, please Photoshop me in, I was two feet away!) She gave us all a reason to convene and remember that there are real issues and real problems behind the trash talk of the election, which she surprisingly managed to stay out of – a first for anyone involved in the political scene.
Regardless of where our political beliefs lie, we cannot help but be inspired by the first lady, a woman who puts family and country first. Her issues may be more family-centered than the average college student, and we may not want to hear about how many fresh fruits and vegetables we should be eating when those things are a dollar a pound, but somehow Michelle Obama – Harvard grad, mother, vegetable enthusiast – managed to inspire the college crowd all the same.
I don’t want to get into the man behind all the hype, the original famous Obama character – it is the woman who continues to stand by his side who continues to fascinate me.
