Michelle Obama would rather see herself as a ‘mom-in-chief’, not a First Lady, but she’s a critical part of her husband’s presidency and his close-fought bid for a second term in the White House.
Two-thirds of Americans think favourably of Barack Obama’s partner of 20-plus years, according to Gallup polls, easily outpacing him in terms of popularity in the most prominent unelected position in the US.
“She’s a very popular First Lady,” said Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to former First Lady Laura Bush and now teaches at American University in Washington.
“She’s been very effective at using her platform, using her voice, in attempting to make a difference in the issues she’s engaged with,” McBride said in the run-up to Tuesday’s election. One prime example is Let’s Move, an initiative to combat childhood obesity that she launched soon after moving into the White House – and which dovetails perfectly with the President’s landmark healthcare reforms.
In a media-savvy act, Michelle planted the first White House garden since World War II, growing fresh fruits and vegetables while encouraging an increasingly overweight nation to ease up on junk food.
She has also championed the interests of military families, promoted a better work-life balance for women and encouraged arts education, at the same time as raising daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11.
For the Democratic Party, Michelle Obama is a prized asset, as witnessed by her pulling power at celebrity-studded fund-raising events and, in August, with her very well received speech to its national convention.
Her time as the first African-American First Lady has not been without controversy.
In 2010, she stirred national outrage when she took her daughters, plus an entire Secret Service detail, on a seaside holiday in Spain just as unemployment in the US was creeping higher.
The year before, she raised eyebrows when, at a Buckingham Palace reception, she affectionately put her arm around the back of Queen Elizabeth II, in what sticklers called a shocking breach of protocol. (AFP)