ClaySpots: Michelle Obama, our next First Lady?

Well, my header does say that sometimes I'm going to talk a little about politics. The election is less than one month away so now's a good time.

I'm a Democrat. Always was, always will be. Why? The values of the Democratic party speak to me in ways that the Republicans have never been able to.

I'm a Hillary supporter. Always was, always will be. I think that woman is brilliant and she would have been a fabulous President at this time in our history. But it was not to be so I threw my support behind Barack Obama. The more I learned about him, the better I liked him. He's a smart, intelligent, caring man who I believe wants to be President because he wants to truly improve the lives of everyday Americans. I'm not blind, it is the most powerful position in the world and he's ambitious. Good for him.

However, I was never a Michelle Obama fan. I didn't dislike her, but I never 'took' to her. All that changed on Wednesday evening, when Michelle appeared on an episode of 'Larry King Live'on CNN. As I watched Michelle being interviewed, my eyes started tearing up. I had no idea why until I realized how priviledged we as a country would be if we had the honor of Michelle Obama serving as the First Lady of the United States.

First, a quick Bio:

Michelle Obama was raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in Chicago's South Side. Her father worked for the City and her mother was a secretary. Michelle attended Princeton and Harvard, earning her law degree in 1988. She was an associate in a law firm when she met Barack, in fact, she was his summer advisor. According to Answers.com, Michelle worked for the Chicago city government as an assistant to the Mayor and assistant Commissioner of Planning and Developement, later becoming the Executive Director of a non-profit encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies.

In 1996, Michelle served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago and since 2002, at the University of Chicago Hospitals in various executive roles.

Now the good stuff:

So, why did Michelle Obama affect me so much last Wednesday? Listening to her answer Larry Kings questions with grace and dignity uplifted my heart. Her intelligence shown through, as did her heart. Larry King asked Michelle how she felt about Sarah Palin. Here is Michelle's answer:

"What do you make of her running for a vice president and having many kids and being a good parent and bouncing all the balls?" King asked.

"I think she provides an excellent of example of all the different roles that women can and should play," Michelle Obama responded. "I'm a mother with kids and I've had a career and I've had to juggle. She's doing publicly what so many women are doing on their own privately. What we're fighting for is to make sure that all women have the choices that Sarah Palin and I have."

When the common ploy is to tear down an opponent, did Michelle go for the jugular? Absolutely not. Her graceful answer, in the face of what Palin hs been saying about Obama, was thoughtful and nuanced. I admire that.

When McCain referred to Obama as 'that one', did Michelle take umbrage? She said Americans "right now are scared" and "nervous about the economy."

"They don't care about the back and forth between the candidates. ... They want real answers about how we're going to fix this economy and get the health care benefits on track so, you know, this is part of politics," she added.

Watch the video

I look at the Obama family and I see love. I see a shining example of what a family should be. I see two caring parents who are raising their children as best they can to be proud, upstanding citizens and I see two adorable little girls who are a reflection on their parents values.

To borrow a phrase from Jack Nicholson, Michelle Obama makes me want to be a better person. She makes me want to live up to the example she sets, to appreciate the promise that I see in both her and Barack and I can't think of a better person to occupy the White House as our First lady.

Here's the full interview: