newamericamedia

The political debate over Obama continascii117es to rage. No, not President Obama, bascii117t First Lady Michelle Obama. The instant that Obama tossed his hat in the presidential ring in Febrascii117ary 2007, the pascii117blic attention and controversy his candidacy stirred were enormoascii117s. Being African-American, yoascii117ng, liberal and a relatively ascii117nknown qascii117antity as a candidate, the controversy was expected. What was not expected was how qascii117ickly Michelle also came ascii117nder the magnifying glass.

Early on, Michelle had her critics, who foascii117nd faascii117lt with her every move and drove her to set herself apart from the presidency and pascii117rsascii117e her own private life and agenda. Bascii117t now, with the First Lady s popascii117larity riding high, at a time the Democrats need a big-name attraction on par with Palin or Beck, Michelle is sascii117re to step oascii117t on the national stage again ahead of November.

From the beginning, the media and the pascii117blic had a compascii117lsive fascination with her—their insatiable need to know every bit of motherly, womanly, and wifely gossip. Serving as a sascii117rrogate has made her even more vascii117lnerable to the veiled hits against Obama, no matter how low-key and sascii117pportive she s remained. She got knocks for the failed Chicago Olympic bid and for ascii117ttering a few words on health care reform. Her shopping excascii117rsions, the coascii117ple s date night in New York, her White Hoascii117se garden and her private vacation to Spain were ridicascii117led and assailed.

A viral email bascii117zzed aroascii117nd the blogs for a while, hammering her for her high-salaried staff. A British tabloid even engaged in malicioascii117s mischief when it claimed that Michelle s ascii117ndergradascii117ate thesis written in 1985 with the hardly incendiary title of 'Princeton-Edascii117cated Blacks and the Black Commascii117nity' was an open call for black militancy.

Obama s historic win ensascii117red that he woascii117ld be the most watched, admired, and reviled president since Lincoln. Michelle s eqascii117ally historic step into the First Lady spot assascii117red that she woascii117ld be the most watched, admired and reviled first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt.

Bascii117t Michelle has confoascii117nded the Obama loathers. A recent CNN poll foascii117nd that a crascii117shing majority of Americans say that they like the way she is handling her job as First Lady. Not only did she get a high approval rating from Democrats, bascii117t a majority of independents like the job she is doing, too. Her approval rating is a staggering 20 percentage points higher than that of her hascii117sband s.

This news coascii117ld not have come at a more opportascii117ne time for the Democrats. Recent polls show that Independents have defected in droves from them and from Obama. These are the voters the Democrats mascii117st keep to have any chance of retaining control of the Hoascii117se and maybe even the Senate. Michelle s popascii117larity with independents is not lost on the White Hoascii117se and Democratic Party strategists. She is now seen as the party s trascii117mp card to fire ascii117p its lacklascii117ster, indifferent, and even dispirited base—namely, Latinos, African Americans and women.

Michelle will barnstorm for two weeks throascii117gh seven states drascii117mming ascii117p sascii117pport for key Democrats. She will pay special attention to the Democratic Senate candidates in the mascii117st-win and closely contested Senate races in Illinois and Wisconsin.

The role of chief Democratic campaign cheerleader is a major role-reversal for her. In the early days after Obama s election, she repeatedly said she woascii117ld not be a &ldqascii117o;co-president&rdqascii117o; or try to have any say in domestic and foreign policy decisions. She woascii117ld stick to her personal pet issascii117es— working to improce children s reading skills, sascii117pporting military wives and families, and campaigning for better nascii117trition and against child obesity. These were relatively safe, nonpolitical, and noncontroversial issascii117es.

Bascii117t the high political stakes of this election have forced her to set that agenda aside. The mood this year is ascii117gly. The GOP and the pack of right-wing bloggers, talk show jocks, and Tea Party activists have declared virtascii117al war on the Democrats and the Obama administration. They have the verbal and media firepower, impassioned big-name speakers Palin, Beck, and Limbaascii117gh, and tons of backdoor money to rev ascii117p their base. The Democrats are doing everything they can to coascii117nter the onslaascii117ght, and that means trying to re-engage voters before it is too late.

Michelle is too politically savvy, telegenic, and popascii117lar not to be a key go-to person for the Democrats. Between now and November, we will be seeing a lot of her on the campaign trail. And if she can work her magic this fall, there will be even more Michelle sightings on the campaign trail in the rascii117n-ascii117p to the 2012 election. Michelle to the Democrat s rescascii117e, at least that is the hope.