Speaking to a crowd of nearly 150 at the Octagon Center for the Arts, Michelle Obama described her husband as a man who puts principals over power and uses his abilities to impact the world in a meaningful way.
Several times throughout her candid speech, she reiterated her husband's consistency, from delivering messages of hope to jumping into what she perceives as chaotic situations like a race for presidency.
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Michelle Obama recounted Barack's life beginning with the moment she met "the big shot" at Harvard Law School.
At first glance, she said, it did not appear that she - a woman raised on Midwestern values in south Chicago - had anything in common with the Hawaiian-born Barack Obama. It was a surprise to later learn, she added, he had roots in a working class community and worked as the primary breadwinner of his home growing up.
She detailed how her husband skipped out on riches, fame and power in several circumstances including taking a job as a community organizer and turning down a tenure track position at the University of Chicago Law School to run Project Vote, one of the largest voter registration drives in the state of Illinois.
It was all done on the constant principle of moving people toward the vision of change they had in mind for a better life, Michelle Obama said.
She said Barack Obama is unlike any other candidate out there because he has the ability to unify people from young to old and on both sides of the political spectrum.
"We need to have enough unity to really solve healthcare and to change education," she said. "We don't do that by just eking out a small majority and just getting a win."
William Dillon can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 361, or William.Dillon@amestrib.com.
