As she prepared for her big speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, first lady Michelle Obama reflected on her husband’s major accomplishments.
“We as women should be able to make our own choices,” Mrs. Obama said, touting health care reform as among the most important things President Barack Obama has done, in her words, for American women.
“Yes, including on contraception,” she said, adding that because of health reform, “insurance companies can no longer charge us more just because we’re women.”
She also cited the Lilly Ledbetter “equal pay for equal” work law, which was the first thing signed by the president when he took office in 2009, saying that because women are increasingly their family’s breadwinners, “women’s success equals family success.” And she emphasized the Obama administration’s push toward “investing in good schools, and making college affordable.”
The remarks came during a conference call with female reporters from outlets around the country, including theGrio. The Obama campaign is seeking to exploit a gender gap with Republican candidate Mitt Romney that is 10 points or greater in some polls. Obama needs a strong showing by women voters to women in November, and Mrs. Obama focused on themes that seemed designed to particularly appeal to mothers and suburban women.
The first lady also made a forceful case for her husband’s re-election, saying that “while we’ve come a long way in Barack’s first term, it’s critical that we keep moving forward.”
Mrs. Obama, who said she joins women around the country in focusing on her children’s first day of school, emphasized the need to protect healthcare reform from a Republican president and congress, because it and other measures would matter to those children now and throughout their lives.
“Are we going to keep these reforms or watch them be repealed?” she asked.
Mrs. Obama, who is arguably the most popular member of the Obama campaign team, touted accomplishments she says have helped young people, including the Affordable Care Act’s provision allowing people up to age 26 to remain on her parents’ insurance. She recalled hearing that the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality f healthcare reform while traveling with her staff, “who know they won’t be working for the government forever” and would need to navigate the healthcare system themselves.
She said many of them breathed a sigh of relief because they had pre-existing conditions too, despite their youth.
“We erupted and cheered,” she said of her and her staff’s reaction to the decision. “And I went to call Barack … and typical of him his reaction was calm and level-headed,” because he understood the victory “wasn’t about him,” but rather was for the millions of Americans who would no longer have to worry about health insurers dropping their coverage at the time they need it most.
As for her job on stage at the convention tonight, the first lady acknowledged that she doesn’t need to close a “likeability gap” as Ann Romney was tasked to do during her convention speech one week ago today, when she spoke in personal terms about her husband, former Massachusetts governor Romney. Polls show Obama leading Romney by double digits on the question of who is more “likeable.”
“My job tonight is to remind people who my husband is,” Mrs. Obama said, “in terms of his values, his accomplishments and his character.”
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