Michelle Obama’s Speech at the 2012 Democratic N ational Convention

1. Michelle Obama’s Speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention Analytical Statements: What was she doing?

2. Thank you so much, Elaine…we are so grateful for your family's service and sacrifice…and we will always have your back. She follows the tradition of thanking the person who introduced her, but by noting “we will always have your back,” she suggests that Obama supports the military. Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. And everywhere I've gone, in the people I've met, and the stories I've heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit. She then tries to establish her credibility for talking about what Americans think and what they want by noting that she has spoken with people from all over the country. She also sets an optimistic tone when she mentions “the very best of the American spirit.”

3. I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially our girls. I've seen it in teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay. I've seen it in people who become heroes at a moment's notice, diving into harm's way to save others…flying across the country to put out a fire…driving for hours to bail out a flooded town. And I've seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military families…in wounded warriors who tell me they're not just going to walk again, they're going to run, and they're going to run marathons…in the young man blinded by a bomb in Afghanistan who said, simply, "…I'd give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done and what I can still do." Using repetition (“I have seen it”) for emphasis, she lists a series of positive behaviors she has seen, especially in the face of adversity. These positive statements continue to set the tone of the speech: optimism in the fact of challenge. She also focuses on middle-class people – teachers, fire fighters, soldiers – as she begins to identify with the middle class.

4. Every day, the people I meet inspire me…every day, they make me proud…every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth. She finishes her list on an upbeat note, again with a repeated phrase (every day”), by reminding her listeners that they “live in the greatest nation on earth.” This optimism draws a sharp contrast to the pessimism of the RNC speeches; she might be trying to paint the Democratic party as the party of hope (since “hope” was her husband’s slogan in the previous election) and the Republican party as the party of pessimism and complaints. Serving as your First Lady is an honor and a privilege…but back when we first came together four years ago, I still had some concerns about this journey we'd begun. The word “but” signals a transition. She has established a positive tone, BUT since everybody knows that things aren’t wonderful, she has to acknowledge some problems – and “four years ago” offers a subtle reminder that four years ago, when her husband took office, things were really bad.

5. While I believed deeply in my husband's vision for this country…and I was certain he would make an extraordinary President…like any mother, I was worried about what it would mean for our girls if he got that chance. How would we keep them grounded under the glare of the national spotlight? How would they feel being uprooted from their school, their friends, and the only home they'd ever known? Rather than talking about national issues, however, she expresses concern for her children – the type of concern that should resonate with every parent in the audience. Our life before moving to Washington was filled with simple joys… Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandma's house…and a date night for Barack and me was either dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mom, I couldn't stay awake for both. Her description of home life accomplishes two goals: it makes her seem like a member of middle America – she’s a soccer mom, and a night out is not a fancy or expensive affair – and it draws a subtle contrast between the Obamas and the Romneys, since the Romneys are extremely rich and can have extravagant nights out. She is trying to convince voters that Obama understands them, while Romney does not.

6. And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls…I deeply loved the man I had built that life with…and I didn't want that to change if he became President. I loved Barack just the way he was. . “And” signals the conclusion of this section, and she concludes with “love.” Love was the theme of Ann Romney’s speech, and Michelle hits the same theme: she is the loving wife of a wonderful husband who is a wonderful father. She presents her husband as a likeable man and a good role model. You see, even though back then Barack was a Senator and a presidential candidate…to me, he was still the guy who'd picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door…he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small. She continues to build up her husband’s “plain folks” appeal, showing that he is just a “regular” guy who can relate to, and who understands, middle class people. Again, she is drawing a contrast between Obama and Romney.

7. But when Barack started telling me about his family – that's when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine. “But” signals a change, as she is about to tell her own story. Again, she mentions values, as she prepares to show that her values (and her husband’s values) are just like those of the American people. My father was a pump operator at the city water plant, and he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when my brother and I were young. And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days when he was in pain…I knew there were plenty of mornings when it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed. But every morning, I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform. And when he returned home after a long day's work, my brother and I would stand at the top of the stairs to our little apartment, patiently waiting to greet him…watching as he reached down to lift one leg, and then the other, to slowly climb his way into our arms. She tells her story, focusing on her dad as a hero, bravely carrying on in the face of hardship and physical pain.

8. But despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work…he and my mom were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of. And when my brother and I finally made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants. But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself. And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taking out loans when he fell short. He was so proud to be sending his kids to college…and he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late. You see, for my dad, that's what it meant to be a man. She continues her story, and continues to draw a contrast between her life of having to scrape to get by – having to borrow money and use student loans to pay for college – and Romney’s life of wealth and privilege. The mention of student loans might remind listeners that Romney wants to cut student loans drastically, keeping success out of reach for people like her: middle class, minority, female. The line about “what it meant to be a man” could be telling listeners that she knows a “real man” when she sees one, and her husband is a “real man” – not some out-of-touch intellectual that his opponents sometimes imply that he is.

9. Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success in life – being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family. She defines “success” in terms of family – again drawing a contrast with Romney, who talks about success in terms of monetary wealth. Since Romney has repeatedly accused Obama of being “opposed to success,” she tries to steer the discussion away from money as the measure of success, pointing instead to middle-class family values. She uses the word “us” to emphasize that she is one of those people with middle-class family values. And as I got to know Barack, I realized that even though he'd grown up all the way across the country, he'd been brought up just like me. She then switches from “Michelle’s story” to “Barack’s story,” but with the same ending: he is “just like me,” and therefore “just like you, the listener.” Her job as the candidate’s wife is to make the candidate look appealing to the electorate and to draw distinctions between her candidate and the other candidate, and she does so without ever mentioning the other candidate by name.

10. Barack was raised by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills, and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help. Barack's grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank…and she moved quickly up the ranks…but like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling. She tells her husband’s story. Having focused on her own father, she now focuses on her husband’s mother. This move allows her to talk about women’s issues, as she mentions the “glass ceiling.” This story reminds listeners that Barack is in touch with women’s issues, because he knows their challenges from personal experience. It’s also clear that Barack couldn’t “borrow money from [his] parents,” which is what Romney suggested struggling kids should do. And for years, men no more qualified than she was – men she had actually trained – were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning more and more money while Barack's family continued to scrape by. But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the bus…arriving at work before anyone else…giving her best without complaint or regret. She continues to emphasize women’s issues, perhaps to remind listeners that her husband signed “equal work for equal pay” legislation., as was mentioned in a previous speech.

11. And she would often tell Barack, "So long as you kids do well, Bar, that's all that really matters.“ Like so many American families, our families weren't asking for much. She reminds listeners that what “really matters” is not wealth, but doing their best. This reminder could be another swipe at Romney, who (according to Democrats, at least) defines success as monetary wealth. It could also be a subtle effort, since many people are facing hard time financially, to get listeners to focus on “family” or on “trying hard” rather than on “getting ahead financially” – because if they focus only on the economy, they might not vote for the sitting President. They didn't begrudge anyone else's success or care that others had much more than they did...in fact, they admired it. She makes her most overt reference to Romney’s claim that Obama is “opposed to success,” explicitly denying any such opposition to success and in fact making the opposite claim, that Obama “admired” other people’s success. (Romney’s narrative is that Obama wants to “soak the rich” with higher taxes; Obama’s narrative is that Romney is part of the “1%” and wants to grow even wealthier at the expense of the hardworking common people, while he [Obama] simply wants everyone to pay their fair share. Michelle, of course, is promoting her husband’s narrative.)

12. They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. She offers an alternative view of her husband’s attitude toward the wealthy – that he simply embraced the American dream that hard work and fair play should allow anyone to get ahead. (Listeners might hear a subtext: “…but many Americans who did work hard and play by the rules had their life savings stolen away by Mitt Romney’s company, Bain Capital. Romney is really the one who doesn’t understand the American dream, and who thinks it’s OK for the rich to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us.”) That's how they raised us…that's what we learned from their example.. She concludes her story and introduces a phrase she will use several times – “we learned” – to draw lessons from the story.

13. We learned about dignity and decency – that how hard you work matters more than how much you make…that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself. We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters…that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules…and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square. We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean…and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect. She repeats the “we learned” phrase as she lists values that most Americans should embrace: “dignity & decency,” “honesty & integrity,” and “gratitude & humility.” The final line could be an attempt to clarity her husband’s “You didn’t built that” gaffe, as she points out that “janitors and teachers” contribute to the education that helps people get ahead. The reference to teachers could also call up Romney’s opposition to teachers’ union, and might even suggest that he doesn’t respect common laborers, since rich people are often portrayed as not respecting janitors and other low-wage earners. Yet she never directly mentions Romney by name, so she cannot be accused of name-calling or any other nastiness.

14. We learned about dignity and decency – that how hard you work matters more than how much you make…that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself. We learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters…that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules…and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square. We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean…and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect. Romney cares only about how much he makes. Romney plays by rich-people rules. Romney thinks he did it all on his own. She repeats the “we learned” phrase as she lists values that most Americans should embrace: “dignity & decency,” “honesty & integrity,” and “gratitude & humility.” The final line could be an attempt to clarity her husband’s “You didn’t built that” gaffe, as she points out that “janitors and teachers” contribute to the education that helps people get ahead. The reference to teachers could also call up Romney’s opposition to teachers’ union, and might even suggest that he doesn’t respect common laborers, since rich people are often portrayed as not respecting janitors and other low-wage earners. Yet she never directly mentions Romney by name, so she cannot be accused of name-calling or any other nastiness.

15. Those are the values Barack and I – and so many of you – are trying to pass on to our own children. That's who we are. She closes out this section of her speech by tying herself and her husband to the values she has listed – and by tying the American people to those values as well. The message is that Obama shares the values of the American people, so they can trust him to act in their best interest. The other message, less explicit though no less clear, is that Romney is not like most Americans, he does not have the same background as they do, he does not share their values, and he would not act in their best interest, but would work only to make the rich even richer at the expense of the hard-working middle class. Again, however, she accomplishes this goal with no hint of nastiness – no mud-slinging, no name-calling, no explicit comparisons between the candidates. Instead, she talks only about herself and her husband: “That’s who we are.”

16. So far, we’ve generated NOTES on the speech. Simply stringing the notes together would not create a unified, coherent PAPER. Once you take notes, you need to look at what you have, look for themes or trends, and generate your own main idea – thesis – based on those notes. For example, the opening paragraph of a paper analyzing the speech might look like this: If the RNC message was that “times are bad, and Obama hasn’t made them any better, so we need a change of leadership,” Michelle’s goal to is change the conversation. Rather than talk about the economy, she talks about values. Rather than talk about her husband’s record, she talks about his upbringing and how it affects his character. She wants voters to think about the kind of person who should be in the White House, so she draws distinctions between the candidates based on the kind of men they are – with Obama, not Romney, having much in common with the majority of voters.

17. So far, we’ve generated NOTES on the speech. Simply stringing the notes together would not create a unified, coherent PAPER. Once you take notes, you need to look at what you have, look for themes or trends, and generate your own main idea – thesis – based on those notes. For example, the opening paragraph of a paper analyzing the speech might look like this: If the RNC message was that “times are bad, and Obama hasn’t made them any better, so we need a change of leadership,” Michelle’s goal to is change the conversation. Rather than talk about the economy, she talks about values. Rather than talk about her husband’s record, she talks about his upbringing and how it affects his character. She wants voters to think about the kind of person who should be in the White House, so she draws distinctions between the candidates based on the kind of men they are – with Obama, not Romney, having much in common with the majority of voters.

18. The paper would probably have two main sections: one on values, and one on character. I would NOT add “upbringing” as a third section simply to create three body paragraphs; “upbringing” contributes to “character,” but it is not a separate topic. Note, too, that the thesis does not have three parts, or even two parts – it has ONE part: that the goal of this speech is to “change the conversation.” If the RNC message was that “times are bad, and Obama hasn’t made them any better, so we need a change of leadership,” Michelle’s goal to is change the conversation. Rather than talk about the economy, she talks about values. Rather than talk about her husband’s record, she talks about his upbringing and how it affects his character. She wants voters to think about the kind of person who should be in the White House, so she draws distinctions between the candidates based on the kind of men they are – with Obama, not Romney, having much in common with the majority of voters. Intro: Context & thesis Part 1: Obama’s values match the values of most Americans (but Romney’s don’t) Part 2: Obama’s upbringing is like that of most Americans (but Romney’s isn’t), so Obama’s character is what most Americans admire (and Romney’s isn’t) Conclusion: The “new” conversation casts Obama in a better light than Romney