What Will Michelle Do?

The Obama girls, Malia and Sasha, are so adorable. They make America smile every time they skip onto the stage with their father, and we’re communally delighted to know their good behavior during the campaign will be duly rewarded with a puppy.

And just imagine what a kick it is for girls in their 7 to 11 age range to see peers front and center in the political lens. Though there have been other children in the White House, Malia and Sasha are the first in the current hyper-mediated world. New Moon, a magazine for girls their age, has issued a call for readers to contribute welcoming thoughts which the magazine will send to the First Girls right after the inauguration. There’s no question they will be role models to their generation as much a their father and mother are to theirs.

Michelle Obama has declared that the first role she will be modeling is that of Mom-in-Chief.

Punditmom Joanne Conrath Bamberger hopes the Mommy Wars won’t be reignited as a result, but:

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There’s no doubt that she’ll help bring more attention to the issues of work/life balance so many of us struggle with every day.

What Michelle will do with her platform is the big question. As the New York Times reports:

Once Mrs. Obama has settled her girls, she has said, she will move on to the matter of exactly what sort of first lady she wants to be. Although she dresses with unusual care — in both designer clothing and the off the rack styles she has become known for — friends say she has only a certain amount of patience for the domestic arts. She is a get-it-done-efficiently Rachael Ray type, they say, not given to elaborate Martha Stewart-like efforts.

As first lady, Mrs. Obama has said, she plans to make herself an advocate for working parents, particularly military families, urging better access to child care for all. Trying to juggle public duties with two young children, she will be a living illustration of the very issue she describes.

It’s great that Michelle is interested in work-life balance issues, but we don’t yet know what that means from a policy perspective, do we? Will she focus on influencing her husband’s agenda behind the scenes? Will she convene a comission or task force to create policy solutions to the vexing problems families face today trying to have a life while making a living? Will she personally work for legislation such as equal pay, paid leave, day care, and universal health care that would tangibly make America more family friendly? I hope she is considering all of these.

She can, if she chooses, help continue the trajectory toward greater equality and justice for women and within families that the women’s movement has fostered. It would be devastating if the only message the vibrantly full of potential Malia and Sasha and their peers get from Michelle’s self-determined role is that women should put their careers on hold to support their husbands.

Michelle Obama isn’t the president-elect, and she doesn’t sign or veto legislation. But she could do a lot to help other women, including her own daughters once they come of age, who are struggling with the same issues she has dealt with throughout her married life, and now will have the bully pulput of First Lady to confront them publicly.

5 Comments

  1. Stacy on November 29, 2008 at 11:23 pm

    I have to say, I don’t envy anyone in the position of First Lady (or First Man, whenever that happens)- the amount of scrutiny seems unbearable.

    Michelle Obama seems like a very strong, smart, opinionated woman- just the kind I like- but sometimes that doesn’t go over well with the electorate, who strangely are more comfortable with the Nancy Reagan/Laura Bush-types. I don’t mean any disrespect to Laura Bush, but her quiet manner and non-controversial issue selections (for example, reading and education- both very important but her particular stand was decidedly mainstream)seemed to make her popular- it was almost as though Americans felt comfortable with her precisely *because* we rarely heard or saw her on the national stage. As a result, I can’t help but wonder if Michelle will face the sort of right wing backlash that Hillary suffered when she spoke out on issues, although there are obvious differences between the two.

  2. Gloria Feldt on November 29, 2008 at 11:23 pm

    Right now the Obamas are enjoying a lovefest with the public. They are so attractive, and they are such an endearing combination of easy going and laser focus on their goals.

    My guess is just as Hillary drew the sting that enabled Sarah Palin to go practically unscathed save for her own incompetence, Hillary also drew the sting that will make the way easier for Michelle. We’re pretty much over the cookie baking issue, and in the 15 or so years between the two women, no one is any longer surprised when a high powered man has a high powered wife.

    As to Laura, poor thing, she seems to suffer from the same affliction that other Bush women have–they glom onto the power of their men and never assume any for themselves. They’re smart and capable, but they just don’t shine with their own light. We’ll see whether Laura finds her voice once she leaves the White House. Probably not unless she also leaves W.

  3. Stacy on December 1, 2008 at 11:24 pm

    So Gloria, how are you liking the Obama Cabinet so far?

    I have mixed feelings about his picks, naturally. I even have mixed feelings about Hillary as Secretary of State- some days I think it’s a fabulous idea, and have said as much on my blog, other days, not so much. I am having one of my “not so much” days today, but that may be because I have spent several hours going over her votes and speeches on foreign policy issues. In addition, with respect to Homeland Security, I am not a huge Janet Napolitano fan and of course, Obama ignored my advice on who he should pick for HHS- instead of Claire Fagin he chose the white-bread-politics-as-usual Tom Daschle.

    I guess I should just sit back and be happy Obama didn’t select my Least-Favorite-Senator-Ever, Joe Lieberman, for his Cabinet ;).

    But tomorrow is a new day…

  4. Gloria Feldt on December 1, 2008 at 11:25 pm

    I was overcome with emotion this morning when I first saw the national security team–three women, three men; two African-Americans. Obama’s picks are at least looking more like America than previous ones. Eric Holder was wonderful when he was in Clinton’s justice department under Janet Reno–principled, responsive, capable. I’m biased about Janet Napolitano. She is a long time friend and one of the best politicians I have ever known (in a positive sense, as in she knows how to drive an agenda and get things done even with a retrograde legislature). For Arizona, she is very liberal and yet has approval ratings around 65%. She has taken on a very tough job. I do not like her triangulation on immigration, mostly because I think her true views are much more open. But she is tough, she will be able to make the quick assessments and decisions necessary to keeping the nation secure. I also feel pretty sure she has not expressed her true opinions on same sex marriage, but perhaps now will feel free to.

    I agree with you, Stacy, on Daschle. I expressed my opinion in RHREalityCheck (http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/11/24/the-new-health-czar). Being independent now, I can say what I think, whereas the repro rights leaders had to praise him unequivocally. He is going to be very problemmatic, mark my word.

    You probably have done more in-depth research on Hillary’s foreign policy positions than I have. But my big picture view is that in one fell swoop, between Obama and Clinton, America’s standing in the world just took a giant leap forward, or upward as the case may be. I think Hillary will be a superb SOS. I just hope Bill will zipper his mouth and pants.

  5. Stacy on December 2, 2008 at 11:27 pm

    Gloria- I forgot that you are a native Arizonian (is that the term to use?) and honestly, I probably don’t know as much about Napolitano as you do- my opinion above was based on her stance on immigration which seemed a bit wishy washy to me but I am certainly willing to be open-minded about her as head of the Dept. of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, I think the Republicans may give her the hardest time of any of the nominees named thus far, for a host of reasons.

    As for Clinton as Secretary of State, I will keep an open mind for that also- it really does depend on my mood and I have learned to just ignore the brain-dead mainstream media who are busy tryingt to psycho-analyze both she and Obama. I think politically it was a brilliant selection for a lot of reasons but there is no doubt, as you mentioned above, that both Clintons are loved and admired by other nations and if we need anything right now, it is to restore faith in our diplomatic relations.

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