My Michelle Obama

Joyce Ladner

When I met Michelle Obama here in Sarasota, Florida about two months ago, we had a brief conversation about her oldest daughter's braids (she said the braids keep her hair from breaking off) and both daughters excitement about their dad's impending trip home to take them to buy the Christmas tree. Although he was taking off just a few hours from the campaign trail to do so, he was not about to break this tradition by disappointing his nine and five year old girls.

When the topic turned to why I moved away from Washington, D.C. to Florida, she expressed deep concern that I was suffering from fibromyalgia. She said, "But you must be better now because you look good." At that point I wanted to give her a big hug because of her deep empathy. She was so warm and so easy to talk to. I said to her, "Many of my friends and I feel you are our daughter and we are very, very proud of you." She smiled as she dropped her head slightly, indicating a profound sense of humility as she said, "Oh, you've got to be kidding. We don't intend to let you down." She touched me in my heart, just as she does the thousands who fill the halls where she speaks.

Michelle Obama was first rate on the Larry King show last night. She displayed that rare combination of being very human and very smart, perhaps because she speaks from her heart. In a number of articles she talks about how critical it is to connect with people in a one-on-one fashion. She knows that most votes ultimately come from the human connection people feel they make with their preferred candidate. She is so smart and so very human. My late mother would have said, "She has 'mother wit'."

Her human connection with voters comes from a lot of experience she has in juggling her kids schedules, fulfilling her professional obligations at the University of Chicago Hospital, and being a wife and campaign partner to Barack. Women of all ages can identify with this juggling act, whether they did it twenty years ago when their kids were still at home, or if they are doing it now. More than ever, a lot of men also identify with the "heart" as well as the "head" issues. In greater numbers they are full-time "househusbands." At a minimum, they are pitching in like never before and have a hands-on approach to childrearing.

When Michelle said on the Larry King show that Barack hasn't missed a single parent-teacher conference since he started campaigning, he set the bar very high for responsible fatherhood. This had to impress everyone because he writes these meetings on his schedule alongside televised presidential debates. She said he also finds time to come in from the campaign to take her out for those special events in their lives.

Every woman, no matter her age, must want her man to imitate those better qualities in the man I hope will be our next president.