Last night was night two of the Democratic National Convention, and the Democrats rolled out their biggest stars and heaviest hitters: Michelle and Barack Obama. They were clearly scheduled for Tuesday to enthuse voters, but also to keep them far enough away from Kamala Harris’ remarks on Thursday that no one is thinking about the contrast in ability.
And boy, do the Obamas have ability. They are great speakers on teleprompter. They can read speeches other people wrote for them with all of the appropriate dramatics, tone, and moments of emphasis. It helps when you start off already a god before the audience that you are addressing, right? You go in there with such goodwill. Whatever you say, they’d be cheering the same way.
But the Obamas were substantive – that you can’t take away from them. Whether they were truthful is a different story.
Hope and Change 2.0
With all due respect to Barack Obama, who is no slouch when it comes to oratory, Michelle Obama was the star last night. Normally, you have to pay three quarters of a million dollars to hear her read a speech. But last night, we got her for free and she started out with a hefty dose of honesty:
OBAMA: We’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country. We love a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope. The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us… America, hope is making a comeback.
It doesn’t seem like she has been enjoying the Biden-Harris years so much. You are not alone, Michelle. But why is she feeling so hopeless? That is a sincere question. Why is Michelle Obama so hopeless? This multi-millionaire who went to Princeton and Harvard Law School, who became first lady of the United States, who thought so much of herself she called her own memoir Becoming. She is hopeless?
I guess it makes sense since she said it wasn’t until her husband was nominated for president that she had ever felt proud of her country. So, she has a bit of a negative Nelly problem. It seems that unless Michelle and Barack are being actively adored and lavished with praise, she gets a little bitter.
Then, she ended any doubt that Barack Obama was maneuvering behind the scenes to oust Joe Biden. We knew it was his doing, but they haven’t admitted it explicitly. This was as close as we are going to get. Take a listen to how she has been feeling about Mr. Biden’s candidacy:
OBAMA: To be honest, I am realizing that, until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope, and maybe you’ve experienced the same feelings. That deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of our sitting president. And what are the odds, for those who still wondering what hand Obama had in this coup or this ouster, that Michelle Obama kept her feelings to herself? Or that her husband didn’t share in them? Or that her husband saw Joe Biden’s chances as absolutely terrific?
Anyway, they are happy now – joyful even – and, on brand, hopeful. They are the party of hope and joy. Got it? Pay no attention to the babies being aborted outside of their convention. That is also hopeful and joyful.
Denigrating Wealth
She tried to set herself up as someone we can all relate to, just a working class girl from the south side of Chicago who comes from a line of people suspicious of rich fat cats. Take a look at this bit about her mom:
OBAMA: You see, my mom, in her steady, quiet way, lived out that striving sense of hope every single day of her life. She believed that all children, all people, have value. That anyone can succeed if given the opportunity. She and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy. In fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed.
“Folks who took more than they needed”? Sounds kind of communist-y, Michelle.
Later in the speech, she accused Republicans of “prioritizing building their wealth over ensuring that everyone has enough.” See, Michelle and Kamala want to decide how much wealth is enough for you. But in America, we encourage people to work hard on the promise that anything is possible. The American Dream is you can make more of your life than you started out with. There is no addendum that says once you have what ‘you need,’ what the government deems ‘enough,’ you need to stop.
So, how much is enough? According to the Obamas, it is $70 million because public reports estimate that is their net worth, parlayed on the back of Barack Obama’s 14 years of holding political office. He did not spend 50 years in government service. He did a stint in the Illinois State Senate, he did a couple years in the U.S. Senate, and then he ran for president and won. Off of that, he has made nearly $100 million.
The Obamas reportedly own – count ’em – four luxury properties. Their home in Martha’s Vineyard is estimated to be worth some $20 million; the one in Washington, D.C., was reportedly bought for $8.1 million; a beachfront property in Hawaii reportedly rang in at $8.7 million; and a house in Chicago was purchased for $1.65 million.
Is that “more than you need,” Mr. and Mrs. Obama?
Attacks on Trump
Now, Michelle Obama does not like Donald Trump and, for this, I cannot blame her. But the cluelessness of her main attack against him was palpable. While attempting to contrast Trump and Harris, she said Kamala understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward.
Kamala Harris literally just got elevated to the nominee for president after not winning a single primary in a country in which she has record low approval ratings and in which most of her own party – including, reportedly, Michelle – did not want her or think she could handle the job of president. It sounds a little like failing forward to me.
Michelle went on to say, Kamala, unlike Trump, understands that most of us “will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.” You mean like your kids, Michelle, who definitely got into their Ivy League schools thanks entirely to their own merit? I’m sure.
Unlike Trump, she implied most of us, if we “choke in a crisis” don’t get a second, third, or fourth chance. Tell that to Gov. Tim Walz, whose brand seems to be choking in a crisis. He cut and ran rather than serve in Iraq with his National Guard unit when they got deployed. And once he was governor of Minnesota, when his largest city was aflame thanks to the post-George Floyd riots, he let it burn. Despite the mayor of Minneapolis begging him for National Guard troops, he did not send them because he did not want to upset the rioters. It took days. Now, he has been elevated to the vice presidential nominee. Is that not choking in a crisis and getting a second or a third chance, Michelle?
She went on to say, “If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining to get further ahead.”
Really? you might want to meet one of the speakers from night one of the convention. Her name is Hillary Clinton. She lost to Trump in 2016 and then spent the next four years saying he was an illegitimate president and that Russia helped him steal the election from her. Or maybe chat with Stacey Abrams, your pal down in Georgia, who all but pretended she was the actual governor of Georgia for years after she lost. Is that the kind of “whining” that you don’t do?
Michelle lamented that most of us, “don’t get to change the rules so we always win.” You mean like changing the voting laws in Pennsylvania, the most critical of the critical swing states, to allow voting by mail in advance of a presidential election even though the legislature did not approve it and then fighting to get ballots not even postmarked by election day counted as valid votes? That kind of rule changing just to win? Indeed, you are correct, madam. It is annoying.
She also took a shot at Trump’s ‘birtherism’ claims. This one was deserved, if over the top:
OBAMA: Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I sadly know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black. [applause] I want to know, I want to know who is gonna tell him… that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs.
Of course, she went too far because Trump’s reference to “black jobs” was obviously a short-form way of saying he wants to help black Americans find jobs. And let’s hope he can do that because today’s jobs report for all of us – black, white, and otherwise – is absolutely dreadful. The U.S. economy created 818,000 fewer jobs than originally reported in the 12 month period through March 2024, according to the Labor Department. That is the largest downward revision in 15 years. The bureau says the actual job growth was nearly 30 percent less than initially reported over the year.
So yeah, black jobs, white jobs, any jobs would be great right now. It doesn’t much matter how it is labeled. And you know who created more jobs? Donald Trump.
Michelle went on to call Trump a con man who was doubling down in this election on “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies.” Then, she lectured us on the importance of “respect, dignity, and empathy.” Her husband later got up there and derided “childish nicknames.”
So, nicknames? Bad. Calling someone racist and misogynist? Good. That is respectful, dignified, empathetic, according to the Obamas.
She went on to paint Republicans’ efforts to protect minor children – just as they now do in much of Europe – by banning the chopping off of children’s healthy body parts and the sterilization of minors in the name of ‘gender affirming care’ as “demonizing our children for being who they are.” That is how she phrased it. She said that only makes us “small” – all of that attempted enforcement of, you know, consent laws.
Her ‘Sweet Spot’
In all of this – her soaring speech, her dishonesty – she was found inspirational by that crowd, which was on its feet in adoration. And that is where Michelle Obama is in her sweet spot: Misleading, attacking Republicans, ripping the foundational ideals of America, and finding herself once again, the subject of Democrats’ worship.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 866 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.