Michelle Obama
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44 “This is what dads are”: Andy Katz, interview with Barack Obama, Good Morning America, ABC, March 12, 2012.
45 did some kickboxing: Oprah Winfrey, “Oprah Talks to Michelle Obama,” O: The Oprah Magazine, April 2009.
46 When they started: Sally Lee, “Michelle Obama’s New Mission,” Ladies’ Home Journal, August 2010.
47 “They don’t have any excuse”: Michelle Obama, 106 and Park, BET, November 19, 2013.
48 “to feel as if going to work”: Maggie Murphy and Lynn Sherr, “The President and Michelle Obama on Work, Family, and Juggling It All,” Parade, June 22, 2014.
49 “You want to see hardship?”: Nightline, ABC News, October 8, 2012.
50 “You can’t think you can be a jerk”: “The First Lady Mentors in Denver,” video, www.whitehouse.gov, January 10, 2010.
51 “a complete embarrassment”: Larry King Live, CNN, February 9, 2010.
52 What they craved was normality: Michelle Obama, appearance with Jimmy Fallon, Tonight Show, NBC, February 2014.
53 “I think in our house”: Nia-Malika Henderson, “Michelle Obama’s Unfolding Legacy,” Washington Post, February 9, 2011.
54 “What I value most”: Jodi Kantor, “The First Marriage,” New York Times, November 1, 2009.
55 “Have I told you lately”: Barack Obama, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, 2010.
56 signed with twenty-two: Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear, “Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, with a Flourish,” New York Times, March 23, 2010.
57 “The left thinks he did too little”: Peter Baker, “The Education of President Obama,” New York Times, October 17, 2010.
58 “The single most important”: Major Garrett, “Top GOP Priority: Make Obama a One-Term President,” National Journal, October 23, 2010.
59 “Kenyan anti-colonialist”: Robert Costa, “Gingrich: Obama’s ‘Kenyan, Anti-Colonial Worldview,’ ” National Review, September 11, 2010.
60 “I wish this president”: Richard A. Oppel Jr., “After Pressing Attacks on Obama, Romney Surrogate Later Apologizes,” The Caucus blog, New York Times, July 17, 2012.
61 Forty-five percent of Republicans: Michael D. Shear, “Citing ‘Silliness,’ Obama Shows Birth Certificate,” New York Times, April 28, 2011.
62 “Just as an assertive woman”: Gwen Ifill, “Michelle Obama: Beside Barack,” Essence, November 5, 2008.
63 “we do what we can”: Kate M. Grossman, “Michelle in the Game: 1st Fundraiser adds $750k Fundraiser to Husband’s Campaign,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 17, 2007.
64 “We heard it from women’s groups”: Jackie Norris, interview with author.
65 “superbly canny, disciplined”: Michelle Cottle, “Leaning Out: How Michelle Obama Became a Feminist Nightmare,” Politico, November 21, 2013.
66 “all kinds of molds of innocuous”: Rebecca Traister, interview with author.
67 “What’s frequently missing:” Patricia J. Williams, interview with author.
68 “My message to white feminists”: Brittney Cooper, “Lay Off Michelle Obama: Why White Feminists Need to Lean Back,” Salon.com, November 29, 2013.
69 “Part of what we fought for”: Jesse Washington, “Michelle Obama: The Person and the Persona,” Associated Press, August 18, 2012.
70 In a 2011 poll: Krissah Thompson and Vanessa Williams, “Kindred Spirits,” Washington Post, January 24, 2012.
71 “a feeling of relief”: Michel Martin, “What I’ve Left Unsaid: On Balancing Career and Family as a Woman of Color,” National Journal Magazine, July 26, 2014.
72 “We work hard to make”: Cheryl Whitaker, interview with author.
73 “I have worked too hard”: “Sharon Malone: The First Lady of Justice,” Essence, December 16, 2009.
74 “illegal and unwarranted”: George Wallace, speech, June 11, 1963, Alabama State Archives, www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/schooldoor.html.
75 Later that year: “Women’s Benefit Council Honors Pretty Vivian Malone,” Chicago Defender, October 2, 1965.
76 “Once your sister stands”: Toni Locy, “D.C. Politics Beckons, Repels Holder; Racial Tensions Have Chilling Effect on Prosecutor’s Ambitions,” Washington Post, December 21, 1996.
77 “That’s the part that amazes me”: Isabel Wilkerson, “Holding Fast,” Essence, September 2012.
78 Malone and Holder: Ibid.
79 “I’m forever colored by my”: “Sharon Malone: The First Lady of Justice,” Essence, December 16, 2009.
80 “As you can see”: Michelle Obama, speech to Partnership for a Healthier America in Washington, D.C., November 30, 2011.
81 “You have to change”: Michelle Obama, remarks in conversation with Laura Bush and Cokie Roberts, August 6, 2014, Washington, D.C.
82 “MO is a complete imposter”: Comments on Washingtonpost.com following an article by Emily Wax, “Michelle Shakes It Up During Visit to India,” Washington Post, November 9, 2010.
83 “Instead of a government thinking”: Neil Katz, “Sarah Palin: Americans Have ‘God-Given Right’ to Be Fat?” CBSnews.com, November 30, 2010.
84 At a church event: Daniel Bice, “Sensenbrenner Apologizes to First Lady over ‘Big Butt’ Remark,” Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, December 22, 2011.
85 “It doesn’t look like Michelle Obama”: Dana Milbank, “Limbaugh’s Anti-Michelle Binge,” Washington Post, February 27, 2011.
86 “The White House is upset”: Cynthia Lambert and Sarah Linn, “Rodeo Clown Apologizes for Racist Joke About Michelle Obama,” San Luis Obispo Tribune, September 18, 2012.
87 The text said it was Michelle’s: Jenee Desmond-Harris, “More Nat’l Geographic First Lady Jokes: School Board Member Fired,” Theroot.com, May 31, 2013.
88 A Republican former chairman: Katrina A. Goggins, “Ex-SC Official Apologizes for Roast Remark,” Associated Press, June 17, 2009.
89 “I’m sure you’ll join me”: Scott Rothschild, “Speaker O’Neal apologizes for Forwarding an Email That Calls Michelle Obama ‘Mrs. YoMama,’ ” Lawrence Journal-World, January 5, 2012.
14 | SIMPLE GIFTS
1 “more than 6,600 Americans dead: Hannah Fischer, “U.S. Military Casualty Statistics,” Congressional Research Service, February 5, 2012.
2 “A good day”: Michelle Obama, the Women’s Conference, Long Beach, Calif., October 26, 2010.
3 “You don’t want to preach”: Jocelyn Frye, interview with author.
4 “We were going back”: Ibid.
5 When she spoke of expanded health insurance: Michelle Obama, Keepin’ It Real with Reverend Al Sharpton, December 19, 2013.
6 “It’s not enough just”: Michelle Obama, Women’s Conference, 2010.
7 “At this point”: Bradley Cooper, interview with author.
8 “The families just don’t”: Jason Dempsey, interview with author.
9 “She felt like she wanted to”: Jackie Norris, interview with author.
10 “you’re right that”: Jason Dempsey, interview with author.
11 Michelle appealed directly: Michelle Obama, remarks to National Governors Association, February 25, 2013.
12 roughly 80 percent: “2012 Demographics: Profile of the Military Community,” Department of Defense, pp. 40–41.
13 “It was in the discussions”: Matthew McGuire, interview with author.
14 “I think many people were”: Reginald Rogers, “First Lady Visits Fort Bragg, Vows Support for Military Families,” American Forces Press Service, March 13, 2009.
15 “We’ve heard rhetoric that”: Barack Obama, Houston, February 29, 2008.
16 “Let’s use this occasion to expand”: Barack Obama, Tucson, January 12, 2011.
17 She wrote a letter: Susan Sher, interview with author.
18 “makes us think”: Michelle Obama, open letter to parents, January 13, 2011.
19 “move the ball”: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “After a Year of Learning, the First Lady Seeks Out a Legacy,” New York Times, January 14, 2010.
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p; 20 “It’s not up to her”: Katie McCormick Lelyveld, interview with author.
21 “The power she has”: Jackie Norris, interview with author.
22 Michelle’s staff admitted: Jocelyn Frye, interview with author.
23 “LOL LOL”: “The Miami Heat at the White House: Healthy Tips from NBA Champions,” YouTube, comments section, 2014.
24 The Secret Service recorded: Carol D. Leonnig, “Secret Service Fumbled Response After Gunman Hit White House Residence in 2011,” Washington Post, September 28, 2014.
25 When Michelle learned: Ibid.
26 A loud warning alarm: Carol D. Leonnig, “White House Fence-Jumper Made It Far Deeper into Building Than Previously Known,” Washington Post, September 29, 2014.
27 “We need you not just to tweak around”: Michelle Obama, remarks to Grocery Manufacturers Association, March 16, 2010.
28 The East Wing calculated: Katie McCormick Lelyveld, interview with author.
29 “PHA works with”: Partnership for a Healthier America, 2014 website.
30 “The White House got cold feet”: Matea Gold and Kathleen Hennessey, “First Lady’s Food Effort Stumbles,” Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2013.
31 A conservative watchdog group: Dave Boyer, “First Lady’s Spanish Vacation Cost Taxpayers $467K, Critics Estimate,” Washington Times, April 27, 2012.
32 “The first lady is on a private”: Lynn Sweet, “Michelle Obama at Luxury Spanish Resort: Gibbs Asked About ‘the Appearance’ of Trip,” Chicago Sun-Times, August 5, 2010.
33 George Bush made 77 visits: Brian Montopoli, “487 Days at Camp David for Bush,” CBSnews.com, January 16, 2009.
34 “You have temporary custody”: Anita McBride, interview with author.
35 “She would fly United”: Katie McCormick Lelyveld, interview with author.
36 The national unemployment rate: Shaila Dewan, “Zero Job Growth Latest Bleak Sign for Economy,” New York Times, September 2, 2011.
37 If there were any source of solace: NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, August 2011.
38 “He felt strongly that he had done”: David Axelrod, interview with author.
39 “I have better clarity”: Nia-Malika Henderson, “Legacy in the Making,” Washington Post, February 9, 2011.
40 In August, as his numbers were drifting: Katherine Skiba, “First Lady Set for Big Campaign Role,” Chicago Tribune, September 1, 2011.
41 Even Republican-minded: Fox News poll, August 2011.
42 “People who work with their hands”: Tom Bell, “First Lady Visits Maine Today,” Portland Press Herald, September 30, 2011.
43 “These struggles aren’t new”: Michelle Obama, remarks in Portland, Maine, White House transcript, September 30, 2011.
44 “You can imagine the feeling”: Nancy Benac, “First Lady a Not So Secret Campaign Weapon,” Associated Press, September 29, 2011.
45 At a small New York fundraiser: David Axelrod, The Believer, p. 5.
46 Axelrod stayed behind: David Axelrod, interview with author.
47 “I love him”: Hope Hundley, interview with author, February 22, 2012.
48 brought in more money: Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, Double Down: Game Change 2012, p. 35.
49 “frowns on people”: Jackie Norris, interview with author.
50 “I’m not a big fan of the press”: Rosemary Ellis, “A Conversation with Michelle Obama,” Good Housekeeping, November 2008, www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/celebrity-interviews/michelle-obama-interview.
51 “Our paths are not foreign to you”: Hazel Trice Edney, “White House Celebrates Black Press Week,” Washington Informer, March 26, 2009.
52 That year, Michelle handed out copies: Capers Funnye, interview with author.
53 “My great-great-great grandmother”: Robin Givhan, “We’ve Gotten a Lot Done, Michelle Obama Says of Year One as First Lady,” Washington Post, January 14, 2010.
54 “Michelle Obama was privately fuming”: Jodi Kantor, “First Lady’s Fraught White House Journey to Greater Fulfillment,” New York Times, January 7, 2012.
55 “I guess it is more interesting”: Gayle King, This Morning, CBS, January, 11, 2012.
56 “We have a name for”: “Obama Tells You to Sacrifice While Moochelle Vacations in Spain,” Rush Limbaugh Show, August 10, 2010.
57 who used to give: Katherine Mangu-Ward, “Young, Wonky and Proud of It: Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan Makes Waves,” Weekly Standard, March 2003.
58 “the 47 percent”: David Corn, “Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters,”Mother Jones, September 17, 2012.
59 “she paid a visit in June”: Michelle Obama, remarks to African Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference, June 28, 2012.
60 “my almost spooky”: Barack Obama, Audacity of Hope, p. 118.
61 “cleaned other people’s houses”: Julian Castro, Democratic National Convention, September 4, 2012.
62 “I wanted her to dominate”: David Axelrod, interview with author.
63 “drives a couple of Cadillacs”: Felicia Sonmez, “Romney: Wife Ann Drives a Couple of Cadillacs,” Washingtonpost.com, February 24, 2012.
64 Ann had once expressed: Jack Thomas, “Ann Romney’s Sweetheart Deal,” Boston Globe, October 20, 1994.
65 “back when I wasn’t so sure”: Michelle Obama, remarks in Des Moines, Iowa, November 5, 2012.
15 | I AM NO DIFFERENT FROM YOU
1 “Slow down, you can’t”: Jennifer Delgado, Bridget Doyle, and Jeremy Gorner, “Teen’s Killing Ignites Widespread Outrage,” Chicago Tribune, January 31, 2013.
2 “Hadiya Pendleton was”: Michelle Obama, remarks in Chicago, April 10, 2013.
3 “fulfill their god-given potential”: Michelle Obama, remarks at Michelle Nunn for Senate rally, Atlanta, Georgia, September 8, 2014.
4 she wanted to reach back: Ari Shapiro, “We Have to Do More: Michelle Obama’s Next Four Years,” NPR, April 12, 2013; Philip Rucker and Krissah Thompson, “An Increasingly Activist Michelle Obama?,” Washington Post, April 10, 2013.
5 “We shouldn’t live in a country this rich”: Michelle Obama, Keepin’ It Real with Reverend Al Sharpton, December 19, 2013.
6 “make it a Christmas treat”: Michelle Obama, remarks at the White House, December 18, 2013.
7 “ought to be under consideration”: Courtland Milloy, “Michelle Obama’s Oscars Appearance Was an Unbecoming Frivolity,” Washington Post, February 27, 2013.
8 “I have never felt more confident”: Maggie Murphy and Lynn Sherr, “Michelle Obama on the Move,” Parade, August 15, 2013.
9 “with some gusto”: “Oprah Talks to Michelle Obama,” O: The Oprah Magazine, April 2009.
10 Michelle, he said, had made him: Katherine Skiba, “Michelle Obama’s 50th: ‘Such a Fun, Fun Party,’ ” Chicago Tribune, January 19, 2014.
11 “She’s almost like”: Colleen Kane, “Parker Meets Michelle Obama, Speaks to Youth During Busy Week,” Chicago Tribune, February 28, 2013.
12 More than two-thirds of Americans: Bruce Drake and Seth Motel, “Americans Like Michelle Obama, Except for Conservative Republicans,” Pew Research Center, February 10, 2014.
13 “What you see is what”: Arne Duncan, interview with author.
14 “She underscores that she is no”: Linton Weeks, “The Cultish Appeal of Michelle Obama,” NPR.org. February 19, 2014.
15 “they thought people”: John Rogers, interview with author.
16 “He’s not the first black president”: Cheryl Whitaker, interview with author.
17 “Right now, my husband:” Michelle Obama, remarks in Chicago, April 10, 2013.
18 “A pretty shameful day”: Barack Obama, remarks in the Rose Garden, April 17, 2013.
19 As Barack struggled to explain: Michelle Obama, “The World as It Should Be,” The Advocate, August 27, 2008; Michelle Obama, remarks to the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, Democratic National Committee, New York, June 26, 2008.
20 “sometimes by fears”
: Michelle Obama, Women’s Conference, October 23, 2007, Long Beach, Calif.
21 “It wasn’t like it was busting out”: Jane M. Saks, interview with author.
22 “You have to be more open-minded”: Krsna Golden, interview with author.
23 “that feeling of openness”: Kerry Eleveld, “It’s Not Just About the Hair,” The Advocate, August 27, 2008.
24 On a one-page, typewritten: Tracy Baim, “Obama Changed Views on Gay Marriage,” Windy City Times, January 14, 2009.
25 “in a separate survey from IMPACT Illinois”: Ibid.
26 same-sex couples should be allowed to marry: Barack Obama, interview with Robin Roberts, ABC News, May 9, 2012.
27 “For as long as I’ve known him”: Jo Becker, Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality (New York: Penguin, 2014), p. 296.
28 “Enjoy this day”: Ibid.
29 “caused Michelle and the girls”: Barack Obama, remarks, White House Pride Celebration, June 30, 2014.
30 “When she thought he was:” David Axelrod, interview with author.
31 “Just kind of hanging”: Michelle Obama, Live with Kelly and Michael, April 21, 2014.
32 “I want to be this really fly”: Maggie Murphy and Lynn Sherr, “Michelle Obama on the Move,” Parade, August 15, 2013.
33 “Not long on pretense”: Jonathan Van Meter, “Leading by Example,” Vogue, April 2013.
34 “endless amounts of time”: Michelle Obama, remarks at Mother’s Day Tea, White House, May 9, 2013.
35 “There is no way”: Michelle Obama, remarks at Mother’s Day Tea, White House, May 12, 2014.
36 “The only reason that I am standing”: Michelle Obama, remarks in Chicago, April 10, 2013.
37 “You will get your butts”: Michelle Obama, remarks at Georgetown University, November 8, 2011.
38 “Are you talking about”: David Remnick, “Going the Distance: On and Off the Road with Barack Obama,” New Yorker, January 27, 2014.
39 a canvas later displayed: DeNeen L. Brown, “Iconic Moment Finds a Space at White House,” Washington Post, August 29, 2011.
40 “When it comes to getting an education”: Michelle Obama, speech at Bowie State University commencement, May 17, 2013.