Michelle Obama Speaks on Fear
Wow, Michelle Obama dug down into her soul to get to this point, I can tell.
She called on another supporter, whose voice quivered and broke with barely contained emotion as she explained how important it is to her, personally, that our country change course. She explained that she had just returned from Oregon where she campaigned for Obama and attended the 75,000-person rally by the river. She had noticed, she said, that the Secret Service had increased security dramatically for Barack Obama’s rallies since the Phoenix rally in January.
The room collectively gasped and murmured, some aghast that these fears were being spoken aloud directly to Barack Obama’s wife. Some nodded, concern and fear on their faces. Others shifted on their feet, displaying a range of emotions — concern, discomfort with the topic, indignation.
The woman continued: “What can you tell us…” and then her voice caught and broke as a sob rose up from her chest. She paused for a moment. “I’m afraid of what might happen. What can you tell us, after last week’s comments–” another sob– “after last week’s comments, to make us feel more at ease?” She cried unabashedly after finally getting out her words.
The room that had been electrified with positive energy throughout the evening suddenly became still and quiet, all eyes focused on Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama’s eyes, though, were focused on that concerned supporter. She paused, allowing the clearly distraught supporter to pull herself together. Maybe it was 30 seconds before Obama spoke, stretched out into imaginary minutes. Finally, she said firmly, “I’m ok. Really. I am ok. And if I’m ok, you should be ok.
Here’s the part that just yanked me:
“We talked about this as a family.”
The room remained still and quiet. Imagine having that talk with your children. Then, she paused, gathering herself, pulling herself up, seeming to grow even taller, Michelle, the campaigning wife returns. She says,
“I’ve talked about this before. Barack is probably safer now than he was before. Kids are dying in the street in our community. They get shot walking to class, sitting in school, taking the bus home. They are dying in the street…. Send us good vibes. Pray for us. Think positive thoughts. But most of all, be vigilant. Be vigilant about stopping this kind of talk.
It’s not funny. You don’t have to like Barack to dislike that kind of talk. Be vigilant about stopping that kind of talk.”
Amen, Michelle. And I take “that kind of talk” to mean the fear talk, but also talk of harm coming to him at all, a la Liz Trotta and Hillary Clinton, whether by accident or design.