As the Presidential Campaign enters its
final week, we can be expecting to see a lot more of Ann Romney and Michelle
Obama on the trail. The article "Campaign Surrogates Shore up Supportfor Obama, Romney in Final Days" from
the Associated Press discusses the most influential surrogates in
this campaign. While big names like Bruce Springsteen and Bill Clinton teamed
up to campaign for Obama in Ohio a week ago, I agree with the article
that Michelle Obama is the President's most popular surrogate. Michelle is
viewed favorably by 69 percent of Americans according to an October poll
done by ABC News/Washington Post a statistic in line with the popular
former first lady, Laura Bush. With seven days until the election,
I expect her appearances only to increase at this point. The article
I read correlates nicely with the findings in the reading we did for class "Spouses
as Campaign Surrogates...", when the author writes that the candidates and
their surrogates’ goals are to “give the presidential campaigns a daily
presence in key states even when the men at the top of the ticket (and their
running mates) pitch for votes somewhere else.” This indicates that
battleground states are the places to be.
I also found it interesting
that Michelle seems to making more solo appearances than I would have
expected. Just yesterday, Mrs. Obama was flying solo at an Iowa campaign event.
Her charisma, relevance to women and African Americans, and strength as a
leader makes her a very influential spokesperson for the
President, ESPECIALLY now that Obama may be more tied up with disaster
relief on the East Coast than his campaign ever planned for. In these final
days before the election, Michelle may play a bigger role in the campaign
than any wife in election history.
I agree with pretty much everything you've stated. Michelle Obama is such a powerful women and definitely the President's most popular surrogate. I see her making appearance on the television constantly. I know this is a little bit off but one thing I remember Michelle Obama for is the Magic of Healthy Living for Disney Channel. She gangs up with stars from the Disney channel and they make promos for young kids motivating them to get healthy. It just goes to show how much she cares in my opinion. She is not a women who lingers in her husband's shadow. She is out in the world constantly.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. Especially during this election, I have noticed her being much more in the spotlight, whether it be on a talk show or by her husband's side. I think it is extremely important for her to maintain a positive image because what people think of her will most likely have a correlation to what people think of the President. I have noticed that she is much more in the spotlight, especially on Obama's twitter page. Whether it be a picture of her or a tweet written about her, Michelle Obama is in the center of attention and I believe has done a great job as being a surrogate to her husband thus far. It is important to remember that she is not just the wife of the President, but a major player in this election.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, but in regards to both women, because I have read about Ann Romney doing solo campaigns. I also agree that they are a crucial element right now, especially with the recent comments in the debates that have spurred more of a focus on women's rights. Both women are an important factor in reinforcing their husbands images, and letting female voters know how the candidates will be able to relate to them.
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