Michelle Obama, the “other Obama” was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago. She graduated from two Ivy League universities (Princeton and Harvard Law) and can definitely not be stereotyped as your typical First Lady. You won’t find her late because she had a botox appointment, or nodding in a submissive fashion at whatever her husband says.  Michelle is clearly her own person with strong opinions and beliefs.

The Democratic Party, if elected, will focus on the current financial crisis and the catastrophe in Iraq, as well as assisting the lower class and underprivileged in American society. This process will include seeing more of the disadvantaged youth that come from these areas go to respectable collages and get good qualifications, as Michelle herself did, by making sure that tuition fees are not an issue.

Michelle will certainly be an activist for this cause. A report in Newsweek spoke of Michelle being told she wouldn’t make it into an Ivy League college. Even so, she became inspired by her sport-achieving brother (also a Princeton graduate) and remembers thinking, “I can do that too.”

She performed at the highest level in her Harvard Law course, allowing her to land a job at the high-profile corporate law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago, where she met Barack.  She has become an inspiration to many young women, showing how far you can go if you persist. Using her educational experience as an example of this, she says, “I’m a statistical oddity. Black girl, brought up on the South Side of Chicago. Was I supposed to go to Princeton? No… They said maybe Harvard Law was too much to reach for. But I went, I did fine.”

As Barack’s campaigning increased Michelle took time off from her job to help campaign, but never for more then a few nights – she hates being away from her children and has refused to move them to Washington until the election is over. Even then Michelle has said that her first priority will be settling her girls into the White House, stating that, “I’m going to be making sure that they have their feet on the ground.”

Qualifications are not an issue. Education and experience are not an issue. Michelle has never denied the claims that she is the primary “bread-winner” in her family. So what is it that has made her position in the campaign so controversial?

Earlier this year, the Democratic campaign was shaken up by a speech Michelle made where she claimed, “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” Republican Presidential candidate John McCain made a direct response by saying, “I just wanted to make the statement that I have and always will be proud of my country.”

Since this incident the media has been wary of Michelle, changing their views of her and occasionally even asserting that she is “emasculating” her husband.

Nevertheless Michelle has continued to strive in her husband’s campaign (in cashmere shirts and pearls, resembling a beauty queen yet never acting like one). Michelle has without a doubt delivered many female votes as she has made it clear that working class women, especially working class mothers, will be a main concern of the Party and herself.

Michelle is an inspiration for women throughout the world. She was raised in a working environment with struggles suffered by everyday families. She now stands before America; she could soon be the next First Lady, the first black First Lady. On Tuesday America will make their decision but it appears that, regardless of the result, the world will see a lot more of Michelle Obama.

Image by Barack Obama, licensed by Creative Commons.