Published: May 02, 2008 12:05 pm            

Michelle Obama makes a stop in Jeffersonville

Hopeful’s wife sits down for discussion about issues facing working women

Even though they were surrounded by TV cameras and reporters, the group of 14 4-year-olds all had their eyes glued to Michelle Obama, who took time out after her working women’s roundtable discussion at A Kids World in Jeffersonville to read to the children.

As she read, the children would chime in with random comments.

“Ms. Obama! Look, I have a boo-boo!”

“Ms. Obama! I have an iguana!”

“Ms. Obama! I have a cat!”

She smiled at each remark and asked a follow-up question, before returning to the book.

After finishing the first one, she switched to the next.

“‘I’m going to like me for me,’” Obama said, reading the title aloud to the students. “Do you all like yourselves?”

All raised their hands and many spoke out saying, “I like me!”

“I like my mom and dad,” 4-year-old Aniyah Thomas added.

Obama said being around kids is what keeps her happy and the stress level from campaigning down.

“It’s those images I’m fighting for,” Obama said, talking about improving education and health care for children.

She said she came to the Jeffersonville location Thursday to have a small roundtable discussion with working women in the area to talk about issues they face. She said she chose to keep the group small — with 28 adults and one child — so that they could get to know the real her.

“We are still introducing ourselves,” she said. “They get to know you [in a smaller environment]. If the authenticity is there, they’ll feel it.”

With Caroline Kennedy — John F. Kennedy’s daughter — by her side, Obama talked to the group about what her husband — Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama — stands for, the issues facing the nation and how he plans to deal with them. Then Kennedy spoke, explaining why she supports Barack Obama.

Michelle Obama said the country needs change, and to do that, her husband needed all their support, not just now, but also in office. She said a president can’t do everything from the Oval Office and needs the community’s involvement to continue, by contacting Congress to push legislators to solve issues.

“Our leadership has said, ‘don’t worry about it,’” Michelle Obama told the group. “It doesn’t work that way. It’s not even our tradition. We all have to ask not what can your country do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Michelle Obama talked about how people will have to sacrifice to solve some of the problems, such as creating universal health care. In an effort to make people healthier, she said people are being told to make better nutrition choices. However, she said those options are out of reach economically for those who are already tight on cash.

“People are making health choices based on what they can afford,” Michelle Obama told the group, talking about the cost difference between a gallon of milk verses juice. “You can’t keep telling people what they should do without giving them the resources to do it.”

After talking for a little more than an hour, Michelle Obama wrapped up the discussion and posed for pictures with participants before going to read to the children. In closing, she asked those there to spread the word about Barack Obama to those who don’t know much about his campaign.

Once she went to the 4-year-olds’ room, participants stood in awe, talking amongst each other about what just happened.

“To have the opportunity to be in the same room as Michelle Obama and Caroline Kennedy, and to hear firsthand from Barack Obama’s wife what he feels and thinks,” said Mancha Anthony, of Jeffersonville, pausing to shake her head in disbelief. “It’s astronomical.”

“It was exhilarating, because just to be able to have a word to say and ask the question I asked, and for her to be so positive and say that we won’t let it happen,” said Jean Wilson, referring to her question about what happens if Barack Obama wins the popular vote in the primary, but the Democratic Party convention doesn’t give him the nomination.

“It was surreal almost. If my 3-year-old wasn’t here, randomly tugging on my pant leg and such, I would be lost on cloud nine,” Kelly Hussung, of Georgetown, said. “You have those celebrities on TV who act one way but in person they are so prim and proper. But she’s exactly like she is on TV as she was here. She was so real and down to earth.”

After leaving Jeffersonville, Michelle Obama said she was off to North Carolina to spend a day campaigning. She said she will return to Indiana for the weekend.

        

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