Michelle's homemaker side
PRESIDENTIAL RACE | Promotes her family life, which may woo married women
Michelle Obama says she's staying true to herself as she campaigns for her husband and trying to shift attention from her personality to the problems of American families.
"I don't want to be a distraction," the potential first lady said in an interview.
(AP)
(AP)
Obama, 44, a lawyer, hospital administrator and mother of two daughters, spoke about a broad range of subjects in the 27-minute interview. She talked about motherhood and what it's like to be a political target. She was jokey and friendly and not shy about challenging questions she didn't like.
A Harvard-trained lawyer, Obama is on leave from her job as an administrator at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where her charge was to improve relations between the hospital and the surrounding community. She campaigns for her husband on day trips, returning to Chicago at night to be with their daughters, ages 7 and 9.
Expect to see more of her and the kids this summer, Obama says, when they'll turn on-the-road-time into ''family time.'' That will stop when school starts.
''We don't pull them out of their world,'' Obama said. ''Our kids thrive on stability and consistency, and they like their routine.''
In the interview, Obama talked about keeping fit, her wardrobe and other details of daily life. Some tidbits:
• • How she relaxes -- She takes her daughters to soccer, tennis, swimming and play dates. ''That tends to relax me,'' she said. ''I'm usually doing it with other moms who have been friends, and we gossip and catch up and watch the kids play.''
• • Her workout routine -- It's 90 minutes long, and she does it up to four times a week, depending on her travel schedule. It includes cardio, free weights, treadmill, stair-walking and other activities. ''Nobody's asked that,'' she teased. ''This is a scoop.''
• • What else she does when she's not campaigning -- "I sleep.''
• • Fashion tips -- ''Wear what you like,'' advised the 5-11 Obama, who was wearing a low-cut, gray-and-white dress with a gray sweater. On ''The View'' recently, she said she never wears pantyhose, but she'd like to clarify that: She wears them ''for special occasions or for cold weather.''
• • Date nights -- ''Barack and I don't have interesting lives, never did. We're basically family people. When we go on a date, it's either dinner or a movie because we can't stay awake for both,'' she said. Dates now include the Secret Service. ''They give us our space,'' she said.
Evelyn Simien, a political scientist at the University of Connecticut, said Obama is wise to stress her ''Suzy Homemaker side'' because ''it's the side that married women can relate to. She's got to be strategic.''
Obama said her campaign plans do not include worrying about what people say about her. ''This election is not about Michelle Obama, and it's not about Barack Obama, and it wasn't about Hillary Clinton,'' she said. ''It's about people needing universal health care and really wanting this war to end.''
Gannett News Service