Michelle And Barack Obama: A Powerful Partnership

Michelle And Barack Obama: A Powerful Partnership
by NPR Staff
1/10/12

In late 2006, Barack Obama held a meeting with his wife, Michelle, and his advisers to weigh whether he should run for president.

"And Michelle Obama, in front of everybody, asks her husband a very dramatic question," says New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor. "She says, 'What do you think you can bring to this that the other candidates can't?' "

Her husband paused for a second, and then responded, "I really think if I became president, it would inspire people all over the world to think of new possibilities."

"What he was talking about, of course, was the fall of a racial barrier," Kantor says. "Being role models is essential to why the Obamas first decided to do this. And yet, when you're a role model, you open yourself up so entirely. You are putting yourself on the line so completely, and everything you do is open to criticism."

The Obamas
by Jodi Kantor
Hardcover, 352 pages

Reviews:

Kantor traces how the Obamas have dealt with that criticism — and tried to maintain their marriage and family life in the midst of a very public spotlight — in her new book, The Obamas.

"My goal was to write a book about the presidency that treated the president and the first lady as partners, which is what I truly think they are," she tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies.

Initial Reservations

According to Kantor, the first lady initially had serious reservations about her husband's ambitions for the White House.

"She was worried, in part, about the impact on her family. But she also had concerns that it may not be the right time," Kantor says. "Her chief of staff told me that during that time, the decision just weighed on Michelle Obama — because she really believed that her husband could accomplish great things as president, but she wasn't sure if it was the best thing for their family. And how do you make that choice between what is best for you personally versus the contribution you think you can make to the country?"

During the campaign in 2008, Michelle Obama continued to have a rough time.

"She was up against Bill Clinton, because that was Hillary Clinton's spouse," Kantor says. "In early events, she charmed lots of people ... But she also had problems. In the spring of 2008, she was accused of being 'an angry black woman.' Fox News called her a 'baby-mama.' There were a lot of ugly things said about her."

Friends and aides told Kantor that Michelle Obama was extremely hurt by the accusations.

"She thought of herself as one type of person, and to see that image so widely distorted — and it can happen so fast — it can be really disorienting for anyone," Kantor says.
Jodi Kantor spoke to more than 200 sources, including White House aides and close friends of the president, while researching her new biography on the Obamas. Kantor is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times.

Jodi Kantor spoke to more than 200 sources, including White House aides and close friends of the president, while researching her new biography on the Obamas. Kantor is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times.

So when the Obamas got to the White House, they made a conscientious effort to clamp down and surround themselves with people they already knew from Chicago — to keep some sense of normalcy.

"A lot of their instincts become very self-protected," Kantor says. "Again and again, in my reporting, I found the motif of them drawing up the gangplanks."

But recently, Michelle Obama has seemed much more comfortable with her role.

"She's really popular. She's much more popular than her husband, and that has really given her so much internal leverage because they need her so badly for 2012," she says. "She's totally key to their strategy, and if you look at her in the last couple of months, she's gone from appearing not too frequently to being almost ubiquitous. And she's become much more comfortable in public life, and much more comfortable politically. For 2012 ... she says she's all-in this time."