The Closer: Michelle Obama
Dismissed early on by critics, the first lady has
evolved into a powerful presence on the campaign trail.A Princeton- and Harvard-educated lawyer who was forced to give up her career as a hospital executive with a $250,000-plus salary when Mr. Obama won the presidency
.. Mrs. Obama cultivated an unpretentious image by dispensing hugs rather than handshakes and kicking off her shoes to dance with local children on official trips abroad.
.. Inside the White House, the image is different: Mrs. Obama has come to be adored but feared in the East Wing as a tough and exacting boss who has little patience for mistakes, improvisation and wasted time.
.. The discipline extends to her daughters, who have been required to play a sport of their mother’s choosing in addition to one of their own and are barred from television or computer entertainment on school nights.
.. “She’s gained confidence,” said Melissa Winter, her deputy chief of staff, who joined Mrs. Obama’s team in 2007. “I think she ultimately enjoys it more than she thought she might.”
.. “Michelle once explained to me, ‘I try to organize my life not to have a lot of mess around, and politics is just a big mess,’”
.. Mr. Obama’s political advisers have long regarded his wife as a potent weapon. Their nickname for her in his 2008 campaign was “the closer.”
.. the ratio of voters who registered or signed up to volunteer or otherwise help the campaign after she made an appeal — was exceptionally high.
In part, that is because Mrs. Obama makes a point of telling voters what she expects them to do, like a mother ordering her children to do their homework.
.. The campaign hired Stephanie Cutter, an operative adept at handling political crises, to advise Mrs. Obama on her stump speech, her campaign itinerary and her media appearances.
.. Hers is about a husband who is brilliant but takes himself too seriously and frequently needs an ego-shattering reality check.
.. Mrs. Obama, by confining herself to popular initiatives as first lady, has built a reservoir of trust and popularity that puts her on the level of a Barbara Bush or Laura Bush, rather than Nancy Reagan or Mrs. Clinton, who were seen as more divisive
.. speculation has started that she may one day seek office herself. Those close to her regard the prospect as absurd.
“I am certain she does not wish to be in politics herself,” Ms. Jarrett said. “There are very few things I’m as certain of in life.”