Know Obama

Michelle Obama's thesis written while she attended Princeton University, was obtained by Politico from the Obama Campaign, indicates the feelings and beliefs of an up and coming young lawyer and her beliefs surrounding her life. Read the full thesis here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 [1].

Under her maiden name of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson, in 1985 wrote her thesis titled "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community". This these has been the subject of much controversy in internet blogs and elsewhere since the announcement of Barack Obama's run for the Presidency of the United States.

In this thesis Michelle Obama stated, "My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'blackness' than ever before," the future Mrs. Obama wrote in her thesis introduction. "I have found that at Princeton, no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my white professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances underwhich I interact with whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be black first and a student second."

This thesis has been "temporarily withdrawn" from the Pricenton library until Nov. 5, 2008. During different presidential election years - in which the term "transparency" has been frequently used by the candidates to bury a number of potentially revealing documents and papers - yet again it is being used today by the Obama campaign. Michelle Obama's 96-page Princeton thesis is one of many items being hidden from the general public this year. One has to wonder why?

"What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something -- for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I've seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it's made me proud." [2]

Here is another interesting video in which Michelle Obama is the speaker at the University of South Carolina. This speech indicates her true feelings about America in general [3].

“It’s easier to hold on to your own stereotypes and misconceptions, it makes you feel justified in your own ignorance…That’s America.”

Now - a new topic of discussion has surfaced in today's presidential political field. Barack Obama has warned the Republicans to lay off of his wife. This was in response to an ad that was running in which Michelle Obama’s words were used and compared with down to earth Americans who disagree with her. [4]

Obama stated, "Because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family. Michelle is the most honest, the best person I know. She is one of the most caring people I know. She loves this country. And for them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her I think is just low-class. And I think most of the American people would think that as well.

"Whoever is in charge of the Tennessee GOP needs to think long and hard about the kind of campaign that they want to run, and I think that's true for everybody, Democrat or Republican."

He left the topic with this threat: "But I also think these folks should lay off my wife. All right? Just in case they're watching."

References:

[1] Ressner, J., (2008, 22 Feb.) Michelle Obama thesis was on racial divide. Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from Politico.com

[2] C-Span.org; http://www.c-span.org/

[3] Clark, J. L., (2008, 29 May). Elitist Reverse Racism. Retrieved on June 1, 2008 from The Post Chronicle

[4] Obama to Tennessee GOP: Lay Off My Wife, (2008, 19 May). Retieved on June 1, 2008 from FoxNews.com