Michelle Obama and Ann Romney are two women a generation apart with vastly different backgrounds and perspectives.
First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney have each taken their turns dominating the political stage as of late, but it’s hardly surprising that their convention rhetoric and stated visions about the nation’s future couldn’t be any more different.
Mrs. Obama, who is the wife of President Barack Obama, is in Charlotte, N.C., where she will address the Democratic Convention this evening. She will essentially serve as a “character witness” for her husband, according to the Obama campaign, and speak about the president as a person and the values that drive him.
The Obama campaign is all too aware of Mrs. Obama’s sky-high ratings nationally, easily outshining her husband even among conservatives. An excellent speaker who is experienced on the stump, she will testify to the “tough decisions” such as pushing through health care reform and backing the auto bailout that her husband has made during his first term that have made the country better than where it was four years ago. Mrs. Obama will be his biggest – and perhaps most influential – advocate for why America needs to continue its push forward in its economic recovery with him remaining at the helm.
Her speech will sharply contrast that of Ann Romney during last week’s Republican Convention in Tampa. The wife of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney sought to soften her husband’s public image with her moving personal stories about him as doting husband and father. Mitt Romney has struggled to shed the wealthy, corporate elitist image that has followed him from his campaign’s start.
Mrs. Obama’s speech, which is scheduled for a 10:30 p.m. start, will be preceded by a keynote address from San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.
The 37-year-old Castro is in his second term as mayor of America’s seventh-largest city and is considered a rising star among Democratic circles. His modest background and rise to prominence has often been compared to that of President Obama’s own.
Earlier speakers will include former president Jimmy Carter, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, actor Kal Penn and President Obama’s sister and brother-in-law.
