Michelle Obama: from lightning rod to mom-in-chief

Obama is a hugger. She works a rope line like an old friend, observers say. That public approach – warm and neighborly – has colored much of her work in the White House. In 2010, Obama launched Let’s Move, an initiative to tackle childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating habits and exercise. The effort is built around several programs, including one boosted by corporate partnerships with Walmart, Walgreens, and Supervalu, which have pledged to expand stores in communities that lack access to healthy foods.  

“I have never seen major corporate concerns and big-time sports get behind a major initiative like this,” Ms. Gutin says.

Some of the president’s political opponents have suggested that the White House shouldn’t be in the business of telling parents what to feed their children. But the wholesome images of Mrs. Obama planting vegetables in the White House garden with local children help to offset such criticism – and earn public relations points for the administration. She looks more like the local Parent Teacher Association president than a stern policy scold, and so she has largely avoided the pitfall of becoming a polarizing political spouse, as former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton did during her battle for health-care reform. 

“Mrs. Obama was very clear that the work that we did should complement the president’s agenda,” Ms. Johnston says. “It was very clear that she was choosing things for which she had a personal passion and that the issues she was bringing to the table were things she either cared about as a working woman, working mom, as a professional or as an American.” 

Gutin puts it differently. “Whoever is advising her, they seem to keep a very sharp eye on trying to make sure that she doesn’t step into any major problems.” 

With Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama has also championed Joining Forces, an effort to boost job prospects for and services to military veterans and their families. Again, corporations – Comcast, Microsoft, Safeway, Sears, and others – have answered the call, committing to hire or train 100,000 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. 

In a statement to the Monitor, Dr. Biden says she and the first lady have a “wonderful friendship and partnership.” And Biden, whose son served in Iraq, says she is especially grateful to Mrs. Obama for prioritizing the needs of America’s veterans. 

“Through our work on Joining Forces, the first lady and I have had the opportunity to visit and listen to so many of our troops, veterans, and military families,” she says. “And I’ve seen firsthand just how seriously she takes the concerns raised during those visits. Whether it’s a military spouse describing the challenges of professional licensing for her career or nurses and doctors trying to better understand the needs of returning wounded warriors, Michelle works tirelessly to make sure they are addressed.” 

But Obama is also a product of the corporate world, having worked as an associate at the law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago and then as vice president of community and external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center. And so her office runs with efficiency and purpose, say those who know her. She thinks critically – and asks her staff to do the same – about the shape of her work product.  

Johnston says Obama holds herself to a high standard. “She is one of the smartest and most strategic people I’ve ever worked for,” she says. “She wanted to ensure that every time we went out the door we were putting out our best effort and our best work.... Everybody showed up prepared because they knew time was valuable. It felt very much like a professional work environment.” 

Turnover in her office has been high. In 3-1/2 years, Obama has seen exit two chiefs of staff (Jackie Norris and Susan Sher) and two social secretaries (Desiree Rogers and Julianna Smoot, who moved to the campaign). The director of her Let’s Move initiative left after less than a year on the job. She lost her press secretary, too. A Politico headline from May 2011 told this story: “Spotlight takes toll on first lady’s staff.”

Her evolution as a headliner 

The pressure to market a modern-day first spouse in a 24/7 media climate is tough – especially when the boss is as hard-charging and results-oriented as the first lady. But despite her initial reluctance to make the Washington move, the image-making enterprise endemic to success in this city seems to suit the telegenic Obama. She appears as at home on "The Late Show With David Letterman" – on which she appeared last week during the thick of the GOP’s convention in Tampa, Fla. – as she is as a guest blogger for iVillage, the online site targeted to woman and owned by NBC Universal.  

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