Letterman appearance reveals a woman with humor, smarts and values in D.C.
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First Lady Michelle Obama joins host David Letterman for the first time on the set of the "Late Show with David Letterman" on March 19. Michelle Obama on “David Letterman” recently was a refreshing interlude from political rhetoric. Someone on the political scene with a ready sense of humor, with responses based on real information and a we-all-want-the best-for-our-kids, so-let’s-pull-together-and-get-on-board-with-resource-sharing message.
No finger pointing, no divisiveness, no let’s dismantle anything but our bad habits or lack of awareness. It helps she is attractive, with a strong build and smartness that radiate through whatever style she wears.
You want to engage with her confidence and hear what she has to say. As first lady, she is in the media, and a recent book on her oddly questioned her influence, but a lot of what is printed on TV tends to be brief segments. Yet, here she was decked out in a dress of bold colors that she seems to prefer (you can check her fashion sense on http://mrs-o.com/ and on camera for 30 minutes.
She knows how to graciously protect her man. Is her hubby negative about Congress in those quiet chats between husband and wife, Letterman asks with boyish grin.
Barack is always upbeat about Congress, the first lady replies with broad smile that pleasantly walls off any unproductive political name calling.
What about all the fat kids in America today, Letterman redirects his boyish grin.
Now Dave, we don’t focus on weight but health, she replies again with broad grin of the initiative she has undertaken to get kids to consume less sugar, salt and fat. You wouldn’t water a plant with soda, she says. We need to change the conversation with kids, she adds.
She then recalls how her own pediatrician pulled her aside when she was a working mom in Chicago and told her to get her own daughters into more physical activities, less meals out and less soda consumption.
So, was life simpler in your youth, Letterman asks?
The first lady avoids that trip down memory lane to better times but says fewer TV channels and many sidewalk bike rides resulted in more physical activity in her childhood.
When asked about her parents, she speaks of unconditional love and of a father who couldn’t walk because of multiple sclerosis, but always provided for his family because he had a job as a member of the working class.
That’s what kids need, she says – love. And that’s what parents need both for their self-worth and to give children stability – jobs.
She talks about her other initiative with Jill Biden to help returning service men and women. Unlike the draft days of World War II when every family had a member who served, she says sometimes returning military and their needs become invisible. She noted that only one percent of the country is in the military.
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In this Dec. 11 file photo, First Lady MIchelle Obama walks with President Barack Obama their daughters Sasha and Malia, right, from the White House in Washington to attend a Sunday service at nearby St. John's Church. And her girls? Sasha is still wrapped in childhood but Malia enjoys knowing the issues of the days and handles criticism of her father with the response of, “That’s his job.”
The first lady demands they do chores, is proud of them and of the fact her mother lives at the White House to ensure continuity of care in the absence of parents. She also celebrates the fact the family, which includes Bo Obama, the beloved Portuguese water dog, gathers for a dinner in their private area of the White House every evening at 6:30 p.m.
I turned off the TV that night with a feeling I had watched someone who had worked hard to get where she is today – living with people she loves, doing good for the country she loves and staying positive about the future. A very American woman rooted in reality. There are people in power in D.C. with values, and I had definitely just listened to one of them.