Michelle Obama Speaks At CU Boulder, Reminds Voters That She Had Student Loans Too

Yesterday Michelle Obama spoke at UC Boulder and urged the crowd at Farrand Field to vote (preferably for Barack Obama) in the presidential election. Appealing to the concerns of working families and students, she addressed personal hardship in the lives of herself and her husband. After the speech, Colorado resident Charles Garcia told the Rocky Mountain News, "Michelle comes across as very caring, very empathetic…She's in tune with the issues of everyday people." Mission accomplished, for the wife of Barack Obama, who has been called an elitist by people who wish to fixate on his arugula and latte consumption.

The Washington Times reports:

Mrs. Obama, who was joined on the podium by former Denver Broncos receiver Rod Smith and Colorado First Lady Jeannie Ritter, focused much of her speech yesterday on getting out the vote.

"Colorado is what we call a battleground state -- that means what happens here can set the tone for the rest of the nation," Mrs. Obama said. "This is a swing state, and we need to do some swinging."

A Princeton University graduate, Mrs. Obama empathized with the struggles faced by students attempting to afford a college education.

"You come out so mired in debt, as Barack and I did. We just paid off our student loans a few years ago, and that was because Barack wrote two best-selling books," said Mrs. Obama. "Don't we want a president who understands what its like to carry debt?"

That message struck a chord with Julie Brown and Paul Albert, a married couple still working to pay off their graduate-student loans while raising a young family.
"It really limits your freedom," said Mrs. Brown, who said she was forced to drop out of a doctorate program due to the expense. "The Obamas have been through that, and that really spoke to us."

Looks like those in the crowd at UC Boulder were none too concerned about whether Obama shops at Whole Foods or Sam’s Club. Finally it seems that voters are realizing that the rhetorical attack on Obama’s purported elitist is just that— rhetoric. Sure, the man might like his organic vegetables, but that doesn’t mean he had it easier than the average American growing up.