From May 2nd, 2008, in North Carolina, here is the text of Michelle Obama's depressing stump speech. The
Well, good afternoon. You know, let me begin by apologizing. We don’t do late. But the weather in Chicago wasn’t cooperating. We were sitting on a plane for two hours waiting for that little window. But we made it, and I am grateful to all of you for sticking around, for coming. It means a great deal to me. I just want to do a few thank you and acknowledgements before I get going. I want to thank Ebony Covington for that wonderful introduction, for all the work that she’s doing on behalf of the campaign. I didn’t get a chance to meet Carol Faulkner Fox, but I know she did the Pledge of Allegiance, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to meet her. But I want to thank her. Mayor Bell was here. I got to meet him before going out, and he had to get back to the business of running this city, but we thank him for all of his support. As he said to me, we should expect to win this state, and win this city. And I will hold him to that, along with all of you all. He was pretty fired up and ready to go.
I also want thank our staff and volunteers. I know you met Tony Elmo, who is the campaign field organizer who did the pitch. It’s important for you all to know that we wouldn’t be here if it were not for our staff, and for our volunteers, the folks, folks who have sacrificed just as much if not more as Barack and I. People have given up their jobs, left school, they’re sleeping on people’s floors, they’ve been doing it for fifteen months. And they have built what has become a phenomenal organization with a power that has been unmatched. So we are proud of everyone for all of their work.
And I also want to acknowledge Senator Floyd McKissick, who is…I’m not sure, there you go, how you doing? It’s good to see you again. And Representative Mickey Mashaw as well. Representative, it’s good to see you again. And one important thing, tomorrow is the last day of early voting. So vote. Early. Don’t wait ‘til Tuesday, because it could be raining, you might get sick. Go vote. Do it. It’s easy, and you know all those trifling people in your life who aren’t voting, get them up. It’s Saturday, so you can get them up, drive them around, you don’t have to wait. Remind them to make it happen. So let’s just put that note in our to-do list, tomorrow early voting.
So it has been a pretty exciting year for the Obama family. I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention this year. But this guy that I’m married to, Barack Obama, is running to become the next president of the United States. And he’s been working mighty hard. And I like to walk people through this year, because you know, it has been amazing. And when you look over the year and what has happened, you realize just how amazing this journey is, so come with me for the last fifteen or so months when it started in Sprinfield, Illinois at Barack’s announcement in February, a year or so ago. And 16,000 people showed up for that announcement. It was freezing cold, North Carolina, like 10 below? And the announcement was outside. I know you all don’t understand that, but yes, people came out and stood to watch what they believed would be a historic journey. And it has been all of that and more, and we were very excited. We took that crowd to be an omen, sort of a sign, that even before anybody knew Barack, 16,000 people showed up. So we were excited.
But then right after that happened, as things started building up, everyone said this race is over. They said there was no way that Barack Obama could win. They said there was an inevitable candidate. And right now, I know people are talking about how Barack is the frontrunner. That’s a new title for us, because if you recall, Barack has been the underdog, and as far as I’m concerned, will continue to be the underdog until he is sitting in the Oval Office. But the odds were against Barack Obama, because they said there were many tests that would determine a strong candidacy. And they said of course, Barack Obama would not be able to do any of it. And it started with raising money. I don’t know if you remember, money was the measure. They were saying whoever could raise the millions that would be required to run would be a strong candidate, would be the strongest candidate. And they said there was no way Barack could compete against a political juggernaut, a fundraising machine, a dynasty, that had been raising money and building relationships throughout the nation for decades. But then what Barack did was a little different. He said I’m going to try a different approach to this presidential fundraising. I’m going to reach out to regular folks. I’m going to start talking to people who no one has ever approached about contributing to a campaign. Not the big dollar donors, and we have our share, and we love them, but we were talking to folks who were writing $10, $20, $30, $40, $50 dollar checks, people who never felt that that small amount could make a difference in a presidential campaign. But you know what? When there are millions of people doing that, then you raise millions of dollars. And Barack’s approach to political fundraising has changed the dynamic in presidential politics forever, because not they can’t say that people without means will not give, because if they’re asked, and they believe in the candidate, yes they will. Barack has more than one million donors. More than one million people have contributed to this campaign. And as a result of those forces, regular folks bringing their resources together, Barack has raised millions.
But once he raised all that money, then all of a sudden, money didn’t matter. It didn’t count. His opponents said well, we’re all going to raise money. So the next test was whether or not Barack could build the kind of political organization that can compete, because against again, the inevitable candidate, had been building relationships and an organization for decades. And they said there was no way that in such a short period of time, this guy nobody every knew could build a political organization that could compete. But then, Barack tried something different. He started relying on regular folks, you know, people who had never been engaged in the process before, people who had never felt any desire to be involved in politics, because either they didn’t think it would change anything, or no one had asked them. No one had reached out. Young folks, who everyone said you don’t bother with young people, because they will not vote, they’ll be excited, they’ll come to the rally, but again, they won’t vote. But Barack didn’t listen to that. So he reached out not just to young folks and old folks, but people in all types of parties. He built a kind of new working majority – Republicans and Democrats and independents and young and old, and black and white, and all colors of the rainbow. And it was a strong organization that has led us to where we are now. And many of the old time Democratic folks have looked at this organization and said they have never seen as well organized, as well functioning a political organization as this one. So he built it.
But after it was built, then all of a sudden, organization didn’t matter. But we’re all going to build a political organization, was what they said. The true test, they said, was now Iowa. Iowa was going to be the measure, because you remember Iowa, remember, remember Iowa? I know that was a long time ago, but I remember Iowa, because everyone said that Iowa was different, and it was an important state because it was a caucus, and that with Iowa, you had to go into those states, and the citizens would spend time looking over every single candidate, asking questions, poking and prodding. There would be an analysis of the candidates by those voters that would be unavailable to most in other states. So this was an important state. And whoever came out of Iowa strong, they said, was going to be a strong presidential nominee. So we go to Iowa. And we spent months in Iowa, and it was a wonderful experience, because let me tell you, the voters of Iowa were everything that folks said. They were thoughtful, they were open-minded, they were gracious, they didn’t decide. They wouldn’t just hand you their support. You had to earn it. And we didn’t know what people were doing until caucus night, because folks felt an obligation not to pick a candidate. So we were in people’s living rooms and open air barns, and stores. I’ve been in every county, almost, in Iowa. And it was a wonderful experience. And what happened in Iowa? Barack won Iowa. And he won it by an overwhelming majority. He blew out the caucuses.
But see, after that happened, then what happened? Iowa wasn’t important. All of a sudden, they said well, Iowa’s not important because it’s just a caucus. It wasn’t a primary was the argument, and that was different. So I’m scratching my head, I’m like okay, so, here we go. So now what was important was the national numbers. Iowa’s no longer important, it was a national race. That was going to tell the picture. That was going to tell the story. And of course, at least at that time, Barack was down in the national polls by double digits. So it was nice that it was then a national race, because the folks said well, there’s no way that Barack Obama, somebody that folks didn’t know nationally, could narrow that gap, because they said his opponent was known nationally, and had contacts throughout the country. So here we go. And then those numbers started narrowing, each and every month, each and every week. Those numbers narrowed. And we go into New Hampshire, and New Hampshire was supposed to be his opponent’s firewall. Barack was supposed to be crushed in New Hampshire. That was supposed to be the outcome, because his opponent lived near that state, had been building relationships in New Hampshire for a lifetime. But what happened in New Hampshire? We didn’t win that state, but we lost by such a narrow margin of victory, we walked away with just as many delegates. We considered that a tremendous victory.
So then we go into South Carolina. We were excited about South Carolina. But then they said don’t be so excited about South Carolina, because South Carolina doesn’t count. They said it doesn’t count for Barack Obama, because Barack Obama was supposed to win South Carolina. You remember that? So yeah, we won South Carolina. But we won it by such a huge margin of victory that it was hard to spin it. And it’s important for people to remember that Barack just didn’t win South Carolina, not just the black vote, as folks tried to spin it. Barack won every county in that state except for two.
So then, we roll into Super Tuesday. Again, the race was supposed to be over on Super Tuesday. It was. But what happened on that day? Barack racked up so many victories. And since that time, he’s continued to build on his victories. When was the last time we’ve seen a candidate who was able to win states like Utah and Georgia, Missouri and Illinois, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Wisconsin? And yes, Barack won the Texas caucuses.
So at this stage of the game, this is where we are. These are the facts. Barack has raised more money. Barack has built a stronger, more functioning organization. Barack has won more of the popular vote. Barack has won more pledged delegates. Barack has won more states. And let me tell you, he’s won in all kinds of states. He’s won in big states and small states, red and blue, swing states. He’s won the black vote and the white vote. He’s won among women, he’s won votes from seniors, from young, from brown. Let’s understand this. These victories cannot be minimized. This is what has happened. Oh, yes, and those superdelegates? We’re still behind a little bit, but let me tell you what’s happened since Super Tuesday, when the superdelegate lead was in the hundreds. That lead has now narrowed. It is about twenty. Barack has closed that gap continuously, through all the ups and downs, all the drama. That gap has continued to close. So here we are. What a year. We are not supposed to be here. So don’t tell me Barack is the frontrunner. Don’t tell me that. Barack has been beating the odds, every day, every week, every month, and just giving us a different kind of hope in the process, the hope that politics can be different, that you don’t have to wallow in the mud, that you can rise up above it.
And we’ve learned a few things. We’ve learned a couple of things in this year. We’ve learned first and foremost that the American people are hungry for change. I mean, it’s a real hunger, and it knows no race and no gender. People know that where we are isn’t where we should be. They know that we can’t keep on the same path hoping for a different outcome. Folks know this inside. People are a little nervous about what change will look like. Change is not easy. But folks know that what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. So they’re paying attention this time around. The American people are focuses on this election like they have not been in a long time, at least not in my lifetime. People are attending political rallies, they’re standing two hours waiting for me to come from Chicago. And I am always proud to see people who bring their children, just to have them witness this, so that they understand what it means to be engaged, what it feels like. When was the last time you’ve seen families sitting around the TV’s to watch a political debate? When was the last time you’ve heard anybody in this nation talking about delegates, super, pledged or otherwise? Quite frankly, admit it, you didn’t even know there were delegates up until this race. So people are engaged, and it isn’t just Barack. All supporters of the candidates are focused in a way that they have not been, and that’s a good thing, and it’s something that we should all be proud of.
But we’ve also learned something else this year, something that we’ve all sort of felt at some point in our life, that we’re still living in a nation, and in a time when the bar is set, I talk about this all the time, they set the bar. They say look, if you do these things, you can get to this bar, right? And then you work and you struggle, you do everything that they say, and you think you’re getting close to the bar and you’re working hard, and you’re sacrificing, and then you get to the bar, you’re right there, you’re reaching out for the bar, you think you have it, and then what happens? They move the bar. They raise it up. They shift it to the left and to the right. It’s always just quite out of reach. And that’s a little bit of what Barack has been experiencing. The bar is constantly changing for this man. Raise the money? Not enough. Build an organization? Not enough. Win a whole bunch of states? Not the right states. You got to win certain states. So the bar has been shifting and moving in this race, but the irony is, the sad irony is that that’s exactly what’s happening to most Americans in this country. The bar is shifting and moving on people all the time. And folks are struggling like never before, working harder than ever