We also agreed that she would be a more formidable candidate than the current president, not just because of his obviously infirm condition but because of that repellent concept on which the Democrats depend—identity politics—for which she checks two of the most important boxes.
She also has no problem with name recognition.
We originally speculated that the announcement of this change (rescue?) would be delayed as long as possible—to the Democratic Party convention on Aug. 19 to Aug. 22 in Chicago or slightly before, when some form of back-room deal would transpire. Note the choice of Chicago—Obama heartland—for the convention.
We reasoned that delay would be advantageous to Mrs. Obama because it would shorten the campaign, allowing less time for her to be scrutinized about her time as first lady when she accomplished so little of consequence.
There would also be less scrutiny of the lavish lifestyle she has been living the past few years, which is more suitable for the pages of Vogue than serious negotiations with global leaders during war or dealing with the malign consequences of an open border.
But Rocky’s thinking on the delayed timing of this announcement has changed, as has mine. (There is something of a mind meld between us.)
On Jan. 20, I received the following text message from him:
“Feb. 24 could well be an important watershed moment for the Dems. If [President Donald] Trump, as expected, wins in South Carolina on the 24th, it will effectively end the GOP nomination race. The Dems and the MSM [maintream media] will freak out over the stark reality of an unopposed, unleashed Trump nomination and begin to openly say Biden must drop out.
“I’ve said the move to someone like Michelle would pick up once potential Democrat primary challenges pass and/or Biden secures more than half the required number of delegates—sometime in mid to late spring.
“I now believe the turmoil could commence much earlier, say Feb. 25.
“Faced with an unleashed Trump, they will panic.”
In many ways, they already have, if you spend more than five minutes watching MSNBC.
And listening to President Trump’s recent speeches, you sense a new maturity that comes from confidence and experience. He is less the attack dog (of fellow Republicans) and more the party conciliator.
Perhaps more importantly, he is clearly seeking a wave election, challenging the Democrats in many of the traditional blue states, including New York, in order to win so convincingly that his war on the Deep State will be successful enough to last for many years and save our constitutional republic.
At this point, there is little doubt that he will win the Republican nomination and I would differ very slightly with “Rocky Top” in that I don’t think we have to wait until Feb. 24.
It’s already over and by saying that, I am giving a preview of what I will say on the night of Jan. 23, when I will be joining the gang on NTD to do the usual post-primary pundit “thumb-sucking” on what it all means.
Did former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley come close enough to justify calling it a “two-person race”? In truth, it doesn’t really matter because New Hampshire is the only state out of 50 where she has any kind of chance—and it’s not even a populous state with a lot of delegates on offer.
“You may have noticed that the media has suddenly begun floating all sorts of stories about Barack and Michelle Obama? Some say that this is because Michelle is sending signals that she wants to replace Joe Biden as the Democrat Party’s 2024 nominee. And it’s hard to refute the logic.
“Only last week, for instance, the media widely reported that Michelle Obama was ‘terrified’ about Donald Trump retaking the White House.
It would be a fool’s game to ignore a candidacy for Mrs. Obama that would, in essence, be a fourth term for President Barack Obama, if you include his profound influence on the current one.
The bookies—who, unlike the pollsters, have skin in the game—already have Mrs. Obama in second place for the Democratic nomination, ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and, on some sites, in third place for the presidency itself behind President Trump and President Biden, who is falling.
Something else to look for is competition between First Lady Jill Biden and Mrs. Obama. Bizarre as it sounds, Mrs. Biden—who clearly has had to do many things for her husband, known and unknown—may have more genuine qualifications for the presidency than Mrs. Obama.
Further, President Biden may have legal reasons to cling to the presidency as long as possible.
This competition has more than a slight possibility of turning bloody.
Mrs. Obama, with a growing and now alarmed political machine behind her, will be difficult to stop.
But given how important this is, I have some heartfelt advice for Trump supporters if they want to win, which I assume they do.
I have seen many sneering references to Mrs. Obama as “Mike” in the comments sections of websites here and elsewhere.
This is truly dumb.
First, it is hardly clever.
Secondly, it is a lie. Michelle Obama is a woman who has had children.
Thirdly, it plays right into the hands of the opposition who can point to it as evidence that right-wingers are barbarians or, worse, white supremacists who traffic in outlandish conspiracy theories or attack people for their looks—and in this case, they would have a point.
Don’t do it.
There are plenty of things to criticize both Obamas for that are real and substantive. Don’t deal in ugly fantasies even if they do. They change no minds. In fact, the reverse.
This is a time to win.
