Can Michelle Be America's Hostess?
the role of the first lady has great capacity for tradition, and room for change
2008-11-26
By Terry Glover

Never mind the transition team. There are, according to recent headlines and cable news features, nagging doubts among the electorate that First Lady Michelle Obama will be able to leave behind her executive Chicago life for tea time at the White House. Britain’s former First Lady, Cherie Blair has advised Michelle to “be prepared to take a back seat” to the demands of her husband’s gig. If there is one thing I cannot picture Michelle Obama doing, it’s heading to the back…of anything.

Maybe it was the early jibes about Barack “leaving his dirty socks on the floor” and her attempts to keep his image humble and accessible that led to the concern. Or perhaps the victory dap in St. Paul after he clinched the presidential nomination -- gone, but not forgotten, and unfathomable on Pennsylvania Avenue – have left America with the impression that Michelle’s sense of self is too big for the room. To be sure, the Princeton/Harvard educated lawyer has accomplishments and opinions of her own. Which does not mean that she can’t adjust to the role she is about to assume, but makes a more interesting case for the fact that the role of First Lady, and how that role is carried out, is dynamic rather than static and, therefore, should be subject to change.

The role of the First Lady is that of ambassador, a social and cultural counterpart to the President’s political profile. While the duties of official hostess do not preclude taking on initiatives outside of those responsibilities, the position comes fully loaded with a certain protocol. How a wife works within (or around) those parameters informs her particular White House legacy.

Offered as examples of the inherent neutering mojo of the appointment are the tenures of Jackie Kennedy, Laura Bush and, most notably, Hillary Clinton, all of whom, it has been said, found themselves consumed by the diminished expectations of the role, swallowed in the belly of the beast. But, really, let’s be fair about who these women were before arriving at Pennsylvania Avenue, what they actually accomplished and how they developed as a result.

Jackie Kennedy, the First Lady to whom Michelle has most often been compared, was 31 when she moved into the White House, the third youngest presidential wife to take over. Kennedy, product of an East Coast pedigree, brought nothing more substantial with her than a sense of style. But from that, the mission of historic preservation took on new importance and saw Kennedy build a legacy that endures and contributes to our national trust to this day.

Librarian Laura Bush launched the annual National Book Festival and made literacy and early child development her issues during her husband’s years of service. The failure of NCLB notwithstanding, First Lady Laura went with what came naturally. She received numerous awards and certificates of recognition for her work on behalf of children and education. Three schools have been named in her honor.

Ironically, it is Hillary Clinton who most closely mirrors the circumstances and professional background of Michelle Obama. The two barristers held high-profile positions before their husband’s ascensions, and, as famously attested to by Hillary, have shown no inclination toward staying home to bake cookies. Hillary’s downfall was in her mistaken notion that, somehow, she could jettison the role of First Lady completely and co-govern with, rather than compliment her husband, a miscalculation that irrevocably hurt her initiatives on national health care, and served as a harsh lesson in the art of bucking tradition too roundly.

In her professional capacity, Michelle Obama has shown a talent for launching community programs and acting as liaison between community and corporate interests. She has continued to express a desire to work in the area of community development, particularly as it relates to women and issues of health care. To the degree that she wants be involved outside of raising her daughters, the platform for such initiatives can span global as well as domestic needs, and her expertise will be profoundly useful to less developed communities here and abroad -- none of which can be accomplished without a considerable ability to be the consummate hostess and nurture personal relationships.

Being the accomplished woman that she is, Michelle Obama is sure to have already taken note. Will that be cream or lemon with your tea?

Terry Glover is Senior Editor of EbonyJet.com. She writes about trends and culture – popular and otherwise.