WARWICK - Americans facing social and economic challenges should look to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as the presidential candidate who can best understand their plight, the senator's wife told about 2,000 supporters at a rally in Warwick Wednesday night.
Michelle Obama came to Rhode Island to campaign on behalf of her husband before the state's March 4 primary.
Obama was introduced by her brother, Craig Robinson, head coach of the Brown men's basketball team, at the Community College of Rhode Island's Knight Campus.
It's not often that "a guy who lives on the East Side of Providence gets to introduce the next first lady of the United States," Robinson said, prompting supporters to cheer and clap loudly.
"And it's even more humbling when that person is your little sister," he said to the supporters, some of whom held signs that read "Yes We Can," "Change We Can Believe In" and "Michelle for 1st lady."
At the beginning of the senator's presidential campaign, critics said he would not be able to raise enough funds or garner sufficient political support to win, Obama said. But she said her husband has proved them wrong by winning several state primaries.
Speaking for almost an hour at the "Stand for Change Rally," Obama narrated anecdotes from her and her husband's lives, emphasizing that their experiences have been similar to those of average Americans.
"We're still living in a nation where sometimes the bar is set. And then you work hard, do whatever is possible to reach the bar, and you reach it. You think you're there, and then they move the bar," she said. "What was once possible is impossible because the bar is moving."
Obama used the bar metaphor to explain the challenges Americans face today when, in spite of working hard, they have difficulty in securing good education, steady employment, healthcare and overall economic stability.
"(Barack and I) are three years outside of paying down our student loan debt," she said. "Imagine that. Imagine a president of the United States who is three years out of paying down his debt."
Her husband's grounded upbringing and varied life experiences set him apart from other politicians, Obama said.
"Barack didn't have it easy. He is the product of a single-parent household," she said. "Imagine an 18-year-old white woman raising a black boy in the '60s."
Obama said her husband, who lived in Indonesia for part of his childhood, "understands and respects other cultures and traditions" - an attribute America's next president must have.
The senator can empathize with Americans because he has shared some of their experiences while working as a community organizer in Illinois, his wife said. While there, he worked "with real people who had a reason to be fearful and cynical because they had been forgotten."
At the same time, the Harvard Law School graduate can use his top-notch education to give back to Americans, Obama said.
"He is trying to live by the simple principle that to whom much is given, much is expected," she said.
Obama supporters said they enjoyed hearing his wife speak.
"It was a very good rally," said Shirley Mitchner, an Obama supporter. "She did an excellent job. We would vote for her!"
Mitchner said she hopes Obama's speech convinced some undecided voters to vote for the senator.
"When you look around the crowd, not everyone's clapping, but you can see that they're listening, so hopefully they got it," Mitchner said.
Members of Brown Students for Obama present at the rally said Michelle Obama's speech inspired them.
"What was particularly striking in her speech was that she had an ability to interweave the substantive policy with the more rhetorical ... lofty ideas," said Ben Mishkin '08, membership coordinator for Brown Students for Obama.
"She really was able to inspire and tackle the critical issues facing our country," said Max Chaiken '09, chapter coordinator for Brown Students for Obama. "I thought she was wonderful and eloquent, and she had a commanding presence."
Chaiken said Obama's speech showed Americans that she and her husband had worked hard to attain their goals.
"They're trying to inspire a new generation of Americans to work hard and fulfill their dreams," he said.
Harrison Kreisberg '10 said the Obamas are trying to reach different demographic groups across the country.
"I really think we're going to unite this country behind someone like Michelle and Barack," he said.
