海角大神

Michelle Obama has been campaigning hard in recent days, in case you haven鈥檛 noticed. Last week, chanting supporters waited hours in late-summer heat for a chance to hear her speak at a high school in Milwaukee. Then she flew to Indiana for a big event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Once there, she suffered an affliction common after a long day on the stump 鈥� a glitch in her space/time continuum.

鈥淚t is just so wonderful to be here and to see all of you this afternoon, evening 鈥� what time of day is it? I鈥檝e lost track of time,鈥� she said. The audience laughed in response.

Then there鈥檚 her constant presence in nonhard news media. She was on Jay Leno鈥檚 鈥淭onight Show鈥� two weeks ago and is set to appear on David Letterman鈥檚 鈥�Late Show鈥� this Wednesday to discuss back-to-school issues. (Gee, that鈥檚 right in the middle of the Republican National Convention. Do you think that鈥檚 on purpose?)

This week she鈥檚 taping a 鈥淒r. Oz鈥� appearance for broadcast in September. She鈥檚 been all over iVillage, a women-oriented website where she has served as guest editor, talking about everything from to a recent present she鈥檚 received from her hubby: gardening gloves.

Does the Democratic Party consider the first lady a secret weapon in its attempt to keep control of the White House? Maybe. If nothing else, we think there鈥檚 a good chance her husband鈥檚 campaign considers her one of its most important means of reaching out to independent voters.

Why? Well, for one thing she鈥檚 very popular. First ladies generally are 鈥� Laura Bush had high favorability ratings, too. In a , 66 percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of Mrs. Obama, as opposed to 52 percent who felt that way about President Obama. (His numbers have slipped below 50 percent since then.)

Plus, she鈥檚 popular with more than core Democratic voters. A found that 61 percent of independents had a favorable view of the first lady. Moderate and liberal Republicans shared this view. Such voters viewed Mrs. Obama favorably by a margin of 62 percent to 25 percent, according to Pew.

And here鈥檚 the kicker: Her causes may reflect current public opinion. She鈥檚 well known for the White House garden, her Let鈥檚 Move campaign to get kids exercising, pushing healthy eating, and so forth. She鈥檚 fighting obesity 鈥� and that鈥檚 a public health problem the public at large now ranks as a major concern.

In a , 81 percent of respondents judged that obesity is an 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery serious鈥� problem. That鈥檚 up significantly from the last time Gallup asked that question in 2005. According to this survey, Americans now view obesity as a bigger problem than smoking.

鈥淔irst lady Michelle Obama鈥檚 high-profile nationwide anti-childhood obesity campaign, launched in 2010, may have ... affected Americans鈥� perceptions of the severity of the issue,鈥� wrote Gallup鈥檚 Elizabeth Mendes last month.

In this context it鈥檚 easy to say why the first lady鈥檚 appearances, in which she talks about her own middle-class upbringing, the difficulties of raising Malia and Sasha, and so forth, perhaps humanize the president while reaching out to voters otherwise disenchanted with his policies.

But there are limits to how far this approach might go. It鈥檚 true that first ladies generally have high approval ratings, but those can drop if the public perceives their actions as overtly political. Hillary Rodham Clinton was a rare first lady whose favorability ratings dipped below those of her husband, in part due to her role in designing President Clinton鈥檚 failed attempt to reform health care.

And many in the GOP disapprove of Mrs. Obama's public campaigns, considering them the sort of nanny-state lecturing that defines unnecessary big government. Pew found that conservative Republicans had an unfavorable view of her, by 46 to 44 percent. Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives criticized her this month after she chided Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas for eating a fast-food breakfast in celebration of a gold medal triumph.

鈥淎苍 Egg McMuffin is some kind of transgression that needs to be called out?鈥� on his show.