Did Michelle Obama just (sort of) endorse Hillary Clinton for 2016?
First lady Michelle Obama said this week that she'd like to see a woman hold the Oval Office 'as soon as possible' 鈥� and that she herself has no designs on it, or any other elected position. That kind of narrows the options.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks at The White House Summit on Working Families at a hotel in Washington, Monday, June 23, 2014. The gathering, organized by the White House, Department of Labor, and the Center for American Progress, highlights the challenges and offers solutions faced by working families in America.
Charles Dharapak/AP
Washington
First lady Michelle Obama says it鈥檚 time for the United States to have a female president. Asked by ABC鈥檚 Robin Roberts at Monday's White House Summit on Working Families whether she foresees a woman in the Oval Office, Mrs. Obama said 鈥渢hat should happen as soon as possible.鈥�
The wife of the first African-American chief executive of the US added that she believes the nation is ready to elect anyone who can do the job of running the country, whatever their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
鈥淭he person who should do the job is the person who鈥檚 the most qualified. And I think we have some options, don鈥檛 we?鈥� said Obama, in a manner that implied she was talking about women.
The first lady herself will not be among these options. She said she has no plans to run for office. It did not sound as if she were being coy, either. Given that she鈥檚 shown no interest in any kind of elective position in the past, we鈥檇 tend to believe that she will not emulate Hillary Rodham Clinton鈥檚 career path.
After Barack leaves the White House, her next chapter 鈥渨ill not be political ... it will be mission-based, it will be service-focused,鈥� said Michelle.
Does all this mean she鈥檚 endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016? It kind of sounds as if that鈥檚 the case, doesn鈥檛 it?
Possibly Mrs. Obama was referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) of Massachusetts as the female presidential option in question, but given Mrs. Clinton鈥檚 overwhelming lead in the polls among Democrats, we doubt it. The first lady didn鈥檛 explicitly support only a woman for president or really give much of a thumbs-up here, but she can鈥檛 really, given that the official presidential election process hasn鈥檛 begun. We鈥檙e in the invisible primary stage, where candidates jockey behind the scenes for the support of key figures.
Yes, we know, there are many reports the Clintons and the Obamas do not really get along. But Michelle Obama will still end up endorsing and working for Clinton if she鈥檚 the nominee, so the first lady may already be preparing the way for that eventuality.
As for the strain of being a working mom with a husband in politics, about showing up for a job interview at the University of Chicago Hospital with Sasha in tow because she did not have a babysitter.
鈥淚 thought, look, this is who I am,鈥� Obama told Ms. Roberts.
In essence she was telling the interviewer that employers had to value her family as well as herself. She got the job and it was a great experience, she said.
鈥淚 felt like I owed that hospital because they were supporting me,鈥� said Obama.