Jul 28, 2008 6:21 pm US/Central
Michelle Obama Hopes To Attract Clinton Supporters
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Michelle Obama addresses women voters at a luncheon at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago July 28, 2008.
CBS
Now that Hillary Clinton is out of the presidential race, Barack Obama is turning to his secret weapon to get the woman vote -- his wife, Michelle Obama.
Michelle Obama is an articulate professional in her own right, and a role model herself.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports Michelle Obama gave a speech Monday at the Palmer House Hilton, at an event called "Women for Obama." But the message was clearly aimed at women for Hillary Clinton.
Michelle Obama walked into the room to a standing ovation. Most of the people in attendance were longtime Barack Obama supporters, but the candidate's wife made it clear she was here to court the new supporters. And she did so by praising her husband's former opponent.
"My husband is a better candidate because of her," Michelle Obama said. "My daughters will look at themselves differently because of her. All of our children, our girls, will believe in the possibility of something bigger because of her."
And now she wants the Clintons' supporters. The campaign has already convinced people like Kelly Cleveland who said, "He's a great candidate and I think he's an easy person to support."
It may have been easy for Cleveland, but longtime Obama supporter Ronna Lerner found some stiff opposition from Hillary Clinton supporters.
"I've been surprised at how much resistance there is out there," Lerner said. "I'm not sure I truly understand the hurt, but I think we have to address that some people feel hurt."
It's that kind of hurt that the John McCain campaign is counting on. A spokesperson for the campaign says they, too, are courting Clinton supporters and finding support among women who criticize Obama for a lack of experience.
But former Clinton supporters believe women will ultimately support Obama because the two senators share similar views.
"Barack is going to work to restore fairness to our economy, to ensure a world-class education for all of our kids, and create quality, affordable healthcare for everyone who wants it and needs it," Michelle Obama said.
The fight for women's votes is an important one; women make up more than 50 percent of the Democratic Party.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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