The news media and political pundits lately have been focusing on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking will she run for president in 2016? In the 2008 Democratic presidential primary she won more votes than any other female candidate in American history, but narrowly lost to Barack Obama.
A female president is not a new idea. Shirley Chisholm became the first black congresswoman and for seven terms represented New York State in the House. She ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972. Geraldine Ferraro later became the first woman vice-presidential candidate on a national party ticket.
It’s not uncommon for the press to focus on Mrs. Clinton because of her history and record of public service. She was at one time the nation’s first lady. But I wonder if it is possible to consider our present first lady, Michelle Obama, for the office?
Mrs. Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1947 to Dorothy Rodham and the late Hugh Rodham. She attended local public schools before graduating from Wellesley College and Yale Law School, where she met Bill Clinton. In 1974, she moved to Arkansas, married Bill Clinton a year later and became a successful attorney while raising their daughter, Chelsea. She was an assistant professor at the University Of Arkansas School Of Law.
During her 12 years as first lady of Arkansas, she was chairwoman of the Arkansas Education Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Defense Fund.
In 1992, Governor Clinton was elected president, and as first lady, Hillary Clinton became an advocate of health care reform and worked on many issues relating to children and families.
In 2000, Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 2006, Senator Clinton won reelection to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for president. After Obama was elected, she was nominated to be his Secretary of State.
Michelle Obama was born on January 17, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Fraser and Marian Robinson.
A product of Chicago public schools, Mrs. Obama studied sociology and African-American studies at Princeton University. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, she joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she later met the man who would become the love of her life.
She served as assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago’s City Hall before becoming the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service.
In 1996, Mrs. Obama joined the University of Chicago as associate dean of Student Services. She developed the university’s first community service program, and under her leadership as VP of Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center, volunteerism skyrocketed.
Continuing this effort now as first lady, Mrs. Obama in 2010 launched Let’s Move, a campaign to address the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.
So when you hear someone mentioning Hillary for president in 2016, perhaps you might mention Michelle as well. Why not Michelle? Who knows? Stranger things have happened.
Please watch the Bernie Hayes TV program Saturday Night at 10pm and Friday Morning at 9 am and Sunday Evenings at 5:30 pm on KNLC-TV Ch. 24. I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.
